In the annals of human history, the year 1816 stands as a testament to the profound impact that geological events can have on the course of civilization. It was a year when spring and summer vanished, replaced by a relentless onslaught of cold, darkness, and despair, all triggered by a cataclysmic eruption on the far side of the world.
The culprit was Mount Tambora, a volcano located on the island of Sumbawa, now part of Indonesia. On April 10, 1815, Tambora unleashed its fury in an eruption that dwarfed even the legendary eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991. The force of the eruption was unimaginable, spewing a colossal column of ash into the sky, sending lava flows cascading down the mountain for days, and triggering devastating tsunamis that ravaged coastal communities.
The immediate aftermath of the eruption was catastrophic, with over 70,000 people perishing, making it one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. However, the true extent of Tambora’s wrath would become apparent in the year that followed.
As the eruption cloud spread across the globe, it injected massive amounts of sulphur into the atmosphere, forming sulphate aerosols that acted like a cosmic sunshade. These aerosols reflected sunlight back into space, preventing it from reaching the Earth’s surface. The result was a year of unprecedented global cooling, with temperatures plummeting and異常な寒さ、大雪、壊滅的な不作が世界中で発生しました。ヨーロッパと北アメリカでは特に被害が深刻で、広範な飢餓、暴動、病気の蔓延が発生しました。
In North America, heavy snow fell in June, with drifts reaching heights of 20 inches. Frozen birds dropped dead from the sky, and shorn sheep died from exposure despite farmers’ desperate attempts to protect them. Crops were decimated by repeated frosts throughout the summer, forcing people to resort to eating raccoons, pigeons, and hedgehogs. Compounding the food shortage was a severe drought, leading to wildfires in the region.
In Europe, the situation was equally dire. The summer of 1816 was cold and wet, with some areas experiencing weeks of incessant rain. Snow fell in central Spain in July, and Britain endured its coldest July on record, with snow and two-inch hailstones shattering windows. As in the US, food shortages led to riots and mass migrations. The failed harvest of 1816 is often referred to as the ‘last great subsistence crisis in the Western World.’
The year without a summer also had a profound impact on human culture. Kept indoors by the gloomy weather, Mary Shelley penned her masterpiece, Frankenstein, while traveling in Switzerland. Her monster has long outlived the effects of that devastating eruption.
The tale of the year without a summer serves as a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of our planet and the far-reaching consequences of even distant events. It also highlights the vulnerability of human societies to the whims of nature and the importance of being prepared for the unexpected.
