The Bleak Midwinter of the 1430s

For European peasants winter was an especially difficult time, but some winters are more difficult than others. In the fifteenth century, a series of particularly bad winters struck throughout the 1430s, causing famine, exacerbating disease, and changing culture.
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Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #Winter

[@septembersurprise5178]

"Cold! If the thermometer had been an inch longer we'd all have frozen to death." - Mark Twain

[@goodun2974]

Twain once said, " The coldest winter I ever experienced was the summer I spent in San Francisco". Back when I was a telecommunications cable installation tech I did some outside work pulling fiber optic cable through manholes near the shores of Long Island sound in February. I told my coworkers that I always knew I would end up in hell when I died but I didn't expect it would be so cold!

[@septembersurprise5178]

@@goodun2974 "Dying man couldn't make up his mind which place to go to -- both have their advantages, "heaven for climate, hell for company!" - Mark Twain

[@goodun2974]

@@septembersurprise5178 , "If I had possession of both Hell and Texas, I'd live in Hell and rent out Texas". Sam Houston

[@septembersurprise5178]

@@goodun2974 "You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas." Davy Crockett

[@T4nkcommander]

@@septembersurprise5178 it would be easier to rent out Texas tho

[@theproceedings4050]

"In the bleak mid-winter Frosty wind made moan; Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow, In the bleak mid-winter Long ago."

[@jamesrobiscoe1174]

Appreciate your quote, Am I mistaken or is this from a poem by Christina Rosetti?

[@theproceedings4050]

@@jamesrobiscoe1174 Yes indeed it is, idk where I heard it first, but it takes up space in my head so it's immediately what I thought of. Somebody must've recited it at one point to me because I don't ever remember hearing it in carol form, I only just found out it was a Christmas carol from the internet.

[@lanesaarloos281]

If such an event occurs in the future, living close to a nuclear power plant could keep the electric blankets nice and toasty !

[@canturgan]

It's a well loved carol in the UK.

[@shawnaweesner3759]

There is a beautiful song called, “In The Bleak Mid-Winter.”

[@meoohmy3231]

“We’ll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it, or not”…

[@magellantv]

One thing is for sure, the Middle Ages is a fascinating period of time to learn about.

[@californigirl]

Agreed.

[@daneaxe6465]

It'd be interesting go time machining to see how life really was like, but I much prefer our time. One thing I learned doing genealogy research was the non-stop wars and the tons of little kingdoms looking to expand by conquering you. It was just nuts and your head had to be on swivel looking for invaders plus the normal criminal element in the human race.

[@george2113]

Substitute the word horrifying for fascinating

[@kaymuldoon3575]

@@daneaxe6465 not to mention the limited knowledge of science and lack of antibiotics. I’m so grateful to live today, as crazy as our world seems right now.

[@harrymills2770]

@@kaymuldoon3575 Yup. You could die of a small cut or an infected tooth.

[@AkX1353]

Historian Barbara Tuchman, in her book "A Distant Mirror" was looking for a time in the past equivalent to thermal nuclear war. The time of the black death and the 100 years war was her distant mirror. She wrote of a time a few years earlier than 1430. One of the interesting items that has stayed with me was that she found that the richest nobles of that time would not name their children until they survived to 7 years old

[@AkX1353]

@textme9119 Replying to your text request about my Barbara Tuchman comment? John

[@josephryan9230]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing that.

[@Bobrogers99]

I recall a family in a cemetery that had three Johns. The first two died in infancy.

[@GuinessOriginal]

@@Bobrogers99 from the 1430s?

[@Bobrogers99]

@@GuinessOriginal More like the 1830s. My point was that when a child died, it was not that unusual for a family to give a subsequent child the same name.

[@iannarita9816]

James Burke in Connections2 pointed out that after years of famine and hardship reducing the available workers. The result was a shortage of available workers. This gave people offers for more for their labors. And other opportunities. The result was the Renaissance.

[@anthonyjackson280]

'Connections', 'Connetions 2' and 'The Day The Universe Changed' are fabulous shows, even after all these years.

[@jacobsamorodin9937]

The Black Death contributed too.

