The volcano Laki in Iceland begins an eight-month eruption on June 8, 1783, starting the chain of natural disasters known as the Móðuharðindin, killing tens of thousands throughout Europe, including up to  a third of Iceland's population, and causing widespread famine.

The Laki eruption and its aftermath cause a drop in global temperatures, as one hundred and twenty million tons of sulfur dioxide is spewed into the Northern Hemisphere.

This causes crop failures in Europe and may have caused droughts in North Africa and India.