# 1780: A Day of Darkness



## Whitewave (Sep 14, 2020)

May 19, 1780, a day of terror and confusion for the people of New England (and parts of Canada). In Rupert, New York, what should have been sunrise began with an obscurity of darkness. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Professor Samuel Williams observed, "This extraordinary darkness came on between the hours of 10 and 11 a.m. and continued till the middle of the next night. Objects could not be distinguished but at a very little distance; flowers folded their petals and everything bore the appearance of gloom of night.” The darkness was seen at least as far north as Portland, Maine and extended southwards to New Jersey. The darkness was *not witnessed in Pennsylvania.* It was reported witnessed as far west as Arkansas and Missouri. (**Strange that it would skip Pennsylvania). Reverend Ebenezer Parkham of Westborough, Massachusetts reported peak obscurity to occur "by 12" but didn't record when it began.





Roosters crowed, woodcocks whistled, and frogs peeped as if night had fallen at 2:00 p.m. in Ipswitch, Massachusetts. A witness reported that a strong sooty smell prevailed in the atmosphere, and that rain water had a light film over it that was made up of particles of burnt leaves and ash.[5] Contemporaneous reports also indicated that ash and cinders fell on parts of New Hampshire to *a depth of six inches. *(wiki)

Such an unusual, thick darkness ignited religious fears and people huddled with lit candles in churches fearing the day of judgment was upon them. Nature, too, shared the fear and confusion and animals responded accordingly.  *"*The occurrence brought intense alarm and distress to multitudes of minds, as well as dismay to the whole brute creation, the fowls fleeing bewildered to their roosts, and the birds to their nests, and the cattle returning to their stalls. " Frogs and night hawks began their notes. The cocks crew as at daybreak. Farmers were forced to leave their work in the fields. Business was generally suspended, and candles were lighted in the dwellings. "The Legislature of Connecticut was in session at Hartford, but being unable to transact business adjourned. Everything bore the appearance and gloom of night."  The Final Events

Several days prior to this terrifying event there had been signs in the sky which the people did not know how to interpret. From New England *the sun was red* and *the sky yellow.* On the Day of Darkness a *blood-colored moon* rose but gave no light.





Over 50 years later the impression that day made on the hearts and minds of men was still felt.  In the Connecticut Historical Collections, (compiled by John Barber, 2nd ed.; New Haven, 1836,p. 403) is recorded of that event that "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come." Joel 2:31. Twenty-five years after *the Great Earthquake *(**the Lisbon earthquake of 1755) appeared the next sign mentioned in Revelation 6:12,--the darkening of the sun and moon. What rendered this more striking was the fact that the time of its fulfillment had been definitely pointed out. In the Savior's conversation with his disciples upon Olivet, after describing the long period of trial for the church---the 1260 years of papal persecution, concerning which he had promised that the tribulation should be shortened--he thus mentioned certain events to precede his coming, and fixed the time when the first of these should be witnessed: 'In those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light'. Mark 13:24. The 1260 days, or years, terminated in 1798. A quarter of a century earlier, persecution had almost wholly ceased. Between these two dates, according to the words of Christ, the sun was to be darkened. On the 19th of May, 1780, this prophecy was fulfilled."

The astronomer, Herschel, also spoke of the event in baffled tones. "Almost if not altogether alone as the most mysterious and as yet unexplained phenomenon of its kind,...stands the dark day of May 19, 1780,--a most unaccountable darkening of the whole visible heavens and atmosphere in New England. That the darkness was not due to an eclipse is evident from the fact that the moon was then nearly full. It was not caused by clouds , or the thickness of the atmosphere (**accounts from different locations differ on this point), or the thickness of the atmosphere, for in some localities where darkness extended, the sky was so clear that the stars could be seen. Concerning the *inability of science to assign a satisfactory cause* for this manifestation, the dark day in North America was one of those wonderful phenomena of nature which philosophy is at a loss to explain. The extent of the darkness was also very remarkable. It was observed at the most easterly regions of New England; westward, to the farthest part of Connecticut, and at Albany, N.Y.; to the southward, it was observed all along the sea coast; and to the north, as far as the American settlements extended. It probably far exceeded those boundaries, but the exact limits were never positively known. With regard to its duration, it continued in the neighborhood of Boston for at least fourteen or fifteen hours."

