document_title: Count Dracula

question_text: how did dracula become a vampire in the book

question_tokens: how did dracula become a vampire in the book

root

text: Count Dracula

text: Stoker's creation[edit]

text: Bram Stoker's novel takes the form of an epistolary tale, in which Count Dracula's characteristics, powers, abilities and weaknesses are narrated by multiple narrators, from different perspectives.[13]

tag: p

text: Count Dracula is an undead, centuries-old vampire, and a Transylvanian nobleman who claims to be a Székely descended from Attila the Hun. He inhabits a decaying castle in the Carpathian Mountains near the Borgo Pass. Unlike the vampires of Eastern European folklore, which are portrayed as repulsive, corpse-like creatures, Dracula wears a veneer of aristocratic charm. In his conversations with Jonathan Harker, he reveals himself as deeply proud of his boyar heritage and nostalgic for the past, which he admits have become only a memory of heroism, honour and valour in modern times.

text: Early life[edit]

text: Details of his early life are obscure, but it is mentioned "he was in life a most wonderful man. Soldier, statesman, and alchemist. Which latter was the highest development of the science knowledge of his time. He had a mighty brain, a learning beyond compare, and a heart that knew no fear and no remorse... there was no branch of knowledge of his time that he did not essay."[14] He studied the black arts at the academy of Scholomance in the Carpathian Mountains, overlooking the town of Sibiu (also known as Hermannstadt) and has a deep knowledge of alchemy and magic.[15] Taking up arms, as befitting his rank and status as a voivode, he led troops against the Turks across the Danube. According to his nemesis Abraham Van Helsing, "He must indeed have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk, over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey-land. If it be so, then was he no common man: for in that time, and for centuries after, he was spoken of as the cleverest and the most cunning, as well as the bravest of the sons of the land beyond the forest."[16] Dead and buried in a great tomb in the chapel of his castle, Dracula returns from death as a vampire and lives for several centuries in his castle with three terrifyingly beautiful female vampires beside him.[17]

text: Narrative[edit]

text: Short story[edit]

text: In "Dracula's Guest", the narrative follows an unnamed Englishman traveller as he wanders around Munich before leaving for Transylvania. It is Walpurgis Night and the young Englishman foolishly leaves his hotel, in spite of the coachman's warnings, and wanders through a dense forest alone. Along the way, he feels that he is being watched by a tall and thin stranger (possibly Count Dracula).

text: The short story climaxes in an old graveyard, where the Englishman encounters a sleeping female vampire called Countess Dolingen in a marble tomb with a large iron stake driven into it. This malevolent and beautiful vampire awakens from her marble bier to conjure a snowstorm before being struck by lightning and returning to her eternal prison. However, the Englishman's troubles are not quite over, as he is dragged away by an unseen force and rendered unconscious. He awakens to find a "gigantic" wolf lying on his chest and licking at his throat; however, the wolf merely keeps him warm and protects him until help arrives. When the Englishman is finally taken back to his hotel, a telegram awaits him from his expectant host Dracula, with a warning about "dangers from snow and wolves and night".

text: Novel[edit]

text: As the Dracula novel begins in the late 19th century, Dracula acts on a long-contemplated plan for world domination, and infiltrates London to begin his reign of terror. He summons Jonathan Harker, a newly qualified English solicitor, to provide legal support for a real estate transaction overseen by Harker's employer. Dracula at first charms Harker with his cordiality and historical knowledge, and even rescues him from the clutches of the three female vampires in the castle. In truth, however, Dracula merely wishes to keep Harker alive long enough to complete the legal transaction and to learn as much as possible about England.

text: Dracula leaves his castle and boards a Russian ship, the Demeter, taking along with him 50 boxes of Transylvanian soil, which he needs in order to regain his strength and rest during daylight. During the voyage to Whitby, a coastal town in northern England, he sustains himself on the ship's crew members. Only one body is later found, that of the captain, who is found tied up to the ship's helm. The captain's log is recovered and tells of strange events that had taken place during the ship's journey. Dracula leaves the ship in the form of a dog.

text: Soon the Count is menacing Harker's fiancée, Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray, and her friend, Lucy Westenra. There is also a notable link between Dracula and Renfield, a patient in an insane asylum overseen by John Seward, who is compelled to consume insects, spiders, birds, and other creatures—in ascending order of size—in order to absorb their "life force". Renfield acts as a kind of sensor, reacting to Dracula's proximity and supplying clues accordingly. Dracula begins to visit Lucy's bed chamber on a nightly basis, draining her of blood while simultaneously infecting her with the curse of vampirism. Not knowing the cause for Lucy's deterioration, her three suitors - Seward, Arthur Holmwood and Quincey Morris - call upon Seward's mentor, the Dutch doctor Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing soon deduces her condition's supernatural origins, but does not speak out. Despite an attempt at keeping the vampire at bay with garlic, Dracula attacks Lucy's house one final time, killing her mother and transforming Lucy herself into one of the undead.

text: Harker escapes Dracula's castle and returns to England, barely alive and deeply traumatized. On Seward's suggestion, Mina seeks Van Helsing's assistance in assessing Harker's health. She reads his journal and passes it along to Van Helsing. This unfolds the first clue to the identity of Lucy's assailant, which later prompts Mina to collect all of the events of Dracula's appearance in news articles, saved letters, newspaper clippings and the journals of each member of the group. This assists the group in investigating Dracula's movements and later discovering that Renfield's behaviour is directly influenced by Dracula. They then discover that Dracula has purchased a residence just next door to Seward's. The group gathers intelligence to track the location of Dracula for the purpose of destroying him.

text: After the undead Lucy attacks several children, Van Helsing, Seward, Holmwood and Morris enter her crypt and destroy her to save her soul. Later, Harker joins them and the party work to discover Dracula's intentions. Harker aids the party in tracking down the locations of the boxes to the various residences of Dracula and discovers that Dracula purchased multiple real estate properties 'over the counter' throughout the North, South, East and West sides of London[18] under the alias 'Count De Ville'.[19] Dracula's main plan was to move each of his 50 boxes of earth to his various properties in order to arrange multiple lairs throughout and around the perimeter of London.[20]

text: The party pries open each of the graves, places wafers of Sacramental bread within each of them, and seals them shut. This deprives the Count of his ability to seek safety in those boxes.[21] Dracula gains entry into Seward's residence by coercing an invitation out of Renfield. As he attempts to enter the room in which Harker and Mina are staying, Renfield tries to stop him; Dracula then mortally wounds him. With his dying breath, Renfield tells Seward and Van Helsing that Dracula is after Mina. Van Helsing and Seward discover Dracula biting Mina then forcing her to drink his blood. The group repel Dracula using crucifixes and sacramental bread, forcing Dracula to flee by turning into a dark vapor. The party continue to hunt Dracula to search for his remaining lairs.[22] Although Dracula's 'baptism' of Mina grants him a telepathic link to her, it backfires when Van Helsing hypnotizes Mina and uses her supernatural link with Dracula to track him as he flees back to Transylvania.

text: The heroes follow Dracula back to Transylvania, and in a climactic battle with Dracula's gypsy bodyguards, finally destroy him. Despite the popular image of Dracula having a stake driven through his heart to kill him, Mina's narrative describes his decapitation by Harker's kukri while Morris simultaneously pierced his heart with a Bowie knife (Mina Harker's Journal, 6 November, Dracula Chapter 27). His body then turns into dust, but not before Mina sees an expression of peace on his face.

text: Characteristics[edit]

text: Although early in the novel Dracula dons a mask of cordiality, he often flies into fits of rage when his plans are frustrated. When the three vampire women who live in his castle attempt to seduce Jonathan Harker, Dracula physically assaults one and ferociously berates them for their insubordination. He then relents and talks to them more kindly, telling them that he does indeed love each of them.

