Must See TV: The Little Ice Age: Big Chill (History Channel)

The History Channel has been airing "The Little Ice Age" as part of its regular line-up, having premiered it a year or so ago. If you haven't caught it before, by all means watch your listings so you can see it when it comes up again. Fascinating stuff and an improatnt program to catch.

The Little Ice Age talks about the period between about 1300 and 1850 AD during which things got downright chilly. The program discusses possible causes, but generally focuses on its effects.

Because of the Little Ice Age, the Vikings may have found Greenland a lot greener than today, but increasingly icy conditions drove the fish south and made it impossible for resupply ships from Iceland to get through, eventually defeating a people who prided themselves as the toughest of the tough. The dates jibe, although I've always been fond of the popular idea that it was a real estate scam ("You've seen Iceland, well, this is Greenland. Come on over!")

Because of the Little Ice Age, conditions for the Spanish Armada as they circled around England resulted in decimation. The British fleet didn't really hurt them that bad, but, designed as they were, the Spanish ships could not reverse course and had to circle the British Isles to regroup for another attack. Storms along the way tore them to pieces.

Because of the Little Ice Age, Americans drink more beer than wine because colder temperatures kept grapes from becoming a major crop in northern Europe. They had flourished during the period known as the Medieval Warm Period that preceded the Little Ice Age (900-1300 AD), warmer than today, known for bumper crops and good times. (The History Channel show goes into this period too). But the Little Ice Age brought an end to that

Because of the Little Ice Age, potatoes gained in popularity over grain in Europe. Increased raiding and marauding resulted in the replacement in many places of above-ground grain crops with below-ground potatoes which couldn't be trampled by horses. Except in France, which stubbornly stuck with grain despite all the fighting and peaked with demands on the government for food and led directly to the French Revolution.

Because of the Little Ice Age, New York Harbor froze and people could walk from Manhattan to State Island across ice. Washington crossed the Delaware and Napoleon was forced back by General Winter, thanks to conditions brought on by the little ice age

This is a thought-provoking program which projects the impact of shortages and war brought on by a future little ice age. You can nitpick individual claims, but the broader issues illuminated by this excellent two-hour production are convincing overall. The program has been around a few times already, keep your eye open for its return. You need to watch it.