Fear and Loathing in the Heavens: The 1910 Return of Halley’s Comet

Guest Speaker

Thursday, 4th July 2024 (19:45 - 22:00)

Venue: Hybrid

PLEASE NOTE THE MEETING WILL BE HELD FROM THE OBSERVATORY DO NOT GO TO ST JOHN'S MEXBOROUGH THIS WEEK - WE WON'T BE THERE

In 1705, Edmond Halley liberated humanity from the belief that comets were portents of doom; two centuries later, in 1910, as Halley’s Comet returned to perihelion, newspapers and magazines, religious leaders, misguided theorists, and shameless grifters managed to rekindle that fear. When astronomers announced that the earth would pass through the comet’s tail, opportunists exploited human anxiety—often with fatal consequences.

Join Dr. Richard J. Goodrich, author of Comet Madness: How the 1910 Return of Halley’s Comet (almost) Destroyed Civilization, for an entertaining lecture about the comet’s 1910 return and the reasons that many believed the earth would not survive the encounter.

Join the meeting online HERE 

Speaker: Dr Richard Goodrich

Richard J. Goodrich (Ph.D., University of St Andrews) is an author and historian. After twenty years of teaching in British and US universities, Richard resigned from his position to pursue a full-time writing career. His interests range from Ancient History (the Roman Empire and early Church history) to the modern age.