Mount Tambora Erupts

• At approximately 7 p.m. on April 10, 1815, Mount Tambora's volcano exploded. The super-colossal eruption caused 16-foot tsunamis along the coast of Indonesia. The spewing hot lava reached speeds of 124 mph, immediately killing 10,000 victims in its path. Mount Tambora's volcanic eruptions continued until July 15, 1815.
  
  

Year Without a Summer

• In the summer of 1816, the dense volcanic ash from Mount Tambora's eruption blew into the skies over the Northern Hemisphere. The haze of suspended ash filtered the sun from the people and crops below. Unseasonably low temperatures caused frost, crop failure, famine, disease and death across Europe and North America. Historians refer to this isolated event as "The Year Without a Summer."
  
  In 1920, American climatologist William Humphreys was credited with connecting the Northern Hemisphere's extreme weather conditions to Mount Tambora's airborne volcanic ash.
  
  

Indonesian Famine

• After the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora, thick layers of ash ruined crops on the islands of Bali, Lombok, Sulawesi and Sumbawa. The resulting famine throughout Indonesia turned so severe, islanders sold themselves as slaves to traders and gave away their children in exchange for rations of rice.