Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast original about two sisters who experience the eclipse of 1918 as it passed over their part of Kansas.

In a quiet prairie town, Alice and Pearl find themselves caught in the path of a total solar eclipse. Together, they lay on a quilt in the farm field as day turns momentarily to night.

In this story, set in the year 1918, the sisters used “smoked glass” as a prudent way to protect the eyes to view the eclipsing of the sun as the moon moves over it. Now, we know that smoked glass is unfortunately not sufficient protection, and recommend eclipse watchers to wear specialized solar glasses.

Smoked glass was invented during the first telescopic viewing of a total solar eclipse by King Louis XIV of France. This method remained popular through the early 19th century, but by 1932 smoked glass started to fall out of favor. Either way, if you are in the path of totality, you do not need to use protection during the brief period of time when the sun is completely covered by the moon, referred to as “the totality.”

— read by 'N' —

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