October 27, 2021
Today in 1780, a total solar eclipse was visible in New England. During the American Revolutionary War, the first American solar eclipse expedition was organized and sent out from Harvard College in Massachusetts. A special immunity agreement was negotiated with the British to allow the scientists to work unharmed. The Harvard expedition, after all their efforts, missed the eclipse because they mistakenly chose a site outside the path of totality.
Path of the 1780 total solar eclipse. Credit – Fred Espenak