In the 18th century, European writers claimed the Americas produced smaller, weaker animals and people because of their harsh climate. American thinkers pushed back, and Thomas Jefferson was among the most determined. Jefferson filled his Notes on the State of Virginia with measurements showing American animals matched European ones. Franklin, Hugh Williamson and others argued that clearing forests and cultivating land was making winters milder. Some of their claims were overstated, such as Samuel Williams's estimate of a 10 to 12 degree winter warming in Boston. Jefferson also speculated that mammoths and giant ground sloths might still survive in the interior.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.