About midday on this day in 1780 near-total darkness descended on much of New England. The cause is still unexplained.

The days preceding May 19, 1780 in the New England region had featured unusually colored skies—a dirty yellow tinge with a reddish-brown hue. But no one was prepared for what was to take place on this particular day. During the morning hours the region became unusually dark.

By noon, complete darkness had taken hold. The birds began their evening songs, then stopped singing completely and disappeared. The frogs began to peep. Chickens returned to their roosts, and the cows began their slow walk back to the barns from the pasture. Travel became nearly impossible. Professor Daggett of New Haven, Connecticut reported: “The greatest darkness at least equal to what was commonly called candle-lighting in the evening. The appearance was indeed uncommon, and the cause unknown.”

On three different occasions, the Bible refers to the conditions of complete darkness: during Creation when the earth was empty and “cloaked in darkness” (Genesis 1:2, 4); during the ninth plague when God brought upon the Egyptians a “deep and terrifying darkness” (Exodus 10:21); and when Jesus hung on the cross, from “noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock” (Matthew 27:45).

In the Bible, darkness has always been associated with judgment of God and with evil. In fact, during the darkness that fell upon New England that day many people thought it was the final Judgment Day and attended hastily assembled church services.

The Bible also warns us to not only stay away from the “works of darkness” but to expose them. How do we do that? By remaining connected and by being willing to speak out against what we know is wrong. To do otherwise is to remain in the dark.

Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them (Ephesians 5:11).

To Do

Sit for about five minutes in total darkness. Afterward, reflect on how that felt being in darkness. How did it feel to come back into the light?

Also on this day . . .

Today is National Do Dah Day.

1884—Ringling Brothers opened its first circus.

1995—The world’s youngest doctor, Balamurali Ambati, 17, graduated from Mount Sinai Medical School.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.