10+ Photos Of People Reacting To Solar Eclipses Throughout The Last 300 Years

These will blow your mind.

Elana
10+ Photos Of People Reacting To Solar Eclipses Throughout The Last 300 Years

Solar Eclipses may be all the buzz these days but realistically they are nothing "new." They've existed throughout time and people have always been fascinated and obsessed with them, that's for sure. For as far back as humanity has been documenting the mysteries of the universe there is evidence of our fascination with solar eclipses and these 20 images are undeniable proof of that.

They may not be taken on iPhones and some of them are literally ancient history but this is surely by far the coolest collection of solar eclipse images throughout all of time.

1. 17th Century French Watercolor

A party of French Jesuits in Siam (now Thailand) in April 1688 observed and documented their solar eclipse experience.1. 17th Century French Watercolor

2. 1836 Chinese Print

Chinese astronomers are depicted here observing and measuring an eclipse of the sun using a telescope (and other instruments.)2.  1836 Chinese Print

3. July 8, 1842

This painting by Johann Christian Schoeller is titled "The Total Eclipse of the Sun," and it depicts the scene in Vienna, Austria in July of 1842.3.  July 8, 1842

4. April 17, 1912

This photo from the Parisian suburb of St. Germain-en-Laye is of people gazing upwards, aligning cameras and optical equipment, toward a total eclipse of the sun in April of 1912.4. April 17, 1912

5. September 1923

A crowd in California observes this 1923 total eclipse of the sun after spending 5 years without a single one in the country.5. September 1923

6. Paris: April 8, 1921

Three women observe the solar eclipse together.6. Paris: April 8, 1921

7. London: April 9, 1921

City workers rush to the roof of their office building to observe the 1921 solar eclipse of the sun.7. London:  April 9, 1921

8. June 1927

This group of nurses used dark glasses to observe the solar eclipse of 1927 together.8. June 1927

9. 1927: Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England

A large crowd of people gather on the grounds of this college to observe the 1927 solar eclipse together.9. 1927: Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England

10. Aug. 31, 1932

President Herbert Hoover observes the solar eclipse of 1932 from the lawn near his office.10. Aug. 31, 1932

11. Berlin, 1936

These visitors of the Treptower astronomical observatory in Berlin are lucky enough to witness a solar eclipse through a telescope.11. Berlin, 1936

12. Oct. 31, 1948

Students at Sydney University protect their eyes from a total solar eclipse by looking through pieces of cardboard and film.12. Oct. 31, 1948

13. June 1954

This London teacher instructs his students as they look at the solar eclipse together in 1954.13. June 1954

14. 1963

Emerson Elementary School in Maywood, Illinois: 5th grade students place cardboard boxes over their heads to shield their eyes.14. 1963

15. Aurora, Colorado 1970

A group of students cluster around a projection screen rigged to a telescope to observe the total eclipse.15. Aurora, Colorado 1970

16. March 7, 1970

Ten separate exposures on a single frame show the phases of a partial solar eclipse in the sky over Washington, DC.16. March 7, 1970

17. Jan. 1, 1994

These amateur astronomers were able to view a solar eclipse at Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles.17. Jan. 1, 1994

18. Oct. 24, 1995

During a total eclipse at Angkor Wat this Cambodian monk watches the beginning with safety glasses.18. Oct. 24, 1995

19. Isfahan, Iran, Aug. 9, 1999

In front of the Imam Mosque a woman views a total solar eclipse through filtered glasses.19.  Isfahan, Iran, Aug. 9, 1999

20. Vauville, France, on Aug. 11, 1999

Crowds gather in France with protective eyewear to witness a solar eclipse together.20. Vauville, France, on Aug. 11, 1999

There are some similarities to the modern world versus what life was like back in the day. In Disney movies, the characters are often wearing outfits that were not actually culturally or historically accurate. If they were true to the tale, this is what Disney princesses dresses should have looked like in the films. 

Elana