Only the shadow knows: insights from historical eclipse expeditions

In the second half of the 19th century, mathematical practitioners criss-crossed the globe to follow solar darkness in quest of scientific glory. Their high-stakes astronomical expeditions provided opportunities to test mathematical accuracy and to refine new observational tools that promised to reveal secrets of the solar corona. Connections forged beneath the Sun’s shadow sustained networks of communication and set precedent for government funding to support mathematical activity. On Monday, 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible across North America, including directly over Wooster. This talk will explore some of the triumphs and tribulations encountered by 19th-century mathematical practitioners that will provide context for and connection to the 21st-century experience of eclipse totality.