Throughout history, humanity has looked to the skies during total solar eclipses, often with a sense of dread, and sometimes with wonder. Many ancient cultures believed eclipses were celestial omens of impending doom, and some believed they were precursors to significant events, often with religious significance.
As people gained more understanding of the astronomical phenomenon of the moon temporarily obscuring the sun, scientists have used them to better understand our place in the universe.
The oldest record of solar eclipses goes back more than 5,000 — carved in stone by Irish Neolithics in 3340 BC. Since then, eclipses have sometimes intersected with important historical events.
Here’s a look at some of the most-historic solar eclipses.
Oct. 22, 2134 BC: China: Ancient Chinese astronomers kept a close eye on the skies, believing that everything from comets to shooting stars revealed the people’s fortunes. Solar eclipses took particular significance, since they were believed to foretell the health and well-being of the Chinese emperor. But in 2134 BC, a total solar eclipse caught royal astronomers Hsi and Ho by surprise — legend has it they were drunk on the job — and their failure to predict what the Chinese called “the dragon devouring the sun” cost them their lives. Emperor Chung K’ang had them beheaded.