The Irish Potato Famine is one of the worst food crises in recent history. Over 1 million died and 2 million more abandoned Ireland when a type of bacteria known as blight infected potatoes across Ireland.

The famine was already ongoing throughout Europe, but was especially bad in Ireland for a few factors. For one, Ireland was almost entirely reliant on potatoes, so any effect on potatoes would be aplified in the country. The country was also in the middle of a population explosion, so the monocultural food supply was being stressed out.

Civil mismanagement played a huge role. The British, who oversaw Ireland at the time of the famine, did not help the Irish people enough even as millions were dying. However, the British were not as unforgiving as legend seems to suggest; Queen Victoria in particular donated a lot of money and aid to the Irish people.

The famine peaked in 1847, and slowly came to an end after that. Ireland's population halved compared to before the famine: It was 8.8 million in 1844, and 4.1 million in 1901. The population didn't fully recover until the 2000s. The famine was an extremely saddening event that has left a lasting impact on many countries

A painting of a family with rotten potatoes. Over 1 million people died in Ireland due to the rot and ensuing famine, on top of 100,000 in the rest of Europe.