Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - We as Western New Yorkers most likely know by now that this Monday's Total Solar Eclipse will be a once-in-a-lifetime event. However, many people may not know the year Western New York saw the last one: 1925.
99 years later, the Buffalo History Museum uncovers some old newspaper articles and rich, local history that give museum-goers a glimpse of what it was like back then and how the Total Solar Eclipse may compare, a near century later.
"All week long, they were predicting fair weather anticipated, that it was looking promising. And then of course, clouds ended up marring the eclipse on January 24, 1925," explained Brain Hayden, Communications and Community Engagement Director at the Buffalo History Museum.
"There were stories of and anecdotes about Buffalonians viewing the Eclipse from the rooftops and the city just kind of stopping what it was doing and looking around at this extraordinary site that may have been obscured by clouds, but it appeared to be a remarkable spectacle for anyone who still experienced it."
Hayden reads aloud a paragraph from a copy of the 1925's Buffalo Evening News with the headline reading: ECLIPSE PLUNGES CITY INTO DARKNESS.
"Night came to Buffalo Saturday on the wings of morning. For one minute and 48 seconds, a thing happened the like of which almost no one of all the city's inhabitants had ever seen before. Darkness swallowed the city when there should have been light. It was a darkness deeper than that of any storm. It was a swift darkness, it was a darkness that showed that the source of light had suddenly been blocked out. That the old Sun, which holds the spinning world and its course and orders the lives of all had suddenly failed."
Hayden noted a few interesting contrasts and similarities from the last Total Solar Eclipse to the one we will see on Monday, one difference being the Path of Totality itself and a similarity being that it was highly anticipated by many.
"From northwest to southeast, so it came from the direction of Toronto and continued on to downstate New York and New York City, a much different path than the one we'll experience on Monday," Hayden notes. "In these headlines, we kind of realize that there were stark differences in some ways, but in other ways, there was so much excitement just like there is this week. So many people were hotly-anticipating the event in the same way we are a century later."
Back in the 1920s, Erie County wasn't providing free eclipse glasses like they are today. So what were scientists recommending?
"They recommended a couple of very different things than what we are going to be using next week. One was that they said you should consider viewing the clips through smoked glass. Essentially, if you hold a candle up to a piece of glass, that creates residue that would sort of provide a supposed layer of protection from this event. The other was to potentially put a piece of black cloth over your eyes too. We're fortunate to be living in 2024."
Although there is still unknown as to whether we will have the same fate of the clouds, a noticeable darkness we cover Western New York and will be a moment unlike any other, which is something that Hayden believes most people will remember for the rest of their lives.
The Buffalo History Museum this Friday and Saturday will be hosting their "EXTRA! EXTRA! Eclipse Extravaganza" where kids will be able to look through the old eclipse articles which will lead them on a cool scavenger hunt throughout the museum. They will also be able to create their own Eclipse headlines and take them home for a keepsake. The guided tours will be at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on both days. Tickets are $13 a person or $10 for members and are available for purchase here.