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Imagine stepping outside at noon… and the sun looks like a fading moon.
In 536 AD, a mysterious veil darkened the sky. The Byzantine historian Procopius wrote that the sun “gave forth its light without brightness,” casting the world in a ghostly twilight for nearly a year. From Constantinople to Ireland, from China to the Middle East, chroniclers described dim skies, bitter cold, failed harvests, and spreading fear.
Modern science confirms their warnings. Ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica preserve volcanic sulfur from massive eruptions. Tree rings across Europe, Asia, and North America show stunted growth. Temperatures may have dropped by as much as 2–3°C, triggering famine across continents. And as hunger weakened populations, disease followed — culminating in the devastating Justinian Plague.
This wasn’t just a bad year. It was the beginning of a decade-long climate crisis — what historians now call the Late Antique Little Ice Age — a chain reaction of environmental shock, famine, pandemic, political instability, and demographic collapse.
The Deadliest Year to Be Alive: 536 AD explores the science, the historical accounts, and the human stories behind the year the sun disappeared — and why many scholars consider it one of the worst years in human history.
Because sometimes, history’s darkest chapters begin… when the light fades.
Irwin Farms
Georgia's #1 Bulk Wheat Straw Supplier
Cozy Earth
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Harpoon Brewery
The shop at Harpoon Brewery is packed with exclusive apparel, cozy hoodies, stylish accessories, and
Savorista Coffee
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Old Glory
Use Code INFOGO to get 15% off at checkout
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Support the show by becoming Patreon . Listen AD free and a week early. Have some one on one time wi
Strong Coffee Company
Get 20% OFF at che
Cozy Earth
Use Code INFOGO to get 21% OFF
Support the show
Thank You for listening and Stay curious,
Kat & William
Email [email protected]
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By William and KatSend us Fan Mail
Imagine stepping outside at noon… and the sun looks like a fading moon.
In 536 AD, a mysterious veil darkened the sky. The Byzantine historian Procopius wrote that the sun “gave forth its light without brightness,” casting the world in a ghostly twilight for nearly a year. From Constantinople to Ireland, from China to the Middle East, chroniclers described dim skies, bitter cold, failed harvests, and spreading fear.
Modern science confirms their warnings. Ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica preserve volcanic sulfur from massive eruptions. Tree rings across Europe, Asia, and North America show stunted growth. Temperatures may have dropped by as much as 2–3°C, triggering famine across continents. And as hunger weakened populations, disease followed — culminating in the devastating Justinian Plague.
This wasn’t just a bad year. It was the beginning of a decade-long climate crisis — what historians now call the Late Antique Little Ice Age — a chain reaction of environmental shock, famine, pandemic, political instability, and demographic collapse.
The Deadliest Year to Be Alive: 536 AD explores the science, the historical accounts, and the human stories behind the year the sun disappeared — and why many scholars consider it one of the worst years in human history.
Because sometimes, history’s darkest chapters begin… when the light fades.
Irwin Farms
Georgia's #1 Bulk Wheat Straw Supplier
Cozy Earth
Use Code INFOGO to get 21% OFF
Harpoon Brewery
The shop at Harpoon Brewery is packed with exclusive apparel, cozy hoodies, stylish accessories, and
Savorista Coffee
(find them at SAVORISTA DOT COM) crafts premium decaf and half-caf coffee with full, rich flavor—wit
Old Glory
Use Code INFOGO to get 15% off at checkout
Patreon
Support the show by becoming Patreon . Listen AD free and a week early. Have some one on one time wi
Strong Coffee Company
Get 20% OFF at che
Cozy Earth
Use Code INFOGO to get 21% OFF
Support the show
Thank You for listening and Stay curious,
Kat & William
Email [email protected]
If you would like to support Info On The Go click the link below
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2434258/support
Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review.
Follow us on Facebook at Info on the Go!
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/159DdiptQh/?mibextid=wwXIfr
https://infoonthego.buzzsprout.com