New England's Dark Day
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May 19, 1780 was dubbed New England's Dark Day, when an abnormal darkening of the day sky was observed over the New England states and parts of Canada. It is currently thought this was due to a combination of smoke from forest fires and a thick fog. The darkness was so complete that candles were required from noon until midnight, when it finally dispersed and the stars could be seen.
In Connecticut, a member of the legislature, Abraham Davenport, said in response to his colleagues' fears that it was the Day of Judgment:
| "I choose, for one, to meet Him face to face, No faithless servant frightened from my task, But ready when the Lord of the harvest calls; And therefore, with all reverence, I would say, Let God do His work, we will see to ours. Bring in the candles." |
Davenport's courage was commemorated in a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier.
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