Back in Time: See 1979 Total Solar Eclipse Reactions Ahead of Indiana’s Celestial Event

Before we experience the final total solar eclipse of our lifetime, let's go back to Monday, Feb. 26, 1979, when a total solar eclipse occurred across the Pacific Northwest.

Believe the Hype

The hype is real for the total solar eclipse coming up on Monday April 8, 2024. Your Facebook Feed, Instagram, and TikTok will be jam-packed with spectators trying to capture the totality.  Even though there was no internet or social media in 1979, the cosmic event has been preserved in classic newscasts and some amateur videos.

Read More: Detailed Timing for Viewing the Total Solar Eclipse in Evansville

In this clip, you'll see Frank Reynolds anchoring from New York, with live reports from former science correspondence Jules Bergman and reporter Bob Miller. Their reactions are genuine and live. I love that the anchor and the reporters in the field get a bit emotional.

Walter Cronkite's Report on the CBS Evening News:

Mr. Cronkite's report is very direct. There is not a lot of reaction or excitement, but when you get to around the 2:20 mark in the video, there is a bit of strangeness.

Berkeley, California to Goldendale, Washington 1979

This retro video was uploaded ahead of 2017's total solar eclipse. It is a very 1970s  documentary-style video complete with man-on-the-street questions.

Read More: 2017 Video Eclipse Traffic Rural Illinois- Reminder to Prepare

Wow, in the first scene of this recently released video from 1979 you can really see how much times have changed. What hasn't changed is the excitement and awe surrounding this Total Solar Eclipse.

A team of photographers, filmmakers, and amateur astronomers to document the total eclipse of the sun. The experience of seeing a total eclipse is incredible, the real story is then events around the eclipse as well as the shared experience.

Read More: 2 Colors During The Total Solar Eclipse Create Strange Phenomenon

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