(air whooshing) (whimsical music) - Look at me.

I'm a potato.

Potato Cory!

This is amazing!

Why?

Because I'm one of the most important crops in the world, full of almost every nutrient you need to survive.

Woo woo!

Yeah.

And I'm also kind of stuck.

Let's see if I can, yeah!

(whistle blowing) (explosion sounding) You'd think potatoes were everywhere all the time, but they actually come from Peru, and were mainly harvested by the Inca in South America until the 1500s.

During the Age of Discovery, crops like potatoes, tobacco, chocolate, tomatoes, spread from the Americas to the rest of the world, and horses, rice, and coffee to name a few, crossed the Atlantic from the old world to the new.

This is known as the Colombian Exchange and it-- - Yeah, oh!

Whoa.

What happened to you?

- Oh, no.

Core is back.

- Oh.

You a big old spud now.

A unfried fritter.

A chip off the old block.

You a tater tot wannabe.

- Are we seriously doing this again?

- Whoa, spud relax.

I got mad respect.

Potatoes changed the game.

They so full of that good stuff, they fed entire populations and led to the rise and fall of empires.

You know that, right?

- Ah yeah.

Being a potato is cool and nowhere in the world were potatoes cooler than in Ireland.

There was a time where almost half of the Irish lived entirely off potatoes.

- I'm talking pounds of potatoes every day.

Boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes.

Ooh, stuffed potatoes.

- So, you want to help me out here?

Or are you trying to steal the spotlight again?

- You know what they say?

Never leave a lonely potato.

- What?

No one says that.

Who says that?

- Man, forget you.

- Whoa!

(air whooshing) - I'm Core, and it's my time to shine.

Now listen, Ireland is popping.

Human life here dates back over 30,000 years.

That's 1,200 generations of people on an island known for its lush green fields and-- - Hey, you know how hard it's to teleport as a potato?

- You know what else goes hard?

Ireland.

At least one out of every 10 Americans have Irish roots.

But why would they ditch a country so beautiful?

It was called the Emerald Isle.

It's a story of warriors, hunger and rebellion that even led to an invasion of Canada.

- Unfortunately, you can't talk about Irish immigration without understanding the British Empire.

Ireland was ruled by the Celts from 700 BC until the 12th century when Norman Vikings invaded Ireland and turned it into England's first colony.

- The British Empire became the biggest and baddest in history.

They copped a quarter of the Earth's surface.

That's huge!

So big, the sun never sets on the British Empire.

- It wasn't always sunny in the British Empire.

Ireland is where Britain began testing its imperial policies, like stripping the land of its resources and imposing English culture, language, and religion on native populations.

After getting rich off Irish, the British realized they could get even richer off the world, by extracting spices, textiles, minerals, artifacts, and even people.

People!

- You telling me, British colonialism started in Ireland?

For real?

How do you know?

- Because I'm a potato, Core.

And potatoes don't forget their roots.

(laughs) You know what?

I don't need you.

Woo!

You see all this beautiful Irish land?

It's not only great for potatoes, it's also perfect for grazing cows and livestock, cultivating wheats, oats, barley, even honey.

But the British made it illegal for Catholics to own land, vote, or hold office under penal laws, which is kind of a big deal since most Irish were Catholic.

So the English wound up taking the land, forcing the Irish to pay crazy high rent and work as tenant farmers.

British landlords exported most of Ireland's food for profit, leaving the Irish to depend on potatoes for their survival.

And you all know potatoes, we're full of that goodness.

Mm, mm, mm.

- Why don't you tell them about the potato famine and the millions that suffered?

'Cause potatoes couldn't handle a little fungus.

- Hey, are you really out here spreading potato propaganda?

The Irish don't even call it the potato famine.

They call it An Gorta Mor, The Great Hunger, because it wasn't really our fault.

- Potato, please.

In 1845, Irish farmers discovered that potatoes like you were diseased.

And if they ate them, it was lights out.

Over the next seven years, three-fourths of all Irish potatoes were destroyed by the infestation.

It was a catastrophe.

A million Irish died and another couple million fled the country, all because of you.

- Aye, yo.

So my fellow potatoes got a little banged up by the blight, but the Irish didn't have to suffer as much as they did.

There was enough food to go around but the British Empire kept on exporting islands' healthy food supplies under armed guards, leaving the Irish to starve.

