Around 1780, the people of Ireland started to eat potatoes. They found that potatoes
had many advantages. The potato grew on poor land, and it grew well in their cold and rainy
climate. It gave more food than any other plant, and it needed little work. All they had to do
was to plant the potatoes, and then they could do other work on the farm. On a small piece
of land, a farmer could grow enough potatoes to feed his family. A person could eat 8 to 10
pounds of potatoes a day, with some milk or cheese, and be very healthy. Soon, potatoes
became the main food in Ireland. Then, in 1845, a disease killed all the potatoes in Ireland.
Two million people died because of hunger. Many Irish who did not die came to the United
States at this time. Over a million Irish came to America; one of them was the great-
grandfather of John F. Kennedy.