text: He has an appreciation for ancient architecture, and when purchasing a home he prefers them to be aged, saying "A new home would kill me", and that to make a new home habitable to him would take a century.[23]

text: Dracula is very proud of his warrior heritage, proclaiming his pride to Harker on how the Székely people are infused with the blood of heroes. He also expresses an interest in the history of the British Empire, speaking admiringly of its people. He has a somewhat primal and predatory worldview; he pities ordinary humans for their revulsion to their darker impulses. He is not without human emotions, however; he often says that he too can love.[24]

text: Though usually portrayed as having a strong Eastern European accent, the original novel only specifies that his spoken English is excellent, though strangely toned.

text: His appearance varies in age. He is described early in the novel as thin, with a long white mustache, pointed ears and sharp teeth.[25] It is also noted later in the novel (Chapter 11 subsection "The Escaped Wolf") by a zookeeper who sees him that he has a hooked nose and a pointed beard with a streak of white in it. He is dressed all in black and has hair on his palms. Jonathan Harker described him as an old man, "cruel looking" and giving an effect of "extraordinary pallor".[25] When angered, the Count showed his true bestial nature, his blue eyes flaming red.

text: I saw... Count Dracula... with red light of triumph in his eyes, and with a smile that Judas in hell might be proud of.

text: As the novel progresses, Dracula is described as taking on a more and more youthful appearance. After Harker strikes him with a shovel, he is left with a scar on his forehead which he bears throughout the course of the novel.

text: Dracula also possesses great wealth and having Gypsies in his homeland who are loyal to him as servants and protectors.

text: Powers and weaknesses[edit]

text: Count Dracula is portrayed in the novel using many different supernatural abilities, and is believed to have gained his abilities through dealings with the Devil. Chapter 18 of the novel describes many of the abilities, limitations and weaknesses of vampires and Dracula in particular. Dracula has superhuman strength which, according to Van Helsing, is equivalent to that of 20 strong men. He does not cast a shadow or have a reflection from mirrors. He is immune to conventional means of attack; a sailor tries to stab him in the back with a knife, but the blade goes through his body as though it is air.[26] Why Harker's and Morris' physical attacks are able to harm him in other parts of the book is never explained although it is noteworthy that the failed stabbing by the sailor occurred at night and the successful attacks were during daylight hours. The Count can defy gravity to a certain extent and possesses superhuman agility, able to climb vertical surfaces upside down in a reptilian manner. He can travel onto "unhallowed" ground such as the graves of suicides and those of his victims. He has powerful hypnotic, telepathic and illusionary abilities. He also has the ability to "within limitations" vanish and reappear elsewhere at will. If he knows the path, he can come out from anything or into anything regardless of how close it is bound even if it is fused with fire.[27]

text: He has amassed cunning and wisdom throughout centuries, and he is unable to die by the mere passing of time alone.[27]

text: He can command animals such as rats, owls, bats, moths, foxes and wolves. However, his control over these animals is limited, as seen when the party first enters his house in London. Although Dracula is able to summon thousands of rats to swarm and attack the group, Holmwood summons his trio of terriers to do battle with the rats. The dogs prove very efficient rat killers, suggesting they are Manchester terriers trained for that purpose. Terrified by the dogs' onslaught, the rats flee and any control which Dracula had over them is gone.[28]

text: Dracula can also manipulate the weather and, within his range, is able to direct the elements, such as storms, fog and mist.[27]

text: Shapeshifting[edit]

text: Dracula can shapeshift at will, able to grow and become small, his featured forms in the novel being that of a bat, a wolf, a large dog and a fog or mist. When the moonlight is shining, he can travel as elemental dust within its rays. He is able to pass through tiny cracks or crevices while retaining his human form or in the form of a vapour; described by Van Helsing as the ability to slip through a hairbreadth space of a tomb door or coffin. This is also an ability used by his victim Lucy as a vampire. When the party breaks into her tomb, they dismantle the secured coffin to find it completely empty; her corpse being no longer located within.[29]

text: Vampirism[edit]

text: One of Dracula's most mysterious powers is the ability to turn others into vampires by biting them. According to Van Helsing:

text: When they become such, there comes with the change the curse of immortality; they cannot die, but must go on age after age adding new victims and multiplying the evils of the world. For all that die from the preying of the Un-dead become themselves Un-dead, and prey on their kind. And so the circle goes on ever widening, like as the ripples from a stone thrown in the water. Friend Arthur, if you had met that kiss which you know of before poor Lucy die, or again, last night when you open your arms to her, you would in time, when you had died, have become nosferatu, as they call it in Eastern Europe, and would for all time make more of those Un-Deads that so have filled us with horror.

text: The vampire bite itself does not cause death. It is the method vampires use to drain blood of the victim and to increase their influence over them. This is described by Van Helsing:

text: The Nosferatu do not die like the bees when they sting once. He is only stronger, and being stronger, have yet more power to work evil.

text: Victims who are bitten by a vampire and do not die, are hypnotically influenced by them:

text: Those children whose blood she suck are not yet so much worse; but if she live on, Un-Dead, more and more lose their blood and by her power over them they come to her.

text: Van Helsing later describes the aftermath of a bitten victim when the vampire has been killed:

text: But if she die in truth, then all cease; the tiny wounds of the throats disappear, and they go back to their plays unknowing of whatever has been.

text: As Dracula slowly drains Lucy's blood, she dies from acute blood loss and later transforms into a vampire, despite the efforts of Seward and Van Helsing to provide her with blood transfusions.[30]

text: He is aided by powers of necromancy and divination of the dead, that all who die by his hand may reanimate and do his bidding.[27]

text: Bloodletting[edit]

text: Dracula requires no other sustenance but fresh human blood, which has the effect of rejuvenating him and allowing him to grow younger. His power is drawn from the blood of others, and he cannot survive without it.[27][31] Although drinking blood can rejuvenate his youth and strength, it does not give him the ability to regenerate; months after being struck on the head by a shovel, he still bears a scar from the impact.[32]

text: Dracula's preferred victims are women.[33] Harker states that he believes Dracula has a state of fasting as well as a state of feeding.[34] Dracula does state to Mina however that exerting his abilities caused a desire to feed.[35]

text: Vampire's Baptism of Blood[edit]

text: Count Dracula is depicted as the "King Vampire", and can control other vampires. To punish Mina and the party for their efforts against him, Dracula bites her on at least three occasions. He also forces her to drink his blood; this act curses her with the effects of vampirism and gives him a telepathic link to her thoughts.[36] However, hypnotism was only able to be done before dawn.[37] Van Helsing refers to the act of drinking blood by both the vampire and the victim "the Vampire's Baptism of Blood".[38]

text:
“
you, their best beloved one, are now to me, flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood, kin of my kin, my bountiful wine-press for a while, and shall be later on my companion and my helper. You shall be avenged in turn, for not one of them but shall minister to your needs. But as yet you are to be punished for what you have done. You have aided in thwarting me. Now you shall come to my call. When my brain says ‘Come!’ to you, you shall cross land or sea to do my bidding.[39]
”

tag: table

text: The effects changes Mina' physically and mentally over time. A few moments after Dracula attacks her, Van Helsing takes a wafer of sacramental bread and places it on her forehead to bless her; when the bread touches her skin, it burns her and leaves a scar on her forehead. Her teeth start growing longer but do not grow sharper. She begins to lose her appetite, feeling repulsed by normal food,[40] begins to sleep more and more during the day; cannot wake unless at sunset and stops writing in her diary. When Van Helsing later crumbles the same bread in a circle around her, she is unable to cross or leave the circle, discovering a new form of protection.[41]

text: Dracula's death can release the curse on any living victim of eventual transformation into vampire. However, Van Helsing reveals that were he to successfully escape, his continued existence would ensure that even if he did not victimize Mina further, she would transform into a vampire upon her eventual natural death.

text: Limitations of his powers[edit]

text: Dracula is much less powerful in daylight and is only able to shift his form at dawn, noon, and dusk (he can shift his form freely at night or if he is at his grave). The sun is not fatal to him, as sunlight does not burn and destroy him upon contact, though most of his abilities cease.

text: The sun that rose on our sorrow this morning guards us in its course. Until it sets to-night, that monster must retain whatever form he now has. He is confined within the limitations of his earthly envelope. He cannot melt into thin air nor disappear through cracks or chinks or crannies. If he go through a doorway, he must open the door like a mortal.

