August 21: On This Day in World History – briefly
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
2017: Solar eclipse traverses the United States
The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, dubbed ‘The Great American Eclipse’ by the media, was a total solar eclipse visible within a band that spanned the entire contiguous United States, passing from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. As a partial solar eclipse, it was visible on land from Nunavut in northern Canada to as far south as northern South America. In north-western Europe and Africa, it was partially visible in the late evening. In Asia, it was visible only at the eastern extremity, the Chukchi Peninsula.
Prior to this event, no solar eclipse had been visible across the entire contiguous United States since June 8, 1918; not since the February 1979 eclipse had a total eclipse been visible from anywhere in the mainland United States. The path of totality touched 14 states, and the rest of the US had a partial eclipse. The area of the path of totality was about 16 percent of the area of the United States, with most of this area over the ocean, not land.
The event’s shadow began to cover land on the Oregon coast as a partial eclipse at 4.05pm (UTC), with the total eclipse beginning there at 5.16pm; the total eclipse’s land coverage ended along the South Carolina coast at about 6.44pm. Visibility as a partial eclipse in Honolulu, Hawaii began with sunrise at 4.20pm and ended by 5.25pm UTC.
This total solar eclipse marked the first such event in the smartphone and social media era in America. Information, personal communication, and photography were widely available as never before, capturing popular attention and enhancing the social experience.
Marriage proposals took place coinciding with the eclipse, and at least one wedding was also planned and took place to coincide with the eclipse. Logistical problems were expected with the influx of visitors, especially for smaller communities. The sale of counterfeit eclipse glasses was also anticipated to be a hazard for eye injuries.
Future total solar eclipses will cross the United States in April 2024 (12 states) and August 2045 (10 states), and annular solar eclipses – wherein the Moon appears smaller than the Sun – will occur in October 2023 (9 states) and June 2048 (9 states).
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