British leaders refused to help, believing that the free market would sort everything out in a shocking demonstration of laissez-faire capitalism.

They even claimed that the blight was a punishment from God.

So yeah, millions of Irish fled Ireland during the Great Hunger, but it wasn't 'cause of us.

Stop spreading potato hate.

- If it wasn't your fault, then how come no Irish came to America before the blight?

They totally did.

Look!

(Irish dance music) Before the Great Hunger, Irish people settled in America for freedom.

Many were attracted to Western New York to dig up the Erie Canal, America's first major infrastructure project.

It was dangerous work and tons of Irish gave their lives building up our country's foundation.

- You think they were free here?

Nah, they weren't free.

Irish Americans were hated on because they were Catholic.

They worked the meanest jobs, digging trenches, laying railroad, scooping grain, and cleaning houses.

That is if they could even find a job.

Look at these postings from back in the day.

No Irish need apply?

(smacks lips) Talking about free.

- It's true.

Irish Americans face a lot of discrimination here, and they never forgot the suffering they experienced under British rule.

Some Irish Americans formed a secret society known as the Fenian Brotherhood, and they were dedicated to the cause of Irish independence.

- Now you getting to the good stuff.

The Fenian Brotherhood was popping up in every major city in the United States and shortly after the potato famine-- - An Gorta Mor, The Great Hunger.

- Yeah, whatever, they plotted to take Canada hostage in order to secure Ireland's freedom.

Do you understand?

A whole country?

- The Fenian's weren't playing.

Battle hardened by the Civil War, they chose Buffalo, New York as a starting point for their invasion.

Since it was a big city so close to Canada, hundreds of Fenians from all around the country were able to pull up undetected.

And on June 1st, 1866 former Union Army commander, John O'Neill led the Fenians across the Niagra River and captured Fort Erie.

Pow, pow, pow!

(guns firing) Canadian and Crown Forces scrambled to fight back, assembling over 20,000 troops across the region.

Almost 1,000 of them took on the Fenians during the battle of Ridgeway.

- Cleverly named after the village of Ridgeway, Ontario.

- They were mad outnumbered, but the Fenians still whooped them.

(imitates gunfire) Pat, pat, pat, pat.

(imitates gunfire) Ching, ching, ching.

Ah!

- Honestly, as a peaceful potato, I find your enthusiasm concerning.

It was bloody.

People got killed, but the Fenians believed that they could save millions of Irish from the British Empire by taking action here.

They were determined to push further into Canada, but when their reinforcements were cut off by the USS Michigan, they retreated back to Buffalo where they were quickly arrested.

Their resistance inspired many, including future president and Buffalo resident Grover Cleveland.

He represented them in court, pro bono.

That means for free.

And all charges were dropped.

- Listen, Potatohead we're talking hundreds of Fenians taking on thousands of British troops.

That impact was felt baby.

Because of the invasion, Canadians was like, "Oh, snap.

"The British ain't strong enough to have our back."

So they motioned for independence.

Just over a year after the Fenian invasion, the Canadian Confederation was signed.

- All because of me.

Woo-hoo!

- I thought you said potatoes had nothing to do with it.

- Listen, I'm a potato.

When things go right, you can thank me.

When things go wrong, it can't be me.

- You're nuts.

- No, I'm a potato.

(laughs) No.

Wait.

Hear me out.

The struggle for Irish independence continued and part of Ireland gained freedom from England in 1922.

After the second World War, a wind of change swept the world and a mostly peaceful process of decolonization took place across the empire.

- Forget the rest of the world.

The Irish in America showed up, influencing politics and even electing Irish presidents.

Bam!

- What?

You can't forget about the rest of the world.

Look at me.

I'm a potato.

We come from Peru, but we changed the course of European history.

Think about that.

The struggle for independence all the way in Ireland caused conflict right out of Buffalo.

We are all connected, Core.

The suffering and success of people all across the Earth directly affects us here at home.

- You're not just a potato, huh?

You are a hot potato.

(chuckles) Aw, don't be a sad potato.

I'm just playing.

We all are connected, not just across space, but across time, across dimensions.

That's why we always say, remember, history surrounds you and includes you.

So go ahead and make history, and maybe someday we'll be telling your story-- - [Pair] Right here on "Compact History".

- Woo-hoo!

(upbeat dance music)