The Laki volcano in Iceland erupts - On this day in history

The Laki volcano in Iceland began an eight-month eruption on 8 June 1783 that caused a drop in global temperatures, leading to catastrophic crop failures and famine across Europe and even in Africa and India. It is the deadliest eruption in historical times. Laki sent a thick haze and a severe weather conditions across continental Europe between 1783 and 1784 and is believed to have cost the lives of more than 6 million people worldwide, including one-fifth of Iceland’s population and thousands of our ancestors in the UK in the extreme winter that followed.