This show suggests that a combination of warm weather preceding approximately the year 1300 caused many of the glaciers to melt and inundate the Northern Atlantic with fresh water, changing the density and affecting the warm water current coming up from the south, combined with several major volcanic eruptions over about a 500 year span, added to reduced solar flares and the possibility that somehow (I didn’t catch if there was any proof offered for this speculation) the sun was approximately 1 degree lower than it’s normal trajectory all came together resulting in a miniature ice age throughout the northern hemisphere of the globe (there was no mention to any events during this time frame to the southern hemisphere). This little ice age influenced everything from the French Revolution, the creation of the Stradivarius violins (the growth of the trees they were made from having been affected by the mini-ice age), the increased popularity of beer (the grape crops for wine having suffered the climate change), and the acceptance of the potato (after grain crops suffered for the same reason the grapes did). There were other events and trends that the author contributes to the cooler climate, but there are too numerous to mention here! Go buy the DVD or catch this show on the History Channel in the next couple weeks.
It was a very interesting show, and well worth watching. The author also suggests that this is perhaps not an unusual occurance, and the earth possibly goes through these cycles every few hundred years. So for all of those who jump on the Global Warming bandwagon, watch this show first.