1. The Potato By Jerome Albert

2. Potato Info • Binomial Name – SolanumTuberosum • Discovered 7,000 – 10,000 years ago in Bolivia • Starchy tuberous crop that grows in the ground • Over 5,000 varieties of Potatoes • The Spanish brought the potato to Europe (16th Century) • People eat 33kg potatoes annually • Biggest pest called “Potato Blight” (This is what caused the Great Irish Famine)

3. Bolivia

4. Great Irish Famine • Occurred during 1845 – 1852 • Approximately 1 - 2 million people died • 1/3 of the food in Ireland was potatoes • Potato Blight ruined crops and caused people to go hungry • The British did nothing to help the Irish • Sir Robert Peel was one of the only people to try and help the Irish

5. Causes and Effects Peel’s Brimstone People were prepared to kill for some food. Potato Blight

6. Peel’s Brimstone • Sir Robert Peel sent corn to the Irish in an attempt to help them in their time of need • The Irish barely had any mills to grind the corn into flour • Many Irish died from the corn, or got very sick because they couldn’t grind it and ate it whole • The Corn that Peel sent was called “Peel’s Brimstone” • Brimstone – “Damnation to Hell” –The Free Dictionary by Farlex

7. Potato Blight • Biggest disease against potatoes • No cure • Now known as PhytophthoraInfestans • Potato Blight that destroyed Irish crops originated from America in 1844 and travelled to France • Air carried fungus that makes potatoes inedible and a mushy black mess

8. View of an Irishman • When asked what his views on the Great Irish Famine were and what could have been done to prevent the deaths Naoise said “It was pretty bad, over ¼ of the country died […] the English could have done more because they hardly did anything and just left the Irish to die.”

9. View of an Englishman • When asked what his views were on the Great Irish Famine of 1845, William, an Englishman, said “I think that the government should have done more to help the Irish because Ireland was the oldest British colony and was so close to the mainland, and it led to Irish nationalism and subsequent conflict”

10. Citations • "Great Famine (Ireland)." Wikipedia. N.p., 2013. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Irish_Famine>. • Mann, Charles C. "How the Potato Changed the World." N.p., Nov. 2011. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/How-the-Potato-Changed-the-World.html>. • "Potato." Wikipedia. N.p., 2013. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato>. • Trueman, Chris. "The Great Famine of 1845." History Learning Site 1. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ireland_great_famine_of_1845.htm>.