[@pmboston]

That was a fantastic program. Ahead of its time.

[@mikekolokowsky]

There were more factors than that for the Renaissance.

[@RetiredSailor60]

Good morning from chilly Ft Worth TX to everyone watching. Merry Christmas!

[@barryphillips6845]

And a Merry Christmas to you from a freezing Shropshire, England. The County which gave the world Charles Darwin and the family of a certain Robert E. Lee.

[@travelsouthafrica5048]

greetings from sunny south africa where the weather is probably the only thing we cannot complain about

[@RetiredSailor60]

@@barryphillips6845 My maternal side of my family came from England to Jamestown VA in 1627.

[@rhuephus]

@@RetiredSailor60 part of my family greeted the Vikings about 2,000 years ago. Some helped built the pyramids 5,.000 years ago (in Egypt and what is now Mexico) So what is your point.

[@RetiredSailor60]

@@rhuephus No particular point to be made sir. Just a tidbit of my personal history...

[@geoben1810]

The really amazing thing is that humans and animals, domestic and wild, have managed to survive at all.

[@toughenupfluffy7294]

It was probably a combination of effects, including variations in the Earth's orbit, fresh meltwater from the prior Medieval Warm Period interrupting the thermohaline oceanic conveyor belt, multiple volcanic eruptions, and solar minima. The perfect storm for an entire decade.

[@wrmlm37]

Huh. :)

[@bernardedwards8461]

A white sheet dipped in tallow makes a good substitute for glass in as much as it lets the light in, but the disadvantage is that like a frosted window you cant see anything through it.

[@BigboiiTone]

As a Nordic Alaskan, I'm currently experiencing a "mini ice age," of mine own. We have received at least five (5) feet of snow and as much as eight (8) feet in some areas. I am becoming muscular from the constant snow shoveling.

[@fbksfrank4]

Now the chill sets in, at least it takes the moisture out of the snow, fluffy is easily shovels.

[@johnp139]

You live in northern Alaska, what do you expect?

[@BigboiiTone]

@@johnp139 I can tell you've never been here lol. If you had, you wouldn't make such a dumb comment

[@BigboiiTone]

@@fbksfrank4 I was noticing that too. Sometimes it gets so "dry" that it's almost like shoveling sand. I used to think it was funny that the Natives have 50 words for snow but the more winters I get through, I have noticed several highly distinct varieties of snow. Cool to check out under a magnification glass

[@cw4608]

Not as much snow in MT, but it does serve as my winter workout.

[@Mr_Reasonable]

Proliferation of the chimney? You mean there was a time when European houses didn't have chimneys? I'd watch a THG video about chimneys.

[@roberttaylor7637]

Yes the history of these important devices deserves to be remebered

[@80krauser]

Smaller more ancient houses with thatched roofs allowed most of the smoke to rise up through the grass mats. And it would impregnate the mat with the smell of smoke that kept bugs out of it. No bugs means no birds tearing into it to get them. If you had a solid roof made from Chestnut or other wood then yes you would need a chimney.

[@RogCBrand]

Imagine the little huts peasants live in, often with just a fire pit in the middle, and the smoke rising up, with a small hole at the top of the roof. During the cold months, you're inside, with the small windows covered up, since you couldn't afford glass, so it's constantly dark and filled with smoke!

[@anthonyjackson280]

@@RogCBrand Usually there was no hole to allow the smoke out, it seeped out through the thatch, thus preserving it and keeping away vermin. Had a vent been present it would allow sparks from the fire to ignite the thatch. By being ventless it acted as a fire suppressant by lowering oxygen and temperature levels in the roof.

[@RogCBrand]

@@anthonyjackson280 I could be mistaken, but I seem to remember, a long time ago, seeing examples of round peasant huts, that at the peak, had a small opening for smoke to exit. But I can't remember where they were- I'm sure different parts of Europe would have had some differences in building style.

