Newspapers started reporting that the eclipse was coming months beforehand, giving advice on the best places to travel to catch the “path of totality.” Scientists prepared their experiments, people prepared their travel plans, businesses prepared for a bonanza, and everyone sought a glass they could look through without going blind. And, as the event started to unfold, all the world seemed to stop their business and watch. It was eclipse mania on June 8, 1918.
Sixty six years ago a new television show premiered. Bonanza, the saga of the Cartwrights of the Ponderosa ranch was made for the express purpose of selling color televisions, and it brought color to many lives.