A famous 1780 omen, explained by tree rings in the 2000s
On 19 May 1780 the sky over New England went dark by noon. Candles were lit, birds roosted, and the Connecticut legislature debated adjourning; one member’s reply, that if it were the Day of Judgment he would rather be found doing his duty, is still quoted. It was widely taken as an omen in a country at war. Tree-ring work in the 2000s identified the cause: an enormous forest fire in Ontario, its smoke carried over New England and trapped under low cloud. A genuine mystery, genuinely solved, two centuries later.
Other places on the map within a couple of hours of here.
