For a few months in 1831, the sea off Sicily seemed to be making room for something new. Fishermen had already noticed dead fish floating to the surface, their bodies carrying the smell of sulphur.

In 1831, after a volcanic eruption created the ephemeral island of Ferdinandea in the Mediterranean Sea, the UK, France, Spain, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies rushed to claim…

For a few months in 1831, the sea off Sicily seemed to be making room for something new. Fishermen had already noticed dead fish floating to the surface, their bodies carrying the…