Though many have heard of Vesuvius and the famous ruins of Pompeii, the eruption of Tambora remains less famous in the Western world. But less than 200 years ago, this volcano in the middle of Indonesia burst forth with a fury unseen in recorded history.

One hundred times more powerful than the A.D. 79 eruption of Vesuvius, Tambora belched ash 30 miles into the sky. It was the most powerful eruption in known history, killing 100,000 people. And the 400 million tons of gas it belched out caused a global cold snap, making the next year, 1816, "the year without a summer."