What really caused the Irish Potato Famine - Stephanie Honchell Smith
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TEDEd Animation
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For over 200 years, potatoes thrived in Ireland; roughly half the country’s residents lived almost entirely on potatoes. But when harvesting began in 1845, farmers found their potatoes blackened and shriveled. While this failed harvest created a crisis, the government’s response turned it into a national catastrophe. Stephanie Honchell Smith digs into Ireland's Great Famine.
Describe the relief efforts offered by the British government and explain why they were insufficient.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Stephanie Honchell Smith
- Director Denys Spolitak
- Narrator Pen-Pen Chen
- Music Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio
- Sound Designer Amanda P.H. Bennett, cAMP Studio
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Producer Sazia Afrin
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
- Fact-Checker Charles Wallace
