###The Year Without a Summer
Global, 1815–1816 — A colossal volcanic eruption plunged the Earth into a freezing gloom, turning summer into a snow-filled nightmare.
On April 5, 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia blew its top in the largest volcanic explosion in recorded history. It blasted an immense amount of ash and microscopic sulfate aerosols high into the sky, which the jet stream dragged entirely around the globe.
This massive dust cloud acted like a cosmic umbrella, heavily dimming the Sun's radiation. By May 1816, the Northern Hemisphere was plunged into a persistent gloom. Because solar activity was already hitting a record low, the world got exceptionally cold.
Summer never arrived. Gloomy, freezing rains pelted Europe, and widespread crop failures sparked severe food shortages. The price of oats skyrocketed, which disrupted horse-based travel! Faced with freezing fields and starvation, droves of farming families packed up and migrated out of New England.
The Year Without a Summer — Global, 1815–1816