I have heard the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 obscured the sun for a long while. Not sure whether the effects would have lasted until 1886. Go into google.com for further information. Shirley (in Florida and Maine) <snip> On Mon, 3 Apr 2006 18:53:31 EDT [email protected] writes: > The "Black Snow" could have been the aftermath of a huge volcanic > eruption somewhere in the world which would cause the ash to circle the > globe for many months, eventually falling to the earth as ash or mixed in with > rain or snow. Regards, Joan