New England needed candles at noon and nobody knew why
On May 19, 1780, a sudden darkness fell over New England, prompting residents to light candles at noon. The darkness extended from Massachusetts to Maine and New Jersey, lasting until the early hours of the following night. Modern researchers have linked the event to a massive fire whose smoke was trapped by fog and clouds, as evidenced by fire scars in tree rings.
- ▪The sky darkened enough for people to burn candles from noon onward on May 19, 1780.
- ▪The darkness reached as far as Portland, Maine and New Jersey but did not affect Pennsylvania.
- ▪Connecticut's governor council debated adjourning, and Abraham Davenport famously said the day of judgment may be approaching but chose to fulfill his duty, requesting candles.
- ▪Tree-ring analysis in Algonquin Provincial Park identified a fire in 1780, matching the historical darkness to smoke trapped by fog and heavy clouds.
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| Original publisher | Boing Boing |
| Canonical URL | https://boingboing.net/2026/07/29/new-englands-dark-day.html |
| Publication time | Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:30:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-07-29T14:48:09.784Z |
| Last seen | 2026-07-29T14:48:09.784Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
New England needed candles at noon and nobody knew why Ellsworth Toohey 7:30 am Wed Jul 29, 2026 New England's Dark Day — Rigobert Bonne / Public domain (via Wikipedia) On the morning of May 19, 1780, the sky over New England went dark enough that people burned candles from noon on. In Ipswich, Massachusetts, the roosters and the frogs started up at two in the afternoon as though night had arrived. Rainwater carried a film of burnt leaves and ash, and cinders were reported six inches deep in parts of New Hampshire. The darkness reached Portland, Maine and New Jersey but not Pennsylvania, and it held until the small hours of the following night. The Connecticut governor's council debated adjourning in case it was the Day of Judgment.
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