On this day in History...you could say we started history on this date....in 585 BC The Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus accurately predicted a solar eclipse in advance of the eclipse itself according to The Histories of Herodotus. If Herodotuss account is accurate, this eclipse is the earliest recorded as being known in advance of its occurrence. Most historians believe that the predicted eclipse was the solar eclipse of May 28, 585 BC.[1] How exactly Thales predicted the eclipse remains uncertain; some historians claim the eclipse was never predicted at all.[2] According to Herodotus, the appearance of the eclipse was interpreted as an omen, and interrupted a battle between the Medes and the Lydians. The fighting immediately stopped, and they agreed to a truce. Because astronomers can calculate the dates of historical eclipses, Isaac Asimov described this battle as the earliest historical event whose date is known with precision to the day.[3]
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 13:22:32 +0000
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