[@deborahbarbour2241]

Once again the historic theme of finding someone to blame for the troubles. Continues to this day.😞😣

[@roberttaylor7637]

I woke up to freezing temps this morning. Couldnt have been better timed on this episode

[@rcnfo1197]

Great episode! So much of history seems to be filled with wars and politics, and so little about what common folk experienced in day to day life. Thanks for filling in some of the blanks.

[@ablewindsor1459]

It is said that in England, as 999 turned into 1000 AD, there were only one and a half Apple crates worth of written documents in existence. One Reason so little of the common man is known today. One Historical Wag when he came across the above was to have said Balderdash! The Vatican Library has over fifty shelf miles of documents written before 1000AD. Question? How many tens of people have ever seen this Treasure Trove...? ? ?

[@george2113]

@@ablewindsor1459 if I'm not mistaken the Vatican archives have a minimum age to use.

[@GuinessOriginal]

@@george2113 shame they don’t have one with children

[@thoughtful_criticiser]

My daughter's school started in 1407, considering the first thirty years of its existence, I am surprised that it is still going.

[@Sagittarius-A-Star]

Here we have a pharmacy "since 1492" - in your face, America! Weihenstephan brewery in Germany: "Since 1048." Let that sink in ((C) Elon Musk 2022).

[@d.l.l.6578]

What school is that?

[@arthas640]

@@Sagittarius-A-Star I'm not a fan of Musk's but Elon probably makes more money in an hour than that pharmacy makes in a decade and chances are he'll have a bigger impact, good and bad, on history than a German pharmacy

[@arthas640]

Fun fact: Oxford had no calculus class at first because it hadn't been invented yet

[@Sagittarius-A-Star]

@@arthas640 Money is not everything ... I was a Musk fanboy until he started this Twitter stuff - I hope he will get back on track.

[@maggpiprime954]

The paintings shown in this video are excellent accounts of the time, I'm very glad to finally have the context.

[@chrisvandecar4676]

A few years back there was a show on Discovery or maybe The History Channel, “Little Ice Age Big Chill”. Awesome. Started off with a Monk beseeching the glaciers to stop advancing and crushing the villages before it. Narrated by Ed Herman. Great show if you can catch it. No disrespect to the History Guy, great video😃

[@jtwright4095]

hellyeah! watched over & over throughout the years 👍👍👍

[@Face2theScr33n]

I think it was more than a few years ago, before the Anthropogenic Global Warming agenda became the preferred propaganda.

[@briane3657]

Too bad there is very little history on the History Channel anymore.

[@chrisvandecar4676]

@@briane3657 😢

[@phlogistanjones2722]

It was The History Channel.... /watch?v=VTW2Sczq2NA&t=1s&ab_channel=RathnakumarS Thanks for the recommendation.

[@pmccord9]

Timely statement: "Some winters are more difficult than others." Tell it to Buffalo, Christmas 2022!

[@Yestradamus-]

I speculate a northern hemisphere volcano caused the cooling by placing particulates into the stratosphere, like Honga Tonga in the Southern Hemisphere has shown with this years current weather in South America and Australia.

[@Guangrui]

an increasingly popular theory says that the little ice age was one of the culprits who killed the Ming Dynasty, which collapsed in year 1644, a shock to the contemporaries, even those who worked day and night to bring its downfall 😌

[@vanguard9067]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

[@Guangrui]

@@vanguard9067 Pleasure

[@pete7182]

And my heat bill was enormous that winter 🥶. Great video as always.

[@1Lansing1]

That might be more than a few dynasties that went down

[@1Lansing1]

Grand Solar Minimum

[@korbell1089]

Imagine, not only your livelihood but even your, life depends on planting and harvesting crops, then to watch them die from frost year after year.😥

[@oldsguy354]

Late frost threatens crops (and livelihood) to this very day. It took the industrial revolution to allow for widespread mechanization of farming that allowed vast numbers of people to spend time on things other than farming. Almost all technological advances came along after farming and food supplies became relatively stable. Add to that tremendous improvements in transportation so large amounts of food could be transported from places that have, to places that have not and suddenly you have a society that isn't spending all of its time on farming and can "waste" time on higher education, studying, and researching to come up with advances in just about every aspect of life. All of that is a relatively recent occurrence too. In the northern United States, It was considered a real treat for children to receive an orange in their Christmas stocking well into the 1930s, and fresh fruits and vegetables out of season was something that generally only wealthy people had access to. Importing food from another country (or even across this one) was pretty rare a century ago. I'm old, so I can remember that Grandmother raving about fresh vegetables at the grocery store in the winter. She never stopped being amazed by it well into the 1970s when it was nothing compared to what we have access to these days. She never stopped growing a garden and canning her own produce because she thought the Godsend of availability couldn't last. She was born at the beginning of the 20th century and was well into her 50's before she traveled more than 100 miles from home.