text: His power ceases, as does that all of all evil things, at the coming of the day. Only at certain times can he have limited freedom. If he be not at the place whither he is bound, he can only change himself at noon or exact sunrise or sunset.

text: He is also limited in his ability to travel, as he can only cross running water at low or high tide. Due to this, he is unable to fly across a river in the form of a bat or mist or even by himself board a boat or step off a boat onto a dock unless he is physically carried over with assistance. He is also unable to enter a place unless invited to do so by someone of the household, even a visitor; once invited, he can enter and leave the premises at will.[27]

text: Weaknesses[edit]

text: Thirst[edit]

text: Dracula has a bloodlust which he is seemingly unable to control. At the sight of blood he becomes enveloped in a demonic fury which is fueled by the need to feed. Other adaptations call this uncontrollable state 'the thirst'.

text: Religious symbolism[edit]

text: There are items which afflict him to the point he has no power and can even calm him from his insatiable appetite for blood. He is repulsed by garlic, as well as sacred items and symbols such as crucifixes, and sacramental bread.

text: at the instant I saw that the cut had bled a little, and the blood was trickling over my chin. I laid down the razor, turning as I did so half round to look for some sticking plaster. When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew away and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe that it was ever there.

text: Placing the branch of a wild rose upon the top of his coffin will render him unable to escape it; a sacred bullet fired into the coffin could kill him so that he remain true-dead.[27]

text: Mountain Ash is also described as a form of protection from a vampire although the effects are unknown.[42] This was believed to be used as protection against evil spirits and witches during the Victorian era.

text: Death-sleep[edit]

text: The state of rest to which vampires are prone during the day is described in the novel as a deathlike sleep in which the vampire sleeps open-eyed, is unable to awaken or move, and also may be unaware of any presence of individuals who may be trespassing. Dracula is portrayed as being active in daylight at least once in order to pursue a victim. Dracula also purchases many properties throughout London 'over the counter' which shows that he does have the ability to have some type of presence in daylight.

text:
“
on a pile of newly dug earth, lay the Count! He was either dead or asleep. I could not say which, for eyes were open and stony, but without the glassiness of death, and the cheeks had the warmth of life through all their pallor. The lips were as red as ever. But there was no sign of movement, no pulse, no breath, no beating of the heart. I bent over him, and tried to find any sign of life, but in vain... I thought he might have the keys on him, but when I went to search I saw the dead eyes, and in them dead though they were, such a look of hate, though unconscious of me or my presence, that I fled from the place, and leaving the Count’s room by the window[43]
”

text: He requires Transylvanian soil to be nearby to him in a foreign land or to be entombed within his coffin within Transylvania in order to successfully rest; otherwise, he will be unable to recover his strength. This has forced him to transport many boxes of Transylvanian earth to each of his residences in London. It should be noted however that he is most powerful when he is within his Earth-Home, Coffin-Home, Hell-Home, or any place unhallowed.[27][44]

text: Further, if Dracula or any vampire has had their fill in blood upon feeding, they will be caused to rest in this dead state even longer than usual.[45]

text: Other abilities[edit]

text: While universally feared by the local people of Transylvania and even beyond, Dracula commands the loyalty of gypsies and a band of Slovaks who transport his boxes on their way to London and to serve as an armed convoy bringing his coffin back to his castle. The Slovaks and gypsies appear to know his true nature, for they laugh at Harker when he tries to communicate his plight, and betray Harker's attempt to send a letter through them by giving it to the Count.

text: Dracula seems to be able to hold influence over people with mental disorders, such as Renfield, who is never bitten but who worships Dracula, referring to him over the course of the novel as "Master" and "Lord". Dracula also afflicts Lucy with chronic sleepwalking, putting her into a trance-like state that allows them not only to submit to his will but also seek him and satisfy his need to feed.

text: Dracula's powers and weaknesses vary greatly in the many adaptations. Previous and subsequent vampires from different legends have had similar vampire characteristics.

text: Character development subsequent to the novel[edit]

text: Dracula is one of the most famous characters in popular culture. He has been portrayed by more actors in more visual media adaptations of the novel than any other horror character.[48] Actors who have played him include Max Schreck, Béla Lugosi, John Carradine, Christopher Lee, Francis Lederer, Denholm Elliott, Jack Palance, Louis Jourdan, Frank Langella, Klaus Kinski, Gary Oldman, Leslie Nielsen, George Hamilton, Keith-Lee Castle, Gerard Butler, Duncan Regehr, Richard Roxburgh, Marc Warren, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Billington, Thomas Kretschmann, Dominic Purcell, Luke Evans and Lon Chaney Jr.. In 2003, Count Dracula, as portrayed by Lugosi in the 1931 film, was named as the 33rd greatest movie villain by the AFI.[49]

text: The character is closely associated with the western cultural archetype of the vampire, and remains a popular Halloween costume.

text:
Count Dracula appears in Mad Monster Party? voiced by Allen Swift. This version is shown to be wearing a monocle. Count Dracula is among the monsters that Baron Boris von Frankenstein invites to the Isle of Evil in order to show off the secret of total destruction and announce his retirement from the Worldwide Organization of Monsters.
In Sesame Street, there is a character called Count von Count who was based on Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula and Jack Davis' design for Dracula from Mad Monster Party?.
Count Dracula appears in Mad Mad Mad Monsters (a "prequel of sorts" to Mad Monster Party?) voiced again by Allen Swift. He and his son are invited by Baron Henry von Frankenstein to attend the wedding of Frankenstein's Monster and its mate at the Transylvania Astoria Hotel.
Dracula is the primary antagonist of the Castlevania video game series and the main protagonist of the Lords of Shadow reboot series.
Dracula appears as the lead character of Dracula the Un-dead, a novel by Stoker's great-grand nephew Dacre presented as a sequel to the original.
Count Dracula is the main character of the Hotel Transylvania franchise, voiced by Adam Sandler.
Dracula, going by an inversion of his name, "Alucard," serves as the main character of the anime and manga series Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate where he serves Integra Hellsing, Abraham's great-granddaughter, as an anti-vampire warrior devoted to the British Crown.

tag: ul

text: Modern and postmodern analyses of the character[edit]

text: Already in 1958, Cecil Kirtly proposed that Count Dracula shared his personal past with the historical Transylvanian-born Voivode Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia, also known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Țepeș. Following the publication of In Search of Dracula by Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally in 1972, this supposed connection attracted much popular attention. This work argued that Bram Stoker based his Dracula on Vlad the Impaler.[50]

text: Historically, the name "Dracula" is the given name of Vlad Țepeș' family, a name derived from a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon, founded by Sigismund of Luxembourg (king of Hungary and Bohemia, and Holy Roman Emperor) to uphold Christianity and defend the Empire against the Ottoman Turks. Vlad II Dracul, father of Vlad III, was admitted to the order around 1431 because of his bravery in fighting the Turks and was dubbed Dracul (Dragon) thus his son became Dracula (son of the dragon). From 1431 onward, Vlad II wore the emblem of the order and later, as ruler of Wallachia, his coinage bore the dragon symbol.[51]

text: Stoker came across the name Dracula in his reading on Romanian history, and chose this to replace the name (Count Wampyr) that he had originally intended to use for his villain. However, some Dracula scholars, led by Elizabeth Miller, have questioned the depth of this connection as early as 1998. They argue that Stoker in fact knew little of the historic Vlad III, Vlad the Impaler and that he used only the name "Dracula" and some miscellaneous scraps of Romanian history.[52] As well, and there are no comments about Vlad III in the author's working notes.[53][54]

text: While having a conversation with Jonathan Harker in Chapter 3, Dracula refers to his own background, and these speeches show elements which Stoker directly copied from Wilkinson's book.[citation needed] Stoker mentions the Voivode of the Dracula race who fought against the Turks after the defeat in the Battle of Kosovo, and was later betrayed by his brother, historical facts which unequivocally point to Vlad III, described as "Voïvode Dracula" by Wilkinson:

text: Who was it but one of my own race who as Voivode crossed the Danube and beat the Turk on his own ground? This was a Dracula indeed! Woe was it that his own unworthy brother, when he had fallen, sold his people to the Turk and brought the shame of slavery on them! Was it not this Dracula, indeed, who inspired that other of his race who in a later age again and again brought his forces over the great river into Turkey-land; who, when he was beaten back, came again, and again, though he had to come alone from the bloody field where his troops were being slaughtered, since he knew that he alone could ultimately triumph! (Chapter 3, pp. 19)

text: The Count's intended identity is later commented by Professor Van Helsing, referring to a letter from his friend Arminius:

text: He must, indeed, have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk, over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey-land. (Chapter 18, pp. 145)

text: This indeed encourages the reader to identify the Count with the Voivode Dracula first mentioned by him in Chapter 3, the one betrayed by his brother: Vlad III Dracula, betrayed by his brother Radu the Handsome, who had chosen the side of the Turks. But as noted by the Dutch author Hans Corneel de Roos, in Chapter 25, Van Helsing and Mina drop this rudimentary connection to Vlad III and instead describe the Count's personal past as that of "that other of his race" who lived "in a later age". By smoothly exchanging Vlad III for a nameless double, Stoker avoided that his main character could be unambiguously linked to a historical person traceable in any history book.

text: Similarly, the novelist did not want to disclose the precise site of the Count's residence, Castle Dracula. As confirmed by Stoker's own handwritten research notes, the novelist had a specific location for the Castle in mind while writing the narrative: an empty mountain top in the Transylvanian Kelemen Alps near the former border with Moldavia.[55] Efforts to promote the Poenari Castle (ca. 200 km away from the novel's place of action near the Borgo Pass) as the "real Castle Dracula" have no basis in Stoker’s writing; Stoker did not know this building. Regarding the Bran Castle near Brașov, Stoker possibly saw an illustration of Castle Bran (Törzburg) in Charles Boner's book on Transylvania.[56] Although Stoker may have been inspired by its romantic appearance, neither Boner, nor Mazuchelli nor Crosse (who also mention Terzburg or Törzburg) associate it with Vlad III; for the site of his fictitious Castle Dracula, Stoker preferred an empty mountain top.

text: Furthermore, Stoker's detailed notes reveal that the novelist was very well aware of the ethnic and geo-political differences between the "Roumanians" or "Wallachs"/"Wallachians", descendants of the Dacians, and the Székelys or Szeklers, allies of the Magyars or Hungarians, whose interests were opposed to that of the Wallachians. In the novel's original typewritten manuscript, the Count speaks of throwing off the "Austrian yoke", which corresponds to the Szekler political point of view. This expression is crossed out, however, and replaced by "Hungarian yoke" (as appearing in the printed version), which matches the historical perspective of the Wallachians. This has been interpreted by some to mean that Stoker opted for the Wallachian, not the Szekler interpretation, thus lending more consistency to the Romanian identity of his Count: although not identical with Vlad III, the Vampire is portrayed as one of the "Dracula race".[57]

text: Screen portrayals[edit]

text:
Year
Title
Actor playing Dracula
Notes

1921
Dracula's Death
Vanko !Erik Vanko

1922
Nosferatu
Schreck !Max Schreck
Renamed Count Orlok for legal reasons

1931.1 !1931
Dracula
Lugosi !Bela Lugosi

1931.2 !1931
Dracula
Villar !Carlos Villar
Spanish version using Lugosi's sets and a different cast and crew.

1943
Son of Dracula
Chaney !Lon Chaney, Jr.

1944
House of Frankenstein
Carradine !John Carradine

1945
House of Dracula
Carradine !John Carradine

1948
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Lugosi !Bela Lugosi

1953
Drakula İstanbul'da
Kaptan !Atıf Kaptan

1958.1 !1958
Dracula
Lee !Christopher Lee

1958.2 !1958
return !The Return of Dracula
Lederer !Francis Lederer

1966.1 !1966
Dracula: Prince of Darkness
Lee !Christopher Lee

1966.2 !1966
Billy the Kid vs Dracula
Carradine !John Carradine

1968.1 !1968
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
Lee !Christopher Lee

1968.2 !1968
Dracula
Elliott !Denholm Elliott
Episode of UK TV series Mystery and Imagination

1969
magic !The Magic Christian
Lee !Christopher Lee

1970.1 !1970
Count Dracula
Lee !Christopher Lee

1970.2 !1970
Taste the Blood of Dracula
Lee !Christopher Lee

1970.3 !1970
One More Time
Lee !Christopher Lee

1970.4 !1970
Scars of Dracula
Lee !Christopher Lee

1971
Cuadecuc, vampir
Lee !Christopher Lee

1972.1 !1972
Blacula
Macaulay !Charles Macaulay

1972.2 !1972
Dracula A.D. 1972
Lee !Christopher Lee

1972.3 !1972
Count Dracula's Great Love
Naschy !Paul Naschy

1974.1 !1974
Dan Curtis' Dracula
Palance !Jack Palance
TV movie

1974.2 !1974
Blood for Dracula
Kier !Udo Kier

1974.3 !1974
Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
Forbes-Robertson !John Forbes-Robertson

1976
Dracula and Son
Lee !Christopher Lee

1977
Count Dracula
Jourdan !Louis Jourdan

1979.1 !1979
Nosferatu the Vampyre
Kinski !Klaus Kinski
Remake of Nosferatu (1922) with the novel's character names restored.

1979.2 !1979
Cliffhangers
Nouri !Michael Nouri
Episode: "The Curse of Dracula"

1979.3 !1979
Love at First Bite
Hamilton !George Hamilton

1979.4 !1979
Dracula
Langella !Frank Langella

1987
mons !The Monster Squad
Regehr !Duncan Regehr

1988
Waxwork
O'Keeffe !Miles O'Keeffe

1992
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Oldman !Gary Oldman

1995
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
Nielsen !Leslie Nielsen

2000.1 !2000
Dracula 2000
Butler !Gerard Butler

2000.2 !2000
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Martin !Rudolf Martin
Episode: "Buffy vs. Dracula"

2001
Dracula, the Musical
Hewitt !Tom Hewitt

2004.1 !2004
Van Helsing
Roxburgh !Richard Roxburgh

2004.2 !2004
Blade: Trinity
Purcell !Dominic Purcell

2004.3 !2004
Dracula 3000
Kirkwood !Langley Kirkwood

2005
bat !The Batman vs. Dracula
Stormare !Peter Stormare
Animated film

2006
Dracula
Warren !Marc Warren
Television film

2006-2014
Young Dracula
Castle !Keith-Lee Castle
TV series

2012.1 !2012
Dracula 3D
Kretschmann !Thomas Kretschmann

2012.2 !2012
Hotel Transylvania
Sandler !Adam Sandler
Animated film

2013
Dracula
Meyers !Jonathan Rhys Meyers
TV series

2014
Dracula Untold
Evans !Luke Evans

2015
Hotel Transylvania 2
Sandler !Adam Sandler
Animated film

2016
Penny Dreadful
Camargo !Christian Camargo
TV series

2016
Welcome To Monster High
Sorich !Michael Sorich
Animated Film

2017
Monster High: Electrified
Sorich !Michael Sorich
Animated Film

2017–Present
Monster High: The Adventures of the Ghoul Squad
Sorich !Michael Sorich
Animated TV Series

2018
Hotel Transylvania 3
Sandler !Adam Sandler
Animated film


document_title: Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017

question_text: where did the solar eclipse last the longest

question_tokens: where did the solar eclipse last the longest

text: Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017

text: Visibility[edit]

text:
Play media

Time-lapse footage of Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, South Carolina during the eclipse

Play media

Video of shadow bands on the ground as seen in Simpsonville, South Carolina.

text: The total eclipse had a magnitude of 1.0306 and was visible within a narrow corridor 70 miles (110 km) wide, crossing fourteen of the contiguous United States: Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.[6][7] It was first seen from land in the U.S. shortly after 10:15 a.m. PDT (17:15 UTC) at Oregon's Pacific coast, and then it progressed eastward through Salem, Oregon; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Casper, Wyoming; Lincoln, Nebraska; Kansas City, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; Hopkinsville, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina about 2:41 p.m.;[8] and finally Charleston, South Carolina. A partial eclipse was seen for a greater time period, beginning shortly after 9:00 a.m. PDT along the Pacific Coast of Oregon. Weather forecasts predicted clear skies in Western U.S. and some Eastern states, but clouds in the Midwest and East Coast.[9]

text:
Animation of the eclipse shadow. The dot in the center represents the path of totality.

