Solar Eclipses in American History

Cultures through history have heralded eclipses as portentous, ominous events.
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Few phenomena are so steeped in wonder as the total solar eclipse. Cultures through history have heralded eclipses as portentous, ominous events.

Written by Matthew Smith. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle.

Other Resources:

  • James Fenimore Cooper, “The Eclipse,” Putnam's Monthly Magazine 21 (n.s. 4) (Sept. 1869): 352–359.
  • Whitney Cross, The Burned-over District: The Social and Intellectual History of Enthusiastic Religion in Western New York, 1800 – 1850 (Cornell: Cornell University Press, 1950).
  • Benjamin Drake, The Life of Tecumseh, and of his Brother, The Prophet; with a Historical Sketch of the Shawanoe Indians (Cincinnati: E. Morgan & Co., 1841).
  • Joseph Lathrop, A Sermon Containing Reflections on the Solar Eclipse, which Appeared on June 16, 1806 (Springfield, Mass.: H. Brewer, 1806). 
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Solar Eclipses in American History