David Baron’s new book, American Eclipse: A Nation’s Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World, is about the history and the players involved in the total solar eclipse of 1878.
Total solar eclipses are not rare. They take place at some point on Earth about every 18 months. The problem is that sometimes those locations are remote and difficult to reach. The eclipse of 1878 stretched from Montana down to Texas. Set in the wild frontier, this particular eclipse was remarkable because of the lengths taken by our young nation to prove our scientific worth.
And with the much-anticipated total solar eclipse reaching coast-to-coast on August 21, Baron’s look back on our nation’s scientific trajectory is especially timely. I recently met with David Baron at the KCUR Studios in Kansas City.
Here’s our conversation:
And if you listened to the commentary on air, this is what you heard:
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American Eclipse: A Nation’s Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by David Baron was published by Liveright.
This interview was recorded in Kansas City at KCUR Studios. Marginalia was produced at KMUW Wichita. Special thanks to KCUR Engineer: Stephen Steigman.
Editor: Lu Anne Stephens
Engineer: Jon Cyphers
Producer: Beth Golay