Back Nieu-Engeland se donker dag Afrikaans Dia fosc de Nova Anglaterra Catalan Temný den 19. května 1780 Czech Dark Day German Día oscuro de Nueva Inglaterra Spanish Ingalaterra Berriko egun iluna Basque Uuden-Englannin pimeä päivä Finnish Jour sombre de la Nouvelle-Angleterre French Սև օր Armenian ニューイングランドの暗黒日 Japanese
| Date | May 19, 1780 |
|---|---|
| Location | New England |
| Type | Weather phenomenon |
| Cause | Combination of smoke from forest fires, a thick fog, and cloud cover |
| Outcome | Candles were required from noon on |
New England's Dark Day occurred on May 19, 1780, when an unusual darkening of the daytime sky was observed over the New England states[1] and parts of eastern Canada.[2] The primary cause of the event is believed to have been a combination of smoke from forest fires,[3] a thick fog, and cloud cover. The darkness was so complete that candles were required from noon on. It did not disperse until the middle of the next night.[4][5]
- ^ "Ten Notable Apocalypses that (Obviously) Didn't Happen". Smithsonian. November 12, 2009. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
At 9 am on May 19, 1780, the sky over New England was enveloped in darkness. An 1881 article in Harper's Magazine stated that, "Birds went to roost, cocks crowed at mid-day as at midnight, and the animals were plainly terrified." The unnatural gloom is believed to have been caused by smoke from forest fires, possibly coupled with heavy fog. But at the time, some feared the worst. 'People [came] out wringing their hands and howling, the Day of Judgment is come,' recalled a Revolutionary War fifer ...
- ^ de Castella, Tom (May 18, 2012). "What caused the mystery of the Dark Day?". BBC News. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Ross, John (Fall 2008). "Dark Day of 1780". American Heritage. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ "New England's Dark Day". The Weather Doctor Almanac. 2004. Archived from the original on May 30, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2004.
- ^ Williams, Samuel (1785). "An account of a very uncommon Darkness in the States of New-England, May 19, 1780". Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. I: 234–246 – via Hathi Trust.