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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.
In 1891, British humorist Jerome K. Jerome wrote that “Whenever five or six English-speaking people meet round a fire on Christmas Eve, they start telling each other ghost stories.”
Stories of the suffering, and attempts to celebrate Christmas among soldiers at the front during war, including the 1914 “Christmas truce,” remind us of the blessings of Christmas even in the worst of times. But one Christmas stands out for sheer desperation.
On December 19, 1944 the submarine USS Redfish accomplished a rare feat in the second world war, sinking a Japanese fleet aircraft carrier. It was just one event in the service of a submarine that entered the second world war rather late in the game, but found distinguished service during the second world war and beyond. In fact, there is a good chance you’ve seen USS Redfish, even if you didn’t know it at the time.