[@josephryan9230]

@@oldsguy354 Thanks for sharing that real world perspective from your grandmother. One of the many things we take for granted today. Not to be judgmental, but today's generation has zero appreciation for not only the comforts they take for granted, but all of the hard work of their forebears that made them possible. A little gratitude goes a long way . . .

[@oldsguy354]

@@josephryan9230 You bet. I try not to be too judgemental of young people these days, at one point I was young as well. ;) I will say that young people these days generally have a glaring lack of historical perspective and what they do know about history is easily discounted and dismissed as unimportant with little or no relevance to today mainly because it happened more than 3 decades ago. I'm all for being good (and better) stewards of our environment, but you should try telling a young person that the environment (in The United States at least) is cleaner and far better cared for than it was in the 1960's and 1970's. They simply cannot fathom that pollution was far worse in the past and has been dramatically cleaned up in the last 4 decades. Granted litter is much worse today than back then, but generally it's young people causing that. They genuinely believe that the air, water, and land are more polluted today than they have ever been in The United States. The anti fossil fuel fanatics demanding the immediate end of those industries have absolutely no idea how bad the human condition would be in less than a month, if all fossil fuel use ended today. I get it that they want alternative energy sources, I just don't understand why they aren't making them as available and reliable as fossil fuel sources and spend their energy and effort on ending one before they have the other. They have no self awareness either. They use petrochemicals to glue themselves to things in fossil fuel powered indoor climate controlled buildings, wearing clothes and shoes made of synthetic materials while talking on phones made of synthetic (and sometimes exotic) materials. Maybe if they walked the walk they'd have a little credibility, but instead they follow the hypocrites like Al Gore that flies to climate conferences on private jets that leave a larger carbon footprint on each round trip than a Suburban could in a decade.

[@josephryan9230]

@@oldsguy354 The younger generation, led by misguided leaders, want change NOW!! In Europe that meant shutting down perfectly good nuclear reactors without a reliable domestic alternative and making themselves fully dependent on Russian natural gas. Now the chickens have come home to roost. I know that in the UK, energy prices continue to spiral upwards. The younger generation in Europe will have a long, cold winter (perhaps like in the 1430s) to think about and come to appreciate the value of having reliable domestic energy supplies.

[@harrymills2770]

@@oldsguy354 Children of today have parents who were born to prosperity, and so have no understanding of its source.

[@Five0Music]

As always, great content! I wanted to send a big thank you to Lance G. (THG) for a great Cameo birthday message for my wife… she LOVED it! I highly recommend you give Lance an opportunity to do a Cameo greeting for your loved ones who are fans of his channel. He did a great job!

[@k.c1126]

For some reason I associate this time period with a major volcanic eruption that likely exacerbated local effects for Europe. I'd have to look it up, tho....

[@mhick3333]

i think that was krakatoa or a predessor that was even larger who knows maybe even a submarine super volcano that interfered with ocean circulation

[@Topknot60]

"A 2016 study found that the harsh winters of the 1430s were merely the result of internal variation, meaning the natural variability and unpredictability of climate." Steady on! Suggesting that such changes may be due to natural variability and unpredictability is treading on thin ice in today’s climate.

[@jtwright4095]

funny the correlation b/t fact-minded folk and disbelief in CLIMATE CHANGE☠😮

[@Rodstuff32]

I’m amazed that your comment still exists.😂

[@RogCBrand]

Repent of your blasphemy and chant a hundred "Hail Grettas"!

