THE GREAT HISTORIC DARK DAY
THE 19th day of May, 1780, was a remarkably dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses. The birds were silent and disappeared. The fowls retired to roost. It was the general opinion that the Day of Judgment was at hand. The Legislature of Connecticut was in session at Hartford, but being unable to transact business, adjourned.—President Dwight, in (Connecticut) “Historical Collections.” THE Dark Day, May 19, 1780, is thus described by Mr. Stone in his “History of Beverly:” “The sun rose clear, but soon assumed a brassy hue. About ten o’clock A.M. it became unusually dark. The darkness continued to increase until about one o’clock, when it began to decrease. During this time candles became necessary. The birds disappeared, and were silent; the fowls went to their roosts; the cocks crew as at daylight; and everything bore the appearance and gloom of night. The alarm produced by this unusual aspect of the heavens was great.”—Portsmouth Journal, May 20, 1843. “FROM Robert Sears’ ‘Guide to Knowledge,’ published in New York, 1844, we extract the following: ‘On the 19th of May, 1780, an uncommon darkness took place all over New England, and extended to Canada. It continued about fourteen hours, or from ten o’clock in the morning until midnight. The darkness was so great that people were unable to read common print, or tell the time of day by their watches, or to dine, or transact their ordinary business, without the light of candles. They became dull and gloomy, and some were excessively frightened. The fowls went to roost. Objects could not be distinguished but at a very little distance, and everything bore the appearance of gloom and night. Similar days have occasionally been known, tho inferior in the degree and extent of their darkness. The causes of these phenomena are unknown. They certainly were not the result of eclipses.’”