View of the lunar shadow tracking across Earth from the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite

text: The longest ground duration of totality was 2 minutes 41.6 seconds at about 37°35′0″N 89°7′0″W / 37.58333°N 89.11667°W / 37.58333; -89.11667 in Giant City State Park, just south of Carbondale, Illinois, and the greatest extent (width) was at 36°58′0″N 87°40′18″W / 36.96667°N 87.67167°W / 36.96667; -87.67167 near the village of Cerulean, Kentucky, located in between Hopkinsville and Princeton.[10] This was the first total solar eclipse visible from the Southeastern United States since the solar eclipse of March 7, 1970. Two NASA WB-57F flew above the clouds, prolonging the observation time spent in the umbra.[11] A partial solar eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including all of North America, particularly areas just south of the totality pass, where the eclipse lasted about 3–5 hours, northern South America, Western Europe, and some of Africa and north-east Asia.

text: Other celestial bodies[edit]

text:
During totality stars and 4 planets were visible, including Regulus close to the Sun. Mars was 8 degrees to the right, and Venus 34 degrees right. Mercury was 10 degrees left, and Jupiter 51 degrees left.

Solar eclipse and star-system Regulus (upper left) viewed from Cullowhee, NC.

text: During the eclipse for a long span of its path of totality, several bright stars and four planets were visible. The star-system Regulus was visible slightly to the west of the Sun. Mars was 8 degrees to the right, and Venus 34 degrees right. Mercury was 10 degrees left, and Jupiter 51 degrees left.[12]

text: Other eclipses over the United States[edit]

text: This was the first total solar eclipse visible from the United States since that of July 11, 1991[13]—which was seen only from part of Hawaii[14]—and the first visible from the contiguous United States since 1979.[15] An eclipse of comparable length (up to 3 minutes, 8 seconds, with the longest eclipse being 6 minutes and 54 seconds) occurred over the contiguous United States on March 7, 1970 along the southern portions of the Eastern Seaboard, from Florida to Virginia.[16]

text: The path of totality of the solar eclipse of February 26, 1979 crossed only the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota. Many enthusiasts traveled to the Pacific Northwest to view the eclipse, since it would be the last chance to view such an eclipse in the contiguous United States for almost four decades.[17][18]

text: Some American scientists and interested amateurs who wanted to experience a total eclipse participated in a four-day Atlantic Ocean cruise to view the solar eclipse of July 10, 1972 as it passed near Nova Scotia. (This is referenced in the Carly Simon hit song "You're So Vain" in the lyric, "Then you flew your Lear Jet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the Sun.") Organizers of the cruise advertised in astronomical journals and in planetarium announcements, emphasizing the rarity of the event.[19]

text: The August 2017 eclipse was the first with a path of totality crossing the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. since 1918. Also, its path of totality made landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country's declaration of independence in 1776. Prior to this, the path of totality of the eclipse of June 13, 1257, was the last to make landfall exclusively on lands currently part of the United States.[20]

text: The path of the 2017 eclipse crosses with the path of the upcoming total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, with the intersection of the two paths being in southern Illinois in Makanda Township at Cedar Lake, just south of Carbondale. An area of about 9,000 square miles, including the cities of Makanda, Carbondale, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Paducah, Kentucky, will thus experience two total solar eclipses within a span of less than seven years.[citation needed] The cities of Benton, Carbondale, Chester, Harrisburg, Marion, and Metropolis in Illinois; Cape Girardeau, Farmington, and Perryville in Missouri, as well as Paducah, Kentucky, will also be in the path of the 2024 eclipse, thereby earning the distinction of witnessing two total solar eclipses in seven years.

text: The solar eclipse of August 12, 2045 will have a very similar path of totality over the U.S. to the 2017 eclipse: about 400 km (250 mi) to the southwest, also crossing the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the country; however, totality will be more than twice as long.[21]

text: Total eclipse viewing events[edit]

text: Oregon[edit]

text:
Corvallis – The Corvallis campus of Oregon State University hosted "OSU150 Space Grant Festival: A Total Eclipse Experience", a weekend-long celebration of the eclipse. A watch party was also hosted on campus the day of the eclipse.[22]
Keizer – The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a Class A baseball team, played a morning game against the visiting Hillsboro Hops that featured the first ever "eclipse delay" in baseball history.[23]
Huntington – Historic Farewell Bend State Recreation Area hosted the RASC: Yukon Centre (Yukon Astronomical Society) and the RASC: Okanagan Centre. Solar viewing and presentations on the eclipse were given along with a dark-sky presentation
Madras – The city sponsored a four-day Solarfest at two locations.[24]
Prineville – Symbiosis Gathering hosted a global eclipse gathering[25] dubbed Oregon Eclipse.[26]
Rickreall – The Polk County Fairgrounds organized a series of events and an eclipse gathering.[27]
Salem – The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry hosted an event at the Oregon State Fairgrounds.[28]

text: Idaho[edit]

text:
Craters of the Moon – The National Monument and Preserve hosted NASA presentations, evening star parties hosted by the Idaho Falls Astronomical Society, high altitude balloon launches by the USC Astronautical Engineering department and NASA, and presentations by the New Mexico Chapter of the Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project.[29]
Idaho Falls – Free entertainment and educational seminars and an eclipse-watching event at the Museum of Idaho (an official NASA viewing site) and elsewhere, and a free eclipse-watching event at Melaleuca Field.[30][31]
Rexburg – Brigham Young University Idaho offered a series of eclipse-related educational events.[32]
Weiser – The city sponsored a five-day festival prior to the eclipse.[33]

text: Wyoming[edit]

text:
Casper – The Astronomical League, an alliance of amateur astronomy clubs, held its annual Astrocon conference,[34] and there were other public events, called Wyoming Eclipse Festival 2017.[35]
Fort Laramie – Fort Laramie held an eclipse viewing event, which included a Special "Great American Eclipse" Program.[36]

text: Nebraska[edit]

text:
Alliance – Entertainment and educational seminars were offered.[37] ABC News reported live from Carhenge during totality.[38]
Auburn – Nemaha County Hospital hosted an eclipse viewing event, including sharing safety tips from Lifetime Vision Center.[39]
Grand Island – Stuhr Museum hosted an eclipse viewing event, including the launch of a NASA eclipse observing balloon.[40]
Beatrice – Homestead National Monument of America – Events were held with representatives from NASA on Saturday, Sunday and the day of the eclipse.[41][42]
Lincoln – At Haymarket Park, the Lincoln Saltdogs, an independent baseball team in the American Association, defeated the Gary SouthShore RailCats 8-5 in a special eclipse game, with 6,956 in attendance. The game was paused for 26 minutes in the middle of the third inning to observe the eclipse. The Saltdogs players wore special eclipse-themed uniforms that were auctioned off after the game.[43][42]

text: Missouri[edit]

text:
St. Louis – David Tipper hosted his Tipper & Friends 4321 electronic music event at Astral Valley Art Park featuring 5 days of music, art, and eclipse viewing.
Kansas City – A 5-mile (8 km) bicycle ride from downtown KCMO (where totality only lasted about 30 seconds) to Macken Park in North Kansas City (where totality lasted 1 minute 13 seconds) was organized by KC Pedal Party Club, a local Meetup group.[44]
Columbia – The Cosmo Park and the Gans Creek Park were open for the eclipse.[45] There was a watch party on campus for the students of the University of Missouri,[46] and the MU Health Care system released eye safety information.[47]
Lathrop – The city celebrated its 150th anniversary with an eclipse festival.[48]
Potosi  – Hora Eclipse, an Israeli folkdance camp coordinated with the eclipse, was held at YMCA Trout Lodge and Camp Lakewood, near the Mark Twain National Forest. More information at the event's website, especially its post-mortem page.
Parkville – TotalEclipseofthePark – August 20 educational program featuring NASA Glenn Research Center Hall of Famer Lynn Bondurant, '61, and August 21 watch party organized by Park University.[49]
St. Clair – An event organized by the St. Clair City Chamber of Commerce.[50]
St. Joseph – An event organized by Front Page Science was held at Rosecrans Memorial Airport.[51]

