Every once in a while, an eclipse like the one taking place this April 8 in North America changes the course of crucial historical events, for better and worse.
In one of the first widely read novels about time travel, published in 1889, Mark Twain wrote about a man whose life was saved by an eclipse.
In Twain’s book “A Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” the protagonist Hank Morgan is knocked unconscious and wakes up in 6th century England.
Hank soon finds himself in trouble and is sentenced to be burned at the stake.
Fortunately for him, his execution is scheduled for the same day as an eclipse.
Knowing that the day is approaching, Morgan tricks the king and his people into believing that he controls the Sun and Moon.
His advance knowledge absolves him of the penalty.
It is a fictional story, but could have been inspired by real-world events.
Historical influence
Christopher Columbus once did something similar and it may have saved his life.
In fact, throughout history, several eclipses have occurred at crucial moments, influencing people’s decisions, changing the outcome of battles, and even transforming what we once believed about the nature of the universe.
Eclipses have influenced humanity in many ways, becoming part of countless cultures, belief systems and mythologies.
Over the centuries, people have associated these cosmic events with gods, transcendental forces, demons, and a surprising variety of animals.
In Western Asia, for example, it was seen as a dragon devouring the Sun; in Peru, like a puma. Some Native Americans spoke of a hungry bear and the Vikings saw a pair of heavenly wolves.
But sometimes an eclipse can really change the course of historical events.
The stories of Herodotus
One of the oldest known examples of an eclipse causing change occurred during a battle more than 2,000 years ago, says writer Mark Littmann of the University of Tennessee, who co-wrote the book “Totality.”
Writing in 430 BC, the Greek historian Herodotus recounted a war between the Lydians, who occupied regions of modern-day Turkey, and the Medes, an ancient Iranian people.
After six years of fighting, with draws, wins and losses on both sides, the opponents met again.
However, this time, “day suddenly turned into night,” Herodotus wrote.
“The Medes and Lydians, when they observed the change, stopped fighting and were eager to reach a peace agreement.”
In the 19th century, astronomers determined that Herodotus must have been describing the solar eclipse of May 28, 585 BC, according to Littman.
Xerxes’ queries
Another account by Herodotus describes how Xerxes, leader of the Persian army, witnessed an eclipse before invading Greece.
It is unclear what eclipse he might have seen that year, according to Littmann, but if Herodotus’s account is reliable, Xerxes must have been alarmed enough to consult his Zoroastrian priests.
They supposedly told him that God was warning the Greeks about the imminent destruction of their cities.
“’The Sun predicts them and the Moon predicts us,’” these priests would have suggested.
“Xerxes, thus instructed, continued on his way with great joy in his heart,” Herodotus wrote.
But it turned out to be terrible advice. Xerxes successfully attacked Athens, but after his navy was destroyed, he had no choice but to retreat.
Upon their return, their armies were defeated. Then, in 465 BC, he was assassinated.
However, this would not be the last time that an eclipse would prove crucial.
Columbus’ troubles in Jamaica
Fast forward more than 1,000 years, and we meet Christopher Columbus on his last voyage.
In 1503, he ran his ships aground – sinking off Jamaica with their desperate crews – having lost most of their anchors and with the ships eaten away enough to be “full of holes like a honeycomb,” according to one biographer.
Fearing both starvation and conflict, Columbus forbade his crew to leave their base and tentatively traded Spanish trinkets and jewelry for food and water with the locals.
Danger was always present: one of his exploring parties was reduced and captured by hostile locals when he was exploring the easternmost point of Jamaica.
To make matters worse, in January 1504, some of the crew mutinied and fled to the island.
They abused and mocked the island’s inhabitants, stole supplies, and “committed all manner of excesses,” wrote Columbus’s biographer.
After weeks of this situation, local residents lost their patience. Tolerance gave way to contempt and hatred, and the food trade stopped.
Columbus and the remaining crew faced imminent starvation.
But as the end approached, Columbus remembered that an astronomical event was approaching: a lunar eclipse.