In contrast to Herschel, an eyewitness reported that the "morning was clear and pleasant, but about eight o'clock there was observed an uncommon appearance in the sun. There were no clouds but the air was thick, having a smoky appearance, and the sun shone with a pale, yellowish hue, but kept growing darker and darker, until it was hid from sight. There was midnight darkness at noonday."

Another described it in this way: "The intense darkness of the day was succeeded, an hour or two before evening, by a partially clear sky, and the sun appeared, though it was still obscured by the black, heavy mist. But this interval was followed by a return of the obscuration with greater density, that rendered the first half of the night* hideously dark beyond all former experience *of the probable million of people who saw it. From soon after sunset until midnight, no ray of light from moon or star penetrated the vault above. It was pronounced* 'the blackness of darkness!'  *I could not help conceiving, at the time, that if every luminous body in the universe had been shrouded in impenetrable darkness, or struck out of existence, the darkness could not have been more complete. Though the moon that night rose to the full, it had not the least effect to dispel the death-like shadows. After midnight the darkness disappeared, the moon, when first visible, had the appearance of blood."  

Whittier, in 1866, was even impressed to write a poem (as were many others) about the memorable Day of Darkness.

Twas on a May-day of the far old year
Seventeen hundred eighty, that there fell
Over the bloom and sweet life of the spring,
Over the fresh earth, and the heaven of noon,
A* horror of great darkness. *
Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp
To hear the doom-blast of the trumpet shatter
The black sky.

Milo Bostick, writing in Stone's _History of Massachusetts _said,"May 19, 1780, stands in history as "The Dark Day." Since the time of Moses, no period of darkness of equal density, extent, and duration has ever been recorded."

Echoing those sentiments and recalling his experience at Exeter, New Hampshire 5 years after the event, Dr. Samuel Tenney, says of the obscurity: "The night that followed was remembered as one of the darkest on record. The darkness of the following evening was probably “*as gross as ever has been observed since the Almighty fiat gave birth to light...* It wanted only palpability to render it as extraordinary as that which overspread the land of Egypt in the days of Moses.  A sheet of white paper held within a few inches of the eyes was equally invisible with the blackest velvet. People slept fitfully, many of them worried they would never see light again. Much to their relief, the pall had lifted by the following morning."

In New Jersey where George Washington and his Continental Army were encamped, the General made a diary entry commenting on the strange weather. “Heavy and uncommon kind of clouds,” he wrote, “dark and at the same time a bright and reddish kind of light intermixed with them…”

A Harvard student at the time, Nathan Read, recorded what he saw in Boston that day. "About 10: 30 A. M. *An uncommon degree of darkness* commenced, which increased pretty rapidly. *Vegetables (especially grass) appeared of a deep green, which INCREASED with the darkness.* Other things were tinged with yellow.  At 12:21 —A small candle visible through a window at the distance of a mile—The several appearances of candles are as single lights, and do not illuminate the whole window."

In Wells and Kennebunk, Maine, the phenomenon was reported in this statement: "The night was *one of hideous darkness*." It was not fog or smoke that made the night so dark that the lights burned very brilliantly. "It was the night of the full moon, but it was *intensely dark*, while all lights burned with great brilliancy. With sunrise the darkness passed away?"

Dr. Jeremy Belknap says of the darkness of that night: "*The evening was as total a darkness as can be conceived*."
(All above accounts are from Remembering New England’s “Dark Day”)

Having recently emerged from one of the most bitterly cold winters on record, the now warmer air of New England was thick and heavy.  In the twilight hours of dusk and dawn, the sun exhibited a reddish hue and the moon a pink one.  In defiance of these unsettling signs, the morning of May 19, 1780 began like any other typical morning. The cloudy skies showered a cool rain over parts of New England and residents greeted the gloom by going about their usual chores.
Despite these unsettling signs, May 19, 1780 started out as a typical, if not gloomy, morning. The skies were cloudy and cool and a light rain was falling over some areas. By 8 or 9 a.m. rust-tinted clouds came in from the west blocking out the sun as it was still rising. The skies grew dark, hazy and turned the color of copper.