text: Illinois[edit]

text:
Carbondale – Southern Illinois University sponsored many eclipse related educational events, including the two day Crossroads Astronomy, Science and Technology Expo, and viewing at Saluki Stadium.[52] Amtrak ran a special train, the Eclipse Express, from Chicago to Carbondale.[53] NASA EDGE was there broadcasting live from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a four-hour and thirty-minute show (11:45 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. EDT).[54]
Carterville – A three-day rock festival called Moonstock was headlined by Ozzy Osbourne, who performed during the eclipse.[55]
Goreville – View the eclipse with the University of Illinois Astronomy Department.[56]

text: Kansas[edit]

text: Atchison – Benedictine College hosted thousands in its football stadium. There were students from schools from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma attending, plus numerous other guests who heard from, amongst others, astronomers from the Vatican Observatory.[57]

text: Kentucky[edit]

text:
Bowling Green – Western Kentucky University hosted thousands of K-12 students in its football stadium.[58] At Bowling Green Ballpark, the Bowling Green Hot Rods, a Class A baseball team, played an eclipse game against the visiting West Michigan Whitecaps.[59]
Hopkinsville – A four-day eclipse festival was held at Jefferson Davis State Historic Site.[60]

text: Tennessee[edit]

text:
Athens – The City of Athens hosted "Total Eclipse of the Park" at Athens Regional Park, including entertainment, food, and vendors.[61]
Clarksville – Austin Peay State University presented several educational events, including an appearance by astronaut Rhea Seddon.[62]
Cookeville – Tennessee Technological University hosted a solar eclipse viewing party at Tucker Stadium. Cookeville hosted special events Saturday-Monday.[63]
McMinnville – celebrated the eclipse by hosting BLACKOUT 2017, an eclipse viewing event held in the city square. In addition to the viewing, a selection of food trucks and musical acts which features The Pink Floyd Appreciation Society band who performed Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety prior to the totality event.[64]
Memphis – At AutoZone Park, the Memphis Redbirds, a Class AAA baseball team, played an eclipse game against the visiting New Orleans Baby Cakes.[59]
Nashville – offered many special events, including the Music City Eclipse Science & Technology Festival at the Adventure Science Center.[65] The Italian Lights Festival hosted the largest Eclipse Viewing Party in Nashville, a free NASA-Certified Eclipse Event held at the Bicentennial Mall.[66] Two astrophysicists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory emceed the countdown.[67]

text: North Carolina[edit]

text:
Bryson City – Planetarium shows were offered, as well as rides on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad to an eclipse location.[68]
Cullowhee – The eclipse was visible in totality, and classes were cancelled for several hours during the first day of classes at Western Carolina University.[69]
Rosman – Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) hosted a viewing event. The event at PARI has garnered international attention and the visitors included amateur astronomers.

text: Georgia[edit]

text:
Athens – Viewing at Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia.[70]
Blairsville – Get off the Grid Festival[71] on three days preceding the eclipse.
Elberty County - Approximately 400 people gathered at the Georgia Guidestones.[72]

text: South Carolina[edit]

text:
Anderson - Viewing at the Green Pond Landing on Lake Hartwell with food trucks, astronomer, and music. Unfortunately clouds blocked the sun at the time of totality.
Charleston - The College of Charleston hosted NASA's "eclipse headquarters" broadcast as part of an afternoon eclipse viewing celebration on the green behind the campus library.[73]
Clemson – Viewing at Clemson University.[74]
Columbia – The South Carolina State Museum hosted four days of educational events, including an appearance by Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke.[75] At Spirit Communications Park, the Columbia Fireflies, a Class A baseball team, played an eclipse game against the visiting Rome Braves.[59]
Greenville – Viewing at Furman University. Events include streaming coverage from NASA, educational activities, and live music.[76] At Fluor Field, the Greenville Drive, a Class A baseball team, played an eclipse game against the visiting West Virginia Power.[59]
Sumter – Viewing at Dillon Park. Eclipse viewing glasses given away for free.[77]

text: Viewing from outside the United States[edit]

text: Canada[edit]

text: A partial eclipse was visible across the width of Canada, ranging from 89 percent in Victoria, British Columbia to 11 percent in Resolute, Nunavut.[78] In Toronto, viewing parties were held at the CNE and the Ontario Science Centre[79]

text: Mexico, Central America, Caribbean islands, South America[edit]

text: A partial eclipse was visible from Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean islands, and ships and aircraft in and above the adjacent oceans,[80] as well as the northern countries of South America such as Colombia, Venezuela, and several others.[citation needed]

text: Russia[edit]

text: A partial eclipse was visible only in the Chukchi Peninsula.[81] In Anadyr, the maximum obscuration was 27,82%.[82]

text: West Africa[edit]

text: In some locations in West Africa and western North Africa, a partial eclipse was seen just before and during sunset.[citation needed]

text: Europe[edit]

text: In northwestern Europe, the eclipse was only visible partially, in the evening or at sunset. Only those in Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Portuguese Azores archipelago saw the eclipse from beginning to end; in the rest of the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, and Portugal, sunset occurred before the end of the eclipse. In Germany, the beginning of the eclipse was visible just at sunset only in the extreme northwest of the country. In all regions east of the orange line in the map, the eclipse was not visible.[83]

text: Media and scientific coverage[edit]

text: A large number of media outlets broadcast coverage of the eclipse, including television and internet outlets. NASA announced plans to offer streaming coverage through its NASA TV and NASA Edge outlets, using cameras stationed on the ground along the path of totality, along with cameras on high-altitude balloons, jets, and coverage from the International Space Station; NASA stated that "never before will a celestial event be viewed by so many and explored from so many vantage points—from space, from the air, and from the ground."[84] ABC, CBS, and NBC announced that they would respectively broadcast live television specials to cover the eclipse with correspondents stationed across the path of totality, along with CNN, Fox News Channel, Science, and The Weather Channel. The PBS series Nova presented streaming coverage on Facebook hosted by Miles O'Brien, and aired a special episode chronicling the event—"Eclipse Over America"—later in the day (which marked the fastest production turnaround time in Nova history).[85][86]

text: Other institutions and services also announced plans to stream their perspectives of the eclipse, including the Exploratorium in San Francisco, the Elephant Sanctuary of Hohenwald, Tennessee, the Slooh robotic telescope app, and The Virtual Telescope Project. The Eclipse Ballooning Project, a consortium of schools and colleges that sent 50 high-altitude balloons into the sky during the eclipse to conduct experiments, provided streams of footage and GPS tracking of its launches.[84][87] Contact with one balloon with $13,000 of scientific equipment, launched under the aegis of the LGF Museum of Natural History near Vale, Oregon, was lost at 20,000 feet (6,100 m). Given that the balloon was believed to have burst at 100,000 feet (30,000 m) it could have parachuted down anywhere from eastern Oregon to Caldwell, Idaho (most likely) to Sun Valley, Idaho; a $1,000 reward is offered for its recovery.[88]

text: The National Solar Observatory organized Citizen CATE volunteers to man 60 identical telescopes and instrumentation packages along the totality path to study changes in the corona over the duration of the eclipse.