[@johnp139]

Except when “anomalies” frequently occur, not to mention that you totally ignore the RATE of change. You are ignorant.

[@daneaxe6465]

The Greenland Vikings came to an end in the 1400's, after a successful 400+ year run. The weather changed over a relatively short time like a couple years. Archeologists and geologists believe a volcano in the southwest Pacific triggered the change. This resulted in ice choking the ocean around them so ships from Norway couldn't get to them. My additional theory is the Gulf Stream route was altered and pushed south by the colder air mass. The Gulf stream changing likely took the fish they were used to catching. The Norwegians have been great fishermen since forever. There's no logical reason for them to start dying from starvation UNLESS: ice impeded fishing and damaged boats and/or the fish moved out. Greenland never had suitable trees for making or repairing their boats. So their boat numbers would dwindle as ships were cannibalized for repair parts.

[@NoahSpurrier]

It snowed today where I live and we all panicked and went to the grocery store to stock up on crackers and toilet paper in case we get snowed in. We all remember the great snow of last year where we couldn’t go shopping for nearly two weeks.

[@westenicho]

I read Fagan's book back in college, hard to believe that book is more than 20 years old now. It's been interesting to see how Fagan's book has shaped the narrative about the Little Ice Age, and of course spawn new theories about various happenstances throughout the last 700 years.

[@raypelling6440]

I recommend Bill Bryson's Book "At Home: A Short History of Private Life" which is very long, but a fascinating look at the development of all the rooms in the house we take for granted today: the kitchen, the bedroom, etc... he goes through a history of the chimney and how it changed everything about life up into that time, in Europe, anyway. Fascinating. Have it on Audiobook, and couldn't stop listening to it.

[@williamromine5715]

The contemporaries related that winter lasted until May. I grew up in Wyoming, and winters always lasted until May! (That may be a little exaggeration, but not by much.)

[@typacsk]

Some years, they still do ;) I got snowed out of a work site near Sundance a couple years ago

[@raydunakin]

Yep, climate change and extreme weather were happening long before the age of automobiles and modern industry. This is an excellent example of why history deserves to be remembered!

[@johnp139]

That was weather.

[@raydunakin]

@@johnp139 What we have today is weather too.

[@micheleupchurch3725]

Thank you. People need to be reminded that each of us is responsible for our food, our heat and our health. One cannot depend on the government to provide anything for the masses. Become self sufficient and try to assist others if you have the means to do so.

[@T4nkcommander]

We finally got a freeze dryer to help with this goal. 25 year shelf life is really nice when traditional methods don't last more than 3. Here in Texas root cellars don't even really work! I couldnt help but laugh at a homesteader YTber who said she didn't really care about the long shelf life of her freeze-dried food, as she didn't see the need for it....clearly history shows famines can go for a decade or more, regardless of your view of Tribulation. Still, I do wonder if she was just covering for her family.

[@punditgi]

Tis the season of the History Guy!

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

1433 We could use that rain 🌧 here in the South West!"

[@ProfessorJayTee]

Well, you live in a desert.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@ProfessorJayTee I knew that you would get that. At least someone with a great mind! 💯

[@barrysherwin3297]

Ok, I give up. South West ? Australia, France , Chile, Africa ?

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@barrysherwin3297 United States 🇺🇸

[@barrysherwin3297]

@@constipatedinsincity4424 Thank you.

[@stevegallagher687]

The proliferation of the chimney. Interesting to think about.

[@Paul-ou1rx]

How depressing and terrifying ruined crops or a poor harvest would have been knowing winter was coming.

[@jasonz7788]

Great work Sir thank you

[@En_Marche]

I’m trying to put myself in even the BEST situation described but my mind won’t let me go there!

[@joeyhardin1288]

Thank you, You mentioned that chimneys were no used until the 12 century... I see a new episode. Merry Christmas. God Bless and stay safe.

[@seafire7701]

The Romans understood chimneys. They had houses in Britain with under floor heating (hypocaust) 1800 years ago. Then, after the Romans left, chimneys were forgotten for a thousand years. We have short memories.

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

THEN was the winter of their discontent!