Shadow and fog followed the day. In Connecticut, outdoor workers had to abandon their labors as they could no longer see what they were doing. By noon, the light of the sun was completely obscured. People at lunch by candlelight while others were too awe-struck to do more than star in amazed silence. “The birds of the night were abroad,” Savage wrote, “and by their melancholy notes added to the solemnity of the scene.” For much of the god-fearing population of New England, the sudden blackout seemed positively biblical. “It was *not an eclipse*. The 19th of May, 1780, was *a remarkable dark day. *

People rushed to the nearest church to confess their sins and say a prayer. Some even hunted down their local parson and demanded an impromptu sermon. When asked for a spiritual explanation for what was happening, one sardonic reverend supposedly quipped that he “was in the dark about the matter just as you are.” While the pious took solace in prayer, others made a beeline for the nearest tavern and a much needed drink. In Salem, Massachusetts, lawyer William Pynchon noted that a group of booze-soaked sailors “went hallooing and frolicking through the streets” and encouraged the town’s ladies to strip off their clothes and join them in morbid celebration. “Now you may take off your rolls and high caps,” they said, “and be damned.” (**panic sex seems to be a common last request for those who believe it to be their last day)

A particularly famous scene unfolded in the Connecticut Governor’s Council. Shaken by the preternatural darkness, some of the politicians suggested ending their meeting early. Councilman Abraham Davenport, a Connecticut militia colonel, would have none of it. “I am against adjournment,” he said. “The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause of an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought.” Stirred by these words, the council agreed to continue the session by candlelight. (**Some writers say the meeting was adjourned).

In the safety of the following days return of light, fierce debates and much speculation abounded regarding the event. Scholars posited that the transit of Venus or Mercury or a solar eclipse, or a meteor strike, or the commingling of airborne vapors were to blame. (Translation: We have no idea wth happened). The more religiously inclined believed it to be God's way of saying he was against the Revolutionary war being fought at the time. Despite scientists of the day eventually concluding that the likely cause to be a combination of factors: smoke from a forest fire, fog, and cloud cover, the people weren't buying it. "No forest fire or burning prairie would produce a smoke so dense," says one writer.  A deep blue color spread over everything at first, and then darkness increased so that a man would not be known at a small distance. The fact that the full moon was not seen till midnight and the stars were completely blotted out certainly proves that the "Dark Day" of May 19, 1780, was the day that prophecy was talking about."

Harvard professor Samuel Williams studied weather data and collected personal accounts of the Dark Day. Along with discovering that it was limited to New England, he also ran across reports of massive forest fires tearing their way through parts of the Northeast. Witnesses in some locales had noted that the Dark Day was accompanied by “thick, dark and sooty” rain and the smell of burnt leaves. Could the shadow have been a cloud of ash and smoke from distant wildfires? Williams and a few others suggested it was possible, but their thesis was dismissed as “simple and absurd” in the papers.

*It would take several decades*—and several more smoke-induced “dark days”—before the forest fire theory won wide acceptance. It was finally confirmed in 2007, (**long after the eye-witnesses are dead) after researchers from the University of Missouri discovered signs of a massive, centuries-old wildfire in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario. “Fire scars” in the rings of the affected trees allowed the team to date the blaze to the spring of 1780. After studying weather reports from the period, they concluded that low barometric pressure and heavy winds had most likely carried smoke into the upper atmosphere and over the Northeast, blotting out the sun.  While the darkness was present, soot was observed to have collected in rivers and in rain water, suggesting the presence of smoke. Also, when the night really came in, observers saw the Moon colored red. For portions of New England, the morning of May 19, 1780 was characterized by rain, indicating that cloud cover was present.[3][4][7] Evidence shows that a similar phenomenon also occurred in 1881, when the haze from fires in Ontario and Michigan reduced sunlight in New England by as much as 90 percent. This would no doubt have been welcome news in 1780, but without the evidence to convince them otherwise, many continued to regard the Dark Day with a mixture of terror and astonishment. The following year, a day of prayer and fasting was observed as a memorial by the people of New England.
New England's Dark Day - Wikipedia

For decades, blackout lore became popular in art and poetry as well as being fodder for warnings from the pulpit. The Quaker offshoot of Shakers  especially, not beings ones to let a good crisis go to waste, recruited many converts to their newly formed religion.

