Elizabeth I of England was poisoned by solanine, so the potato was identified as a dangerous crop, slowing down the process of popularization.
Potato cultivation in Britain came after the 19th century. But in northern Ireland, the potato is a precious crop that can grow on inhospitable lands, which has been cultivated since the 17th century and has become a staple food in the 18th century.
To the blessing of the potato, Ireland's population increased from 3 million in the early 19th century to 8 million later.
However, in the 1840s, there was a sudden and widespread epidemic of potato late blight in Ireland, and the harvest failure was severe. At this time, Ireland was completely dependent on potatoes for food. As a result, a great famine began, and nearly 1 million people starved to death.
The cause of the outbreak of potato late blight lies in potato cultivation methods.
Potatoes are a nutritiously propagating crop that can be slowly multiplied by planting tubers. Therefore, Ireland chose a high-yielding variety to increase the number of plants in the country. However, having only one variety means that if the disease resistance of this variety is poor, then the potatoes in the country will have difficulty resisting disease.
This defect allowed the potato late blight to destroy all of Ireland's potatoes. Although pesticides had been developed at the time, they were developed for grapes made of red wine, and had no effect on the late blight of the new crop potato.
In the Andes, where it originates, people mix and grow multiple varieties so that diseases don't destroy the potatoes. With a variety of varieties, no matter what germs are attacked, there will always be some varieties that can survive.
However, as potatoes spread from one land to another, varieties were selected and only a limited number of species were planted on the new land.
Ireland is a famine-ridden country, and for the Irish, who are already completely dependent on potatoes, the potato harvest failure is a fatal blow.
To make matters worse, Britain's response has been negative. The British at the time regarded Ireland as a vassal state. Seeing Britain's attitude towards Ireland, there is a deep sense of distrust of Britain.
This event was directly related to the later Irish independence movement.
People who lost food as a result of the Famine fled their homes and could only move towards a new world, the United States.
From the middle of the 19th century to the late 19th century, the United States ended the development of the western region and was about to begin real industrialization. The Emigrants at this time provided a large labor force that underpinned the industrialization and modernization of the United States of America.
The United States, which had greatly increased its national strength, eventually surpassed Britain and became the world's largest industrial country.
Among the successful Irish immigrants to the United States was President J.F. Kennedy's great-grandfather, Patrick Kennedy. J.F. Kennedy was elected the thirty-fifth president of the United States at the age of 43 and promoted the Apollo Moon Landing.
If there had been no great famine in Ireland, it might have been the first country for mankind to land on the moon.