[@iii9266]

Love your usage of the English vernacular in narrating your stories...

[@johnm2879]

Geoffrey Parker's excellent "Global Crisis" details the very similar events of the 1600s. One of the best books I've ever read.

[@pamelamays4186]

Suggestion: The Blizzard of 1982 that shut down St. Louis, MO.

[@whyuhatan]

They didn't call it the dark ages for nothing What a miserable time to be alive

[@dohlecarnett1866]

Well, Dark Ages is a problematic term due to its many meanings.

[@adventussaxonum448]

Well, it wasn't really the Dark Ages. That was a term applied to the lack of written material, post western Roman Empire. You're also forgetting the much lauded Mediaeval Warm Period.

[@spooderdoggy]

I remember living in Western Pennsylvania, in the winter of 1977, and the temperature was near zero for a month. Yes sirree, President Jimmy Carter wanted people to turn down their thermostats and wear sweaters. I guess this was about as close to feeling like those poor souls in 1430s as I could get.🥶

[@peteranderson210]

Just wait till green energy is fully implemented. You won't need to remember freezing, you'll be living it (and so will I)..

[@micheleupchurch3725]

Worse is coming.

[@MiZtressofSoulzs]

Yes I remember the great blizzard of 78 growing up in the burg there was so many with frozen water pipes

[@spooderdoggy]

@@MiZtressofSoulzs Yes, I remember there were a lot of broken water pipes. I had to deliver papers in the cold. I remember being sick but I had to do it. Can’t see how young people today could handle doing what I did in 77/78 winter. Too many weak minded kids these days. Sad.😢

[@CFITOMAHAWK2]

@@spooderdoggy How come Snowflakes cant put up with snowflakes?? .. 70 year old Latino MotorBiker..

[@marsgal42]

The Little Ice Age is often cited as a factor in the Industrial Revolution. With the weather being so cold for so long people took a keen interest in how to generate and manipulate energy.

[@Lucaangelo252]

Hello Laura how are you doing, where are you from?

[@johnp139]

Which resulted in the opposite effect.

[@bruceparr1678]

@@johnp139 What is the opposite of manipulating energy?

[@josephryan9230]

@Laura Halliday Interesting. Thanks for sharing that.

[@johnp139]

@@bruceparr1678 Taking advantage of natural energy.

[@michaelvilain8457]

Climate is what we expect. Weather is what we get. -- Lazarus Long

[@fastbike175]

Thanks Merry Christmas

[@lars1296]

Ahh the good old days, when changes in weather patterns were attributed to normal climate cycles…

[@johnp139]

Which occurred before humans had a significant impact on climate.

[@Muljinn]

So, exactly like today then?

[@barbdouglas3197]

Nothing in the the manipulation of weather today matches anything from recounts of the past! I don't think "lying" was truth back then, and "science" wasn't Fauci!

[@martytube821]

The cold is something hardly even talked about these days while it kills multitudes more than warm.

[@spooderdoggy]

Really?

[@CFITOMAHAWK2]

Right. And cold produces more diseases than hot weather too.

[@derrickdinwiddie8759]

Just goes to show you that the earth gets warm then cold then warm and cold... it's called a cycle for a reason and isnt an unusual thing.

[@DavidMaurand]

bleak - from the same linguistic root that also gives us bleach - means white / shiny.

[@MadderMel]

I bet that the kids of the time loved it !! Snowball fights , snowmen , sledding etc !

[@j0nnyism]

They used to hold”frost fayres “ on the river Thames were people would sell goods and go to ice skate. Sounds fun. Skating under old London Bridge just watch out nothing poured on you!

[@ablewindsor1459]

The Eighteen hundreds were the last frost faires in London. Interesting 🤔 According to data complied by DR Hadley of the Hadley Climate Center East Anglia...three Times.the last about 1200Ad to around 200BC the Nile River froze solid in Egypt ! Now that's a FIRST Frost Faire !!!!

[@DataSmithy]

very timely given the recent polar weather we are having.

[@wyominghome4857]

Natural variability and unpredictability of climate? Wow, now there’s a concept!