text: In orbit, the satellites Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the International Space Station, the Solar Dynamics Observatory, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and Hinode gathered data from the eclipse.[89]

text: A viewing party was held at the White House, during which President Donald Trump appeared on the Truman Balcony with First Lady Melania Trump. With the sun partially eclipsed, President Trump looked briefly in the general direction of the sun before using solar viewing glasses.[90]

text: The rapper Joey Badass boasted of watching the solar eclipse without viewing glasses, considering that "our ancestors ain't have no fancy eyewear [and] they ain't all go blind". Unlike the US president, he did not wear viewing glasses during the entire eclipse. Later, he complained of vision problems and had to cancel his Cleveland, Chicago & Toronto shows on the Everybody Tour, due to "unforeseen circumstances".[91]

text: The eclipse generated reports of abnormal behavior in animal and plant life. Some farm animals including domestic chickens came out from under their coops and began grooming, usually an evening activity. Horses also displayed increased whinnying, running, and jumping after the event. Cicadas were reported to grow louder before going silent during totality. Various birds were also observed flying in unusually large formations. Flowers such as the Hibiscus closed their petals which typically happens at night, before opening again after the solar event.[92]

text: NASA reported over 90 million page views of the eclipse on its websites, making it the agency's biggest online event ever, beating the previous web traffic record about seven times over.[93]

text: Counterfeit eclipse glasses[edit]

text: In the months leading up to the eclipse, many counterfeit glasses were put up for sale. Effective eclipse glasses must not only block most visible light, but most UV and infrared light as well. For visible light, the user should only be able to see the Sun, sunglint reflected off shiny metal, halogen bulbs, the filament in unfrosted incandescent bulbs, and similarly intense sources. Determining whether the glasses effectively block enough UV and infrared light requires the use of spectrophotometer, which is a rather expensive piece of lab equipment.[5][94]

text: The eye's retina lacks pain receptors, and thus damage can occur without one's awareness.[95][96]

text: The American Astronomical Society (AAS) said products meeting the ISO 12312-2 standard avoid risk to one's eyes, and issued a list of reputable vendors of eclipse glasses. The organization warned against products claiming ISO certification or even citing the same number, but not tested by an accredited laboratory. Another problem was counterfeits of reputable vendors' products, some even claiming the company's name such as with American Paper Optics which published information detailing the differences between its glasses and counterfeits.[97][95]

text: Andrew Lund, the owner of a company which produces eclipse glasses, noted that not all counterfeit glasses were necessarily unsafe. He stated to Quartz that the counterfeits he tested blocked the majority of harmful light spectrum, concluding that "the IP is getting ripped off, but the good news is there are no long-term harmful effects."[94] As one example, the Springdale Library in metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, accidentally passed out dozens of pairs of counterfeit eclipse glasses, but as of August 23 had not received any reports of eye damage.[98]

text: On July 27, 2017, Amazon required all eclipse viewing products sold on its website have a submission of origin and safety information, and proof of an accredited ISO certification. In mid-August 2017, Amazon recalled and pulled listings for eclipse viewing glasses that "may not comply with industry standards", and gave refunds to customers who had purchased them.[99][5]

text: Eye damage[edit]

text: Short-term damage includes solar keratitis, which is similar to sunburn of the cornea. Symptoms usually occur within twenty-four hours and include eye pain and light sensitivity.[100]

text: Long-term or permanent damage includes solar retinopathy, which occurs when the sun burns a hole in the retina, usually at the fovea (the focus of the retina). Symptoms can occur as long as several weeks after the incident, and can include loss of central vision and/or other vision, as well as eye pain and light sensitivity, afterimages, and changes in color vision.[101]

text: Depending on the severity of damage, vision problems can last for several months or be permanent.[100]

text: Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, an ophthalmologist in New York, states that, "“If you’re looking at the sun you’re actually focusing, intentionally, the light of the sun onto the spot [fovea] where you want the most precise vision.”[102]

text: Following a total eclipse in the United Kingdom in 1999, at least 14 cases of permanent damage were confirmed.[103]

text: One story of solar eclipse danger was illustrated by the case of Mr. Tomososki, who damaged his eyesight when viewing a 1962 eclipse, leaving him with a pea-sized blind spot for the rest of his life.[104] During the 2017 eclipse he warned the country to not make the mistake he did.[104] While some can recover, the danger of an eclipse comes in part because the excitement can override the instinct to not look at the sun.[105]

text: Videos[edit]

text:
Play media

Illustration showing umbra (black oval), penumbra (concentric shaded ovals), and path of totality (red).

Play media

Illustration featuring several visualizations of the event.

Illustration showing shadow as seen from space.

Play media

Short time-lapse showing umbra as it moves across the clouds.

Play media

Video of the moment totality occurred in Newberry, South Carolina

text: Gallery[edit]

text: Totality

text:
Sequence starting at 9:06am, totality at 10:19am, and ending at 10:21am PDT, as seen from Corvallis, Oregon

Totality as seen from Columbia, Missouri

Totality as seen from Sweetwater, Tennessee

Totality as seen from Saint Paul, Clarendon County, South Carolina

text: Transition (Baily's beads and Diamond Ring)

text:
Diamond ring as seen from Corvallis, Oregon

Diamond ring as seen from Jay Em, Wyoming

Baily's beads before totality from far western Nebraska

Diamond ring (with large flare) as seen from Cullowhee, NC

Diamond ring as seen from Saint Paul, South Carolina

text: Partial

text:
Seattle, Washington

North Cascades National Park, Washington

San Francisco, California

Mira Mesa in San Diego, California

Far western Nebraska

White House, Tennessee

Maine at 2:41 p.m. EDT before maximum 68% coverage at 2:45 p.m.

Brooklyn, New York

Ellicott City, Maryland shortly before maximum eclipse (~80%)

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Simpsonville, South Carolina

text: Images produced by natural pinholes

text: (Pinholes formed by tree leaves will produce replica images of the eclipse).

text:
North Cascade mountains (British Columbia and Washington).

Moon, Pennsylvania

text: Views outside of the US

text:
Tuxtla Gutiérrez (Chiapas), Mexico at 12:36 GMT-6.

Chihuahua, Mexico at 11:40 a.m.

Sunset from Zarautz, Basque Country Spain

Sunset, viewed from Coimbra, Portugal

text: Planning[edit]

text: Officials inside and near the path of totality planned – sometimes for years – for the sudden influx of people.[106] Smaller towns struggled to arrange viewing sites and logistics for what could have been a tourism boom or a disaster.[107]

text: In the American West, illegal camping was a major concern, including near cities like Jackson Hole, Wyoming.[4] Idaho's Office of Emergency Management said Idaho was a prime viewing state, and advised jurisdictions to prepare for service load increases; nearly every hotel and motel room, campground, and in some cases backyards for nearly 100 miles (160 km) north and south of the path of totality had been reserved several months, if not years, in advance.[108] The state anticipated up to 500,000 visitors to join its 1.6 million residents.[109]

text: Oregon deployed six National Guard aircraft and 150 soldiers because the influx of visitors coincided with the state's fire season.[110] Hospital staffing, and supplies of blood and anti–snake bite antidote, were augmented along the totality line.[111]

text: In Oregon, there were reports of hoteliers canceling existing reservations made at the regular market rate and increasing their rate, sometimes threefold or more, for guests staying to view the eclipse.[112] The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) investigated various complaints and reached settlements with affected customers of at least 10 hotels in the state.[113] These settlements included refunds to the customers and fines paid to the DOJ.[114]

text: Post-eclipse traffic problems[edit]

text: Although traffic to areas within the path of totality was somewhat spread out over the days prior to the eclipse,[115] there were widespread traffic problems across the United States after the event ended. Michael Zeiler, an eclipse cartographer, had estimated that between 1.85 million and 7.4 million people would travel to the path of the eclipse.[116]

text: In Oregon, an estimated one million people were expected to arrive that the Oregon National Guard was called in to help manage traffic in Madras along US 26 and US 97.[117] Madras Municipal Airport received more than 400 mostly personal planes that queued for hours while waiting to leave after the eclipse.[118]

text: Officials in Idaho, where the totality path crossed the center of the state, began planning for the eclipse a year in advance. The state Transportation Department suspended construction projects along Interstate 15, which traverses Eastern Idaho, from August 18–22 in order to have all lanes open;[119] their counterparts in neighboring Utah, where many were expected to travel the 220 miles (350 km) north via the highway from the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, did the same. On the morning of the eclipse, many drivers left before dawn, creating traffic volume along I-15 normally not seen until morning rush hour; northbound traffic on the interstate in Box Elder County north of Salt Lake City slowed to 10–15 miles per hour (16–24 km/h).[120] The Idaho State Police (ISP) stationed a patrol car along I-15 every 15 miles (24 km) between Shelley and the Utah border.[121]

