2. WHAT, WHEN, WHERE? *The Little Ice Age occurred from the 14th to the 19th Century *Europe *30% of Earth was covered by ice *Cold period between 1550 AD and 1850 AD with three intervals *1650, 1770, and 1850 *Causes of the Little Ice Age remain unknown *Cyclical lows in solar radiation, volcanic activity and changes in the ocean circulation are possible reasons
3. EFFECT: HUNGER *Medieval Era was mainly based on agriculture. *When the Ice Age arrived, everything was frozen and it was impossible to produce food. *There was little of nothing to eat. *Family members killed each other to reserve food for others. *People ended up feeding themselves mostly with sea food. *Potatoes were seen as prohibited
4. EFFECT: DISEASES *Bubonic plague in 1347. *It was caused by rats and fleas carrying diseases *It was called the Black Death * Approximately 1/3 of population died *Malnutrition caused weakened immune systems *Influenza *Malaria caused by mosquito *Illness called St. Anthony’s Fire
5. EFFECT: DEATH *Many people died for starvation when agriculture failed because of too low temperature. *Even family members killed each other to reserve food for others. *Children were usually taken into the forest and abandoned *From 1347 to 1352 , 25 million people died. One-third to one-half of the European population. *The bubonic plague is believed to have killed 137 million people during its 400-year reign of terror.
6. SOURCES * Documentary film: Little Ice Age-Big Chill by Don Cambou *The Little Ice Age in Europe *Wikipedia: Little Ice Age
