<em>The Irish potato famine,</em> also known as the "Great Hunger" began in 1845 and rapidly spread through out Ireland, being a central reason on why many Irish citizens had to immigrate to American and other nations. Caused by a fungus organism, the infestation ruined half of all the potato crops of that year and almost three quarters of the crops for the following seven years before the famine would end. Irish farmers relied heavily on the potato production, and because of the famine all of the Irish society suffered greatly, with over a million deaths caused by it and at least another million of citizens forced to move out of the country, many of whom went to live in America.