[@jefferyrightmire9520]

Love your channel. Thank you.

[@DRpokeme]

Wonderful thank you.

[@QPRTokyo]

Thank you.

[@skyden24195]

The only true predictable thing about climate is unpredictability.

[@007JHS]

Some lovely illustrations accompanying this clip... which is in itself extremely interesting.

[@avagrego3195]

thank you, excellent

[@leadavis3924]

Spot on!

[@davidbaise5137]

Very interesting while providing a great deal of perspective.

[@typacsk]

If anyone's curious about the details of how historic (and prehistoric) climates are reconstructed from geologic data, Jared Diamond and David Archer's books make for some pretty good reading :) (Not to minimize the importance of contemporary accounts, but for a lot of regions and time periods these aren't always available, at least not in the kind of detail shown in this video)

[@everdinestenger1548]

On my tenth or eleventh birthday, March 16, there's was ice again on ponds and I loved running over dodgy ice but the ice didn't hold and I went through the ice, on my way home my clothes were frozen solid

[@TheRiverPirate13]

Great episode!

[@sinebar]

During the little ice age, soldiers in Napoleon's army would cut pieces of meat off the rump of horses of their fellow soldiers as they rode along side. It was so cold the horses didn't even feel it. I don't know how true that is. Its something my history professor in college told us but it certainly could be true.

[@MarshOakDojoTimPruitt]

thanks

[@BasicDrumming]

Great video.

[@randykrus9562]

Love the artwork you found for the video.

[@bryangrote8781]

Have read many documented accounts of incredible weather from this period during “The Little Ice Age”. An awful time for Europe in particular with famines, “the Black Death”, and huge political upheaval.

[@eugenecrawford14]

The WEF of the time Fast forward homelessness,, covid,,and the modern New world order Same motto,, you will have nothing and be happy Bugs are good and tasty

[@barbdouglas3197]

Funny synopsis Eugene! The world has always been a "fallen world" no doubt. It's just moving waaay faster toward total destruction isn't it!

[@jameshaury2716]

Winters lasted until may. Sounds like North Dakota

[@Channelscruf]

The climate is very unpredictable.

[@anthonyvandeist2857]

I remember my great great ... great grandpa telling me about it being so cold that they would make bedding out of the livestock and make blankets out of chickens by tying their legs together. He worked for some Hapsburg relative who never knew how they barely made it through the decade by cuddling up with his cows.

[@barrysherwin3297]

I have a nagging suspicion that this is not true !.

[@jotighe2]

good episode

[@goodun2974]

There's no cold in nature equal to the chill thrown off by broken people: "she came on to him like a slow-moving cold front/ his beer was warmer than the look in her eye/ She sat on a stool and he said 'what do you want?'/ she said 'give me a love that won't freeze up inside'..." John Hiatt, who titled one record "Warming Up to the Ice Age" and who grew up in a poor and dysfunctional family where "it always seemed like something was moving in for the kill": " Well he stamped and he hollered but he could not keep warm in that living room/ and even the 7 Lttle Indians, they could feel the chill....."

[@jakegarvin7634]

I imagine that everyone from everywhere else at the time hearing a guy from southern France describing his winter as being "exceedingly cold" would immediately punch him in the nose

[@joliabags]

First heard of this mini ice age when I was in school back in the 60’s. At that time, it was said to be caused by changes in the sun. We have no control over the sun 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂

[@1stAmbientGrl]

@@sweetearthfarm You misread the comment.

[@1stAmbientGrl]

Yes. It's called a Grand Solar Minimum and happens about every 400 years.

[@sweetearthfarm]

@@1stAmbientGrl Thanks. You are right. I did misread it. Coffee. I need coffee.

[@jtwright4095]

...and now this realization is coming back around again... i guess 'Climate Change' Disaster! hit its earnings ceiling...

[@nonoyorbusness]

How dare you, I can see CO2. Grunfuttoks Thunderbug.

[@tommy-er6hh]

Greenland die off was a combination of weather and cultural inability to change. The vikings believed that having cattle made a man noble, so they tried to keep their cattle even as weather got worse. It killed them. The Inuit people that migrated within the same century to Greenland as the viking die off, did ok because they had adapted to the arctic and the cold weather did not bother them.

