Little Ice Age
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The Little Ice Age Leslea Pedersen History 141 September 23, 2009 Dr. Michael Arguello
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Transcript of Little Ice Age
The Little Ice Age
Leslea Pedersen
History 141
September 23, 2009
Dr. Michael Arguello
The Little Ice Age
Overview
• Occurred during 14th - 19th centuries.
• Causes of the Little Ice Age (LIA) are
thought to be either a major increase in
volcanic activity, a decrease in the sun’s
radiation, or a change in the worldwide
circulation of the ocean’s “conveyor belt.”
• The LIA came after a warmer climate
trend known as the Medieval Warm
Period. The LIA was not a true ice age
according to some scientists.
• Areas affected by LIA were agriculture,
health, economics, social strife,
emigration, art & literature.
• Crop devastation caused famines, price
of rye & wheat increased, wine production
stopped in France, weakened immune
systems gave way to increase in
disease/death, emigration gave way to
revolts, riots, revolution, creation of
democracies. Darker skies are seen in
paintings of the time, darker stories were
written such as “Frankenstein.”
The Little Ice Age
Affects on Humanity
• The Little Ice Age (LIA) reshaped the
world through emigration, famine,
agriculture changes and death.
• People were puzzled about the cause of
the LIA and many believed it to be by
some evil force. Thus, people were
burned for witchcraft. Mass hysteria was a
problem.
• The Vikings living in Greenland were
hit hard. The land was no longer able to
support livestock, the cod they ate moved
south. The ocean clogged with ice.
• The League of the Iroquois enacted in
the 1500s is a result of Iroquois migration
in search of warmer weather. This was a
non-aggression pact.
• French peasants moving to Paris in
search of food revolted against the
government, leading to the revolution
which brought about democracy in
France.
The Little Ice Age
Agriculture, Etc.• The Little Ice Age (LIA) devastated the reliable cereal crops. This cause a sharp price increase in rye & wheat, plus shortage of food and famine.
• During this time the potato from the Andes was introduced. At first thought to be the devil’s plant, it later was an agricultural revolution & saved lives, except in France.
• France’s wine production stopped as grapes died out. Beer & hard liquor became more prominent & was thus introduced to N. America by European emigrants.
• There’s a theory the LIA caused the wood of the trees in the Italian Alps to grow more dense & this was the wood used by Stradivari to craft 650 of the world’s finest violins.
• Wars between countries were won or lost as a result of the unusual climate. The Spanish Armada was wiped out, as was Napoleon’s army. The US Revolution shifted in our favor after the battle of Trenton, where Washington crossed an ice clogged Delaware River & attacked the unsuspecting British.
Sources
Documentary Film: “The Little Ice Age: The Big Chill.”
The History Channel
Wikipedia: Little Ice Age
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_ice_age
The Little Ice Age in Europe
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/lia/little_ice_age.htm
