  The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has a unique cluster formation history in
that nearly all of its globular clusters were formed either $\sim$ 13 Gyr ago
or less than $\sim$ 3 Gyr ago. It is not clear what physical mechanism is
responsible for the most recent cluster formation episode and thus the
mysterious age gap between the LMC clusters. We first present results of gas
dynamical N-body simulations of the evolution of the LMC in the context of its
Galactic orbit and interactions with the SMC, paying special attention to the
effect of tidal forces. We find that the first close encounter between the LMC
and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) about 4 Gyr ago was the beginning of a
period of strong tidal interaction which likely induced dramatic gas cloud
collisions, leading to an enhancement of the formation of globular clusters
which has been sustained by strong tidal interactions to the present day. The
tidal interaction results in the formation of a barred, elliptical, thick disk
in the LMC. The model also predicts the presence of a large, diffuse stellar
stream circling the Galaxy, which originated from the LMC.
