The Year Without a Summer: When the Atmosphere Changed An The Skies Turned Green

In 1816, people across Europe began reporting strange atmospheric events — eerie green skies, strange sunsets, and unusual storms that made many fear the world itself was changing. What they didn’t know was that the cause lay thousands of miles away. The eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 was one of the most powerful volcanic explosions in recorded history, sending ash and sulfur high into the atmosphere and triggering global climate disruptions. The following year would become known as the “Year Without a Summer,” bringing snow in June, crop failures, famine, and bizarre atmospheric phenomena across the world. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, we explore the strange weather of 1816, the volcanic eruption that caused it, and how the event reshaped global climate, agriculture, and even literature — helping inspire Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Blending environmental history, strange natural phenomena, and global climate disruption, this episode reveals how a volcanic eruption on the other side of the world could change the color of the sky above London.

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