[@1cruzbat1]

I read that the church, which was part of the Greenland Vikings life, also discouraged the Vikings following Inuit hunting techniques. The Inuit survived.

[@spookerd]

I've got the book by Dr. Fagen, "The Little Ice Age" good book.

[@Scott-qe4wy]

Just did a bonfire for the winter solstice in -5° F in N MN. Would not want to depend on my fire making skills to survive.

[@tissuepaper9962]

"resulted in the proliferation of the chimney" Wow. That's all you need to say to put it in perspective. Imagine living in a time when the chimney is new technology to your society.

[@ScottGordon584]

Ok here is one I was personally at "Disco Demolition Night a promotion between a Local Chicago Radio Station WLUP (The Loop) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) promotion on Thursday, July 12, 1979" would be a great story to remember

[@williamschlenger1518]

I like the art work.I recognize a lot of them.

[@davidcooke8005]

I want a brief history of The History Guy. Where was he born? What was his dogs name when he was a kid? What were his parents like? Where did he go to school? When did he first put on a bowtie? How many hats are in his collection? Who is he married to? I have so many questions. It'd be history worth remembering, fer sher. Who is with me?

[@animula6908]

I don’t want to pry. Knowing where to draw a line with the public invasion of your privacy is important. He has my support in keeping his family sacrosanct and separate forever. I’ll never stop watching.

[@61rampy65]

This sounds like a questionnaire to get info to hack all of Lance's passwords.

[@jeffbangkok]

Good morning

[@Lunch_box]

My biggest issue with streaming services like Magellan is background play, I want to be able to listen to these documentaries while I'm at work with my screen off like I do on youtube

[@luisfelix7989]

How about; the never ending mild temperatures of the Caribbean? I'll watch that.

[@GnYc3]

Great video as always. Could we get one on Joan or Arc?

[@PetCactusA_HarmlessLittlePrick]

Second.

[@spooderdoggy]

Thought History Guy had a Joan of Arc video already.

[@redstateforever]

And The Little Ice Age went on for centuries, and is a huge factor in why America was first settled by Northern Europeans. It was so bad where the were, they were willing to get on a boat and sail to an unknown wilderness, knowing that 70 of every 100 headed that way would be dead in the first year. It was so awful, a 30% chance of survival seemed like a good deal. And we think times are bad now.

[@rickharold7884]

Cool thx

[@peterkoch3777]

The Spörer-Minimum occured between 1420 and 1570 with a decreased solar activity and no visible solar spots. But it bottomed out only after 1460 for about 80 years. So it might have had influence but does not seem to have been the only cause for the harsh weather and the famine in the 1430s.

[@deborahcaldwell9775]

I enjoyed that that’s why I watched it

[@coreydarr8464]

Let me get this straight as the world have been warming for the last 600 years? Are we going to go cold now? This happens all the time, every couple 1000 years?

[@jtwright4095]

. . . Stay Tuned . . .

[@johnp139]

Only the RATE of change has significantly increased.

[@jarredsdad]

I signed up for Magellan the first time you suggested it. I liked it, however having to continually when starting the application I cancelled.

[@blueboats7530]

Having to continually... what?

[@barrysherwin3297]

@@blueboats7530 Maybe it's something private !

[@Air-bear]

Gadfly here 😎 this period in time should tell you why basic life-style cultures survive . Hunter / gather people are more adaptable 😑

[@sjTHEfirst]

Witches! Well she turned me into a newt. But I got better.

[@jtwright4095]

damn Witches . . . Every time . . .

[@georgehartshorn9018]

Off subject, have you, The History Guy ever read a book called A Land Remembered about Florida by Patrick K. Smith? Great book about the beginning of the culture in Florida. I’d love you to make a video about this wonderful state and you could spend some time here in the winter for your research.We have Pirate Rhum available most everywhere and on Sunday too.

[@jamesmoss3424]

I bet that it was super cold 🥶.

[@jacksavage4098]

Never knew this.