On March 1, he gathered leaders of the local communities, reproached them for having withdrawn the provisions and warned them: “The God who protects me will punish you… This same night the Moon will change color and lose its light, in testimony of the evils that will be sent to them from the heavens.”
And it worked. The fearful locals relented and provided food again. Columbus promised to perform a rite that would “forgive” them.
From a modern perspective, it is a disturbing story.
Indigenous people probably had every right to avoid plundering Europeans, and it certainly wasn’t ethical diplomacy to use scientific knowledge and false threats to get their way.
However, it raises the question of what would have happened to Columbus if the lunar eclipse had not occurred that March, since the rescue would not arrive until June.
Perhaps it would have been better for his reputation if he had died in Jamaica.
The rest of his life was not exactly glorious: he returned to Spain with deteriorating physical and mental health, struggling to obtain official recognition and money.
His sponsors doubted his mental state and ignored his requests.
Christopher Columbus lived unhappily until his death in 1506.
Intriguingly, lunar eclipses like Columbus’s appear to be more influential at crucial times than solar eclipses, according to Littmann.
Because?
This is due to the number of people who can see them. Although there are more solar eclipses, lunar eclipses last longer and are visible to more than half of the Earth.
“It’s easier for them to influence history,” he explains.
Tecumseh’s Eclipse
However, a solar eclipse did play an important role in American history.
In the 19th century, Native American Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his brother, a self-proclaimed prophet, sought to unite their people and preserve their ancient traditions.
The territory’s appointed governor, William Henry Harrison, who would later become president of the United States, had other ideas and began persuading indigenous leaders to give up their land.
He knew that Tecumseh and his brother were standing in his way, so, hoping to discredit them, he asked them for a sign: if the prophet was so powerful, why doesn’t he stop the Sun in the sky?
But the strategy backfired for Harrison.
Tecumseh’s brother announced that the Sun would stand still on April 16, 1806.
“At the right moment, he came out in full gear, pointed at the Sun and said, ‘Go dark,’” Littmann says.
It is unclear how Tecumseh and his brother knew there would be an eclipse that day.
However, it was effective and strengthened the brothers’ influence and reputation among their people.
Unfortunately, the history books say that the long-term consequence was a return to war.
Relative benefits
However, for Littmann, the most important eclipse in history occurred at the beginning of the 20th century: the one in 1919, which confirmed that Albert Einstein was right in his Theory of General Relativity and made him one of the most famous scientists in the world. .
“In my opinion, this eclipse was decisive in the history of the world. That was a turning point, in terms of science, in terms of our understanding of the universe and people’s attitudes,” says Littmann.
“The universe is much more difficult to understand than we assumed at the time of Newtonian physics.”
Simply put, the 1919 solar eclipse allowed scientists to observe that the Sun’s gravitational field bends starlight, a key prediction of Einstein’s theory.
Cosmic coincidences
We accept total solar eclipses as part of life on this planet, but if the Solar System had formed differently, they would not occur.
The Sun has a diameter 400 times greater than that of the Moon and, at the same time, is located 400 times greater distance from the Earth, making both appear the same size in the sky. It is truly a remarkable coincidence.
In his book “Totality,” Mark Littmann points out that if the Moon were just 169 miles (273 km) smaller in diameter or farther away, people would never see a total eclipse like the one that will cross North America in April of next year.
Where and when will the next eclipses be?
The next big event, a total solar eclipse, will take place this April 8 and will cross parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada.
The next total solar eclipse to reach the United States will occur in 2033 and will only be visible from Alaska.
In 2026, western Iceland will see a total solar eclipse, as will Spain, which will have a second in 2027.
After that, it will be Australia’s turn, which will enjoy four eclipses between 2028 and 2038.
The next total lunar eclipse will take place in early 2025 and will be visible in much of Asia, as well as parts of Africa and Australia.
This note was originally published in BBC Future and BBC Mundo in October 2023. You can see the original note in English by clicking here.
Keep reading:
* 6 scientific investigations that will be done during the solar eclipse (you can participate in some)
* Solar eclipse: Is there a so-called “eclipse disease”?
* Prophecies and predictions related to the solar eclipse
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