******So is the official explanation a satisfactory one? Science does not explain all the reported phenomena to my satisfaction. Going in order: 
*1*_) event not witnessed in Pennsylvania. (See above map of the U.S.) How could the smoke be witnessed all along the East coast and as far west as Arkansas and Missouri but not in Pennsylvania? _​_*2*) ash and cinders fell to a depth of 6 inches is a helluva lot of ash and cinders. Was the whole of Canada on fire? Officially, the fire was limited to Algonquin Provencial Park in Ontario, Canada. So, it wasn't the whole of Canada, just Provencial Park. The distance from Provencial Park to New England is 508 miles. How strong was the wind to carry a sun-blackening cloud of smoke that doesn't choke people over 500 miles away? _​_*3*) sun red, sky yellow, blood moon. All 3 on the same day? "Blood moons" are not the result of "large fires" and clouds were not uniformly reported-some specifically say there were no clouds and stars could be seen. _​_*4*) There have been plenty of fires that darken the skies somewhat since (and before) 1780 but 50 years later people are not still commemorating the event with songs, poems, epics, and fasting. Nor are they described as "*hideously dark beyond all former experience", 'the blackness of darkness!",  "horror of great darkness", "a darkness as gross as ever has been observed since the Almighty fiat gave birth to light", "An uncommon degree of darkness", "one of hideous darkness", "as total a darkness as can be conceived".* That's not fog and cloud cover darkness; that's "holy crap, we're about to die" darkness. _​_*5*) Vegetables, especially grass, appeared dark green and that effect only increased with the darkness. Neither smoke, fog, or cloud cover are known to make green living things appear neon, or to glow in the dark. _​_*6*) Scientists themselves have ruled out an eclipse. _​_*7*) NO ONE at the time of the event bought the official story (which really wasn't adequately explained anyway) and it took DECADES before the next generation, not having been witness themselves, would accept a natural explanation. And it was over 200 years later (there's that time frame again) that we even HAVE an official excuse for the event. _​​Others half-heartedly questioning the official story are as follows:

"Based on observation of wind direction and barometric readings on 19 May 1780, it seems most likely that a low pressure weather system carried dense smoke from the west or north to the New England region," the paper says.  (Not one of the reports mentions people choking or coughing from "dense smoke"-just freaked out by darkness).  The sun reportedly appeared dim and red before fast-moving red, yellow, and brown clouds rolled in. Rain falling from these clouds was dark and sooty, according to reports, corroborating the researchers' theory that there was dense smoke in the atmosphere from wildfires.   study published in 2007 in the International Journal of Wildland Fire.  (2007 seems to be the year all of academia agreed that the Day of Darkness was just a routine event)

The Met Office points out that *thick cloud* can drop low enough to turn on automatic street lights and require cars to use their lights. But it's unlikely this alone would be enough to cause a Dark Day. A *solar eclipse *can be ruled out as there is a record of when these occur - and they only last for a matter of minutes. The eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 caused enough ash to enter the atmosphere to ground flights across northern Europe. And yet there is no record of volcanic activity in May of 1780 *****, he says, making a huge ash cloud an unlikely explanation. A *meteorite* is equally unlikely, although "you can't rule it out completely", Prof Choularton says. It is also known that there was a drought there in 1780 making fire more likely, says Dr Will Blake, associate professor of geography at Plymouth University. But could a *forest fire* cause such a change in light? "I've witnessed minor fires in Australia where you get a very eerie light. The bigger the fire, the darker it's going to get." Fog is common on the east coast. The mix of fog and soot from the forest fire would combine to make darkness descend, Dr Blake argues. William Corliss, the physicist and chronicler of unexplained events, found 46 accounts of dark days around the world between 1091 and 1971. What caused the mystery of the Dark Day?

*****There was a 7.7 magnitude earthquake (estimated) at Tabriz in the early morning hours of January 8, 1780 with a IX rating on the Mercalli intensity scale. Tabriz was nearly a complete loss with an estimated 50k killed (wiki) but could all that smoke and darkness in New England be caused by an earthquake that happened 4 months earlier?

Further reading:  Explanations for a dark day experienced by many back in 1950 - News and information on Westfield and Mayville, NY  - Westfield Republican

Bradford Landmark Society - The Day the Sun Went Out In Bradford - Bradford Pa History Historical Society

The Day the Sun Disappeared—September 24, 1950  (*1950*)





> Note: This OP was recovered from the Wayback Archive.





> Note: Archived Sh.org replies to this OP: 1780: A Day of Darkness


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## Whitewave (Oct 9, 2020)

The general consensus from previous replies is that the dark day was a result of a fire in Canada. It seems improbable to me that would be the sole cause due to distance, lack of people choking from the amount of smoke such a conflagration would have caused, varying times reported for the event in different locations as well as the duration of the phenomenon.
Has the plague of darkness in Moses time during the Israelites escape from Egypt also been explained away as being due to a local fire? Not being sarcastic, honestly want to know.


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