• Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley is the product of a natural disaster. Three years before its publication, Mount Tambora erupted in Indonesia. It is still the biggest volcano eruption in recorded history, and in its wake, the world plunged into cold and darkness in what was described as the Year Without a Summer. It was during this year that Shelley wrote Frankenstein, and, according to Kate Marvel, “it could not have been written at any other time” (59).

• “Wordwide, dirty air is estimated to have contributed to more than 11 percent of total deaths” (193).

• Humans have been affecting atmospheric lead levels for centuries. This fact reminds me not to underestimate the environmental impact of humans even before the industrial revolution. Old air trapped in ice cores records atmospheric lead levels that fluctuate with major historical events such as the Black Death and the fall of Rome (196-197).

• A third of food produced worldwide is never consumed (201).

• Between about 1000 and 1400 CE, there was a colony of Icelanders on Greenland (2). Unaccustomed to arctic conditions, they stayed on the south of the island, and probably never realized that they were not alone. Hundreds of miles north of them, Inuit communities were living in much harsher conditions that even the Vikings couldn’t handle (15).

• Permanent settlement began in Iceland in 874 CE (7).

• When Erik the Red first landed in Greenland in 983 CE and immediately named it, the name “Greenland” was maybe a “sincere advertisement” (15) rather than a deception to get more people to visit. He landed during the summer and at the southern tip of the island — the greenest part of the whole country.

• Erik the Red settled Greenland; his son was Leif Eriksson! (18)

All of these facts pertain to the 14th century (AKA the 1300s)

• About 12% of people lived in a town or city — the rest lived in rural areas (12). However, the rural landscape was dotted with small market towns, and most people in 14th century England lived within 6 miles of one (23).

• London had a wild pig population that authorities repeatedly tried — but failed — to eradicate. They went so far as to hire official swine killers, who would be paid 4d for each successful pig removal (21-22).

• The population of England was about 5 million in 1300 and 2.5 million in 1400 (36). It wouldn’t get back up to 5 million until the 1630s (almost 33 years later) (36). The Black Death, combined with multiple famines, cut the population in half during the 14th century. However, by 1400, quality of life had actually improved for those who survived, thanks to there being more resources to go around.

• Half the population is 21 or less. If you reach the age of 20, you can expect to live to be about 45. Half of the population, however, will die before the age of 20 (37).

• It was common for a girl to be married by age 16 and to have given birth multiple times by her mid-twenties. Whomever she married will have been prearranged by her family years earlier, when she was just a baby (38).

• The average man was 5’ 7” and the average woman was 5’ 2” (37).

• Kids had to grow up quickly. Boys, for example, might serve on a jury at 12, and are expected to work starting at age 7. They can also be hanged for crimes at age 7 (38).

• It was believed that women had to orgasm in order to conceive a child. This seems like a belief that would benefit women, but in reality, it was a double-edged sword. If a man wants to have sex with a woman without her getting pregnant, he has to ensure that she derives no pleasure from the experience (56).

• In 1300, French was the language of the elite; by 1400, it had shifted to English (81). Other languages that were commonly spoken during the 14th century are Latin and Cornish.

• Clocks are introduced in the middle of the century. The phrase “o ‘clock” is derived from time “of the clock,” as opposed to time of the sun that people had been relying on for centuries (84).

• There were about 10,000 miles of road in 14th century England. Many of the roads were Roman in origin (126).

• Medieval people in England ate two meals per day. The main meal was dinner, in the late morning. It was followed by supper in the late afternoon (169).

• The Church forbade the consumption of animal meat on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and during Lent and Advent (169). High-class people often ate fish on these days, but many people in the lower classes rarely had access to meat at all, regardless of the day.

The social hierarchy

• Near the bottom of the hierarchy are villeins. The major distinction between them and others higher up in the hierarchy (if my understanding is correct) is that they are unfree. They work for lords doing various land-related tasks like plowing, collecting firewood, etc. In exchange for their work, they get a little sliver of land for themselves, that they have to pay rent for, and technically, anything that is produced from their land belongs to the lord. They can only achieve freedom by being granted it from their lord or by running away (49).