Long Term Effects of in Utero Exposure to 'The Year Without A Summer'

Abstract

This paper uses the aftermath of the great Tambora eruption in 1815 as a natural experiment to explore the long-term effects of a nutritional shock during prenatal development. The volcanic explosion of Tambora formed substantial ash columns which hampered sun light, cooled down the surface temperature, reduced the length of the growing season, and led to a severe harvest failure during summer and winter of 1816 in Europe and northeastern states of America. US decennial censuses 1850-1880 provide evidence that cohorts in utero during the climate anomaly revealed lower literacy rates, lower labor force participation rates, fewer number of own children, and higher female-male ratio. The results are confirmed among the same cohorts in England, Canada, and Norway. 1851-1881 Decennial censuses of each country indicate negative effects of exposure during prenatal development on labor market participation rates in adulthood.