I saw a total eclipse in 1963 and it was magical
Jean and I had not yet been married a year in 1963 when I heard there would be a total solar eclipse visible in Maine on July 20. So off we drove in my little VW beetle.
I remember driving along a road getting close to the time of the eclipse, which I recall was around 3:30 p.m. We spotted a hill that looked promising and pulled in to park. We weren’t the only ones; lots of other cars were pulling in, and we joined a crowd of people climbing the small hill and finding a spot to stand.
Nothing much seemed to be happening until it became noticeably darker. We were equipped with piles of negatives — remember them from the days of the film cameras? — that made viewing the sun safe.
Sure enough, a piece of the sun was disappearing. As more and more of the sun was eclipsed, the sky grew darker, and all the birds that had previously been singing away flew off to roost for the night. A strange quiet settled over us, and the crowd stopped talking, not even whispering. The silence was awesome, and then suddenly it was as if it were the middle of the night. No light, no sound. Just complete darkness.
I wish that moment could have lasted longer, it was so magical. But in a few minutes the sky started to lighten and soon, although it was not yet the brightness of a summer day, we all felt that the eclipse was over and everyone started talking, still in hushed tones. The birds started singing and flying again, no doubt complaining of an extremely short night’s sleep.
As for we humans, we had experienced a magical, dare I say spiritual, moment. A moment that the word “awe” was probably coined for.
Going back down the hill, getting into our car and driving off was so anticlimactic. We must have eaten somewhere, and stayed somewhere, but I have absolutely no recollection whatever. Even my 27th birthday the next day was an anticlimax, and I again have no memory of it whatsoever.
But that total solar eclipse is as strong in my memory as if it happened yesterday. I have never seen a total solar eclipse again.