A winter tale in summer

One of Fairfield's most eloquent and fascinating people was the legendary Theo Dickerson, who was a teacher, a historian, author and more. Dickerson's name appears so frequently throughout the late 1800s and forward that it's enough to just say T.D.

In one particular article he penned for the Brookville Democrat, in 1916, is a most curious piece. It dealt with the "year without a summer."

1816. 

That same year in December, Indiana was admitted to the union, Fairfield was a year old and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere was either starving or freezing. The summer with no warmth.

Crops failed. Birds died. Fish froze. The end was near.

The 1916 article came essentially as part of a yearlong celebration in Indiana as the centennial year, and virtually anything 'historical' had value. There is a BLOG PIECE on that, as if you wondered.

That particular summer of 1816 was really the result of an event that happened an entire year earlier -- a huge volcanic eruption in the Asian area around Java. It was known as Tomboro, or Tambora, and even at the time, the blast was considered the worst in global history. The measure of 'worst' was relative, but not much ever compared to it.

Descriptions from those who witnessed the destruction range from awe-inspiring to no-that-is-not-possible. 

The ash and volcanic gas rose hundreds of miles into the sky and began to drift. A year later, the clouds were so thick that summer never arrived.

Dickerson says farmers planted their corn three times. Nothing grew. An April blossom spurt fizzled in May and temperatures were in the low 40s in July. Elsewhere in Europe and Asia, the famine was intense. Food riots ensued. People only knew there was no grain; they did not know why. 

Until more than a year later, the explanation came.

Indiana plugged along and built its new state in December without saying much about the year it never got warm enough to get a tan.

It's a story that's out there, but it isn't one that is often discussed. History tends to create its own magical moments. The reality is that another such Tambora could happen any minute. It's not clear on how we'd deal with it now, owing to instant news. Outcomes might vary but we have better weapons now -- both for survival and destruction.

A link to a blog piece from 2015 on Dickerson.