The summer of 1783 was the hottest on record, and the winter of 1784 was the most severe with 8,000 deaths in the UK alone. During the thaw, even the River Nile receded.
The winter of 1784 was the longest and coldest on record in North America, with the Mississippi river freezing over in New Orleans.
Germany and Central Europe was decimated with flood damage in 1785, with an added build up of poverty, and a famine was said to have contributed to the FRENCH REVOLUTION in 1789.
Now none of this may have any bearing on what is going on now in Iceland with Eyjafjallajökull - or has it?
After all, Iceland faced a banking collapse of its own only two years ago, coincidence or a fall of which could have greater consequences.
When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in April 2010 it was said to be only small, spreading only 5km; but with the second eruption in May, it seems to have grown vastly.
The bulk of the Icelandic ash cloud has grown to 2,100 miles long and 1,400 miles wide, stretching over the North Atlantic, so it is not going to disintegrate anytime soon. Add up the cost of cancelled flights (totalling over 2 BILLION dollars in less than a month) and we have a MAJOR CRISIS on our hands.
It has got to be said, we are in an uncertain period worldwide at this point, especially as Eyjafjallajökull's sister volcano, Katla, is showing signs of eruption also.
In the UK we have no government, or at least a hung one, which some might say is a good thing - but could Laki and Eyjafjallajökull be history repeating itself?
Over in Greece we have a revolution of sorts - in no part due to Greece's involvement in the Euro and the EU - and the country is said to be on the brink of financial meltdown.
I was one of the sceptics who thought a few days of non-flying and cloud would disintegrate and go away leaving us to get on with our lives.
Well, apparently not. This eruption could change the world as we know it. Most countries have volcanoes that have been dormant for some time - but if they too decided to spew out some gases...what then?
I think it is all linked...the Icelandic bank collapse of 2008, the worldwide recession, the hung parliament in Britain, the collapse of Greece in the Euro zone and just the general 'I'm not sure anymore of anything' mentality. I think this volcanic eruption is linked to everything that is going wrong now in the modern world.
Looking at Greece, it is not a powerhouse in Europe economy-wise, but the bailout from the other member countries is set to cost some 130 BILLION Euros..
Following Greece's near collapse, rumoured to be next are Portugal, Spain, Italy and Ireland...If the EU bails Greece out, then it will have to either bail out the other four countries on the brink as well, or face extinction.
Cue no more Euro and no more EU...just like the collapse of the Roman Empire, which funnily enough was the last time you had a UNITED EUROPE, and all this on the 60th Anniversary of a semi-united Europe.
Britain may not be in the Euro zone at the present, but it is in the EU, and what happens in the Euro Land, will inevitably have a knock-on effect to the UK.
The damage to the UK and the EU could be irreparable...what then Mister Ash Cloud - will we ever see daylight again?
© Words – Paul Gallagher/ ZANI
