New England's Dark Day
On a spring morning in 1780 the sky over New England went so dark that people lit candles at noon.
What was reported
On 19 May 1780, the sky over New England and parts of eastern Canada darkened in the middle of the morning. By noon people needed candles, birds fell silent and went to roost, and many thought the Day of Judgement had come.
In Connecticut's legislature, a member named Abraham Davenport is remembered for refusing to adjourn: if it was the end, he said, he wanted to be found doing his duty, and he asked for candles to be brought in.
Explanations offered
The darkness was caused by smoke from large forest fires, most likely in what is now Ontario, carried on the wind and combined with fog and low cloud. Researchers have since found tree rings in Canada scarred by fire in that year.
- When
- 19 May 1780
- Where
- New England, USA
- Witnesses
- People across New England and eastern Canada
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.