text: After the eclipse, traffic more than doubled along I-15 southbound, with extensive traffic jams continuing for eight hours as viewers who had traveled north into the totality path from Utah returned there and to points south. The ISP tweeted a picture of bumper-to-bumper traffic stalled on the interstate just south of Idaho Falls. Motorists reported to local news outlets that it was taking them two hours to travel the 47 miles (76 km) from that city to Pocatello to the south, a journey that normally takes 45 minutes,[120] and another hour to reach Blackfoot, 30 miles (48 km) further south.[122]

text: In the rest of the state the impact was less severe. Traffic nearly doubled on US 93, and was up 55 percent on US 20.[123]

text: For some northbound travelers on I-15, the Montana Department of Transportation had failed to make similar plans to those in Idaho, scheduling a road construction project to begin on August 21 that narrowed a section of the highway to a single northbound lane near the exit to Clark Canyon Dam south of Dillon. Though that stretch of highway generally has a traffic count of less than 1000 vehicles per day, on the day of the eclipse there were over a thousand vehicles per hour at peak times. As a result, traffic backed up as far as Lima, creating a delay of at least an hour for travelers heading northward. Further, as construction had not yet begun, drivers observed cones set up but no workers present on the road. While the state traditionally halts construction projects during high traffic periods, a state official admitted "we ... probably made a bad mistake here in this regard."[115]

text: In Wyoming, estimates were that the population of the state, officially 585,000, may have doubled or even tripled, with traffic counts on August 21 showing 536,000 more cars than the five-year average for the third Monday in August; a 68 percent increase. One official offered an estimate of "two people in every car" to arrive at a one-million-visitor figure, and others noted that one million was a conservative estimate based on a one-day traffic count of limited portions of major highways. There were additional arrivals by aircraft, plus travelers who arrived early or stayed for additional days.[124] Two days before the eclipse, traffic increased 18 percent over a five-year average, with an additional 131,000 vehicles on the road.[125] Sunday saw an additional 217,000-vehicle increase.[124]

text: Following the eclipse, more than 500,000 vehicles traveled Wyoming roads, creating large traffic jams, particularly on southbound and eastbound highways.[126] Drivers reported that it took up to 10 hours to travel 160 miles (260 km) into northern Colorado.[124] There was one traffic fatality,[127] and another fatality related to an off-highway ATV accident, but in general there were far fewer incidents and traffic citations than authorities had anticipated.[128]

text: In Tennessee, the Knoxville News Sentinel described the traffic problems created by the eclipse as the worst ever seen in that part of the state. One backup along Interstate 75 reached 34 miles (55 km) in length, between Niota and the Interstate 40 interchange at Farragut. A spokesman for the state's Department of Transportation allowed that the traffic jams were the worst he had seen in six and a half years on the job, noting that accidents had aggravated the already heavy traffic flows, attributed the I-75 congestion to Knoxville-area residents heading for the totality path at Sweetwater and returning during what was the city's normal afternoon rush hour.[129]

text: Before the eclipse, state officials had described their traffic expectations as equivalent to that generated by the Bonnaroo Music Festival, the twice-a-season NASCAR Monster Energy Cup races at Bristol or the formerly-held Boomsday fireworks festival. "Maybe they should have considered a tsunami of traffic combining all three of those heavily attended events", the News Sentinel commented. The Tennessee Highway Patrol made sure that "[e]very trooper not on sick leave or military leave or pre-approved leave [wa]s working" the day of the eclipse; the state DOT made sure its full complement of emergency-aid HELP trucks were available as well. Alert signs on the highways also warned motorists not to pull over onto the shoulders to watch the eclipse as it could increase the risk of dangerous accidents and block the path of emergency vehicles.[129]

text: In North Carolina, the Department of Transportation added cameras, message boards and safety patrols in the counties where the total eclipse would take place, as well as stopping road work. The department warned that due to "unprecedented" traffic ordinary activities requiring driving might prove difficult, and advised people to act as if there were snow.[130]

text: Impact on solar power[edit]

text: An eclipse causes a reduction of solar power generation where the Moon shadow covers any solar panel, as do clouds.

text: The North American Electric Reliability Corporation predicted minor impacts,[131] and attempted to measure the impact of the 2017 eclipse.[132] In California, solar power was projected to decrease by 4–6,000 megawatts[133] at 70 MW/minute, and then ramp up by 90 MW/minute as the shadow passes. CAISO's typical ramp rate is 29 megawatts per minute.[134] Around 4 GW mainly in North Carolina and Georgia were expected to be 90 percent obscured.[133]

text: After the 2017 eclipse, grid operators in California reported having lost 3,000–3,500 megawatts of utility-scale solar power, which was made up for by hydropower and gas reliably and as expected,[135][136] mimicking the usual duck curve. Energy demand management was also used to mitigate the solar drop.[137]

text: NV Energy prepared for the solar eclipse months in advance and collaborated with 17 western states. When the eclipse began covering California with partial darkness, which reduced its usual amount of solar-generated electricity, NV Energy sent power there. Likewise, when Nevada received less sunlight, other west coast states supplied electricity to it. During the solar eclipse, the state of Nevada lost about 450 megawatts of electricity, the amount used by about a quarter million typical residences.[138]

text: The 2015 eclipse caused manageable solar power decreases in Europe;[139] in Germany, solar power dropped from 14 GW to 7 GW, of a 38 GW solar power capacity.[140]

text: Commemorative stamp[edit]

text: On June 20, 2017,[141] the United States Postal Service released the first application of thermochromic ink to postage stamps in its Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamp[142] to commemorate the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. When pressed with a finger, body heat turns the black circle in the center of the stamp into an image of the full moon. The stamp image is a photo of the solar eclipse of March 29, 2006 seen in Jalu, Libya. The photo was taken by retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak.[142]

text: Related eclipses[edit]

text: Astronomers Without Borders began collecting eclipse glasses for redistribution to Latin America for the total solar eclipse occurring on July 2, 2019 and to Asia for the annular eclipse on December 26, 2019.[143]

text: A partial lunar eclipse took place on August 7, 2017, in the same eclipse season. It was visible over Africa, Asia, Australia, and eastern Europe.

text: Solar eclipses 2015–2018[edit]

text: Each member in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.

text:
[show]Solar eclipse series sets from 2015–18

Descending node

Ascending node

Saros
Map
Saros
Map

120

Longyearbyen, Svalbard
March 20, 2015

Total
125
September 13, 2015

Partial

130

Balikpapan, Indonesia
March 9, 2016

Total
135

L'Étang-Salé, Réunion
September 1, 2016

Annular

140

Partial from Buenos Aires
February 26, 2017

Annular
145

Oregon
August 21, 2017

Total

150
February 15, 2018

Partial
155
August 11, 2018

Partial

Partial solar eclipses on July 13, 2018, and January 6, 2019, occur during the next semester series.

text: Saros series 145[edit]

text: This solar eclipse is a part of Saros cycle 145, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours, containing 77 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on January 4, 1639, and reached a first annular eclipse on June 6, 1891. It was a hybrid event on June 17, 1909, and total eclipses from June 29, 1927, through September 9, 2648. The series ends at member 77 as a partial eclipse on April 17, 3009. The longest eclipse will occur on June 25, 2522, with a maximum duration of totality of 7 minutes, 12 seconds. [144]

text:
[show]Series members 16–26 occur between 1901 and 2100

16
17
18

June 17, 1909

June 29, 1927

July 9, 1945

19
20
21

July 20, 1963

July 31, 1981

August 11, 1999

22
23
24

August 21, 2017

September 2, 2035

September 12, 2053

25
26

September 23, 2071

October 4, 2089

text: Metonic series[edit]

text: The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days).

text:
[show]21 eclipse events, progressing from north to south between June 10, 1964, and August 21, 2036

June 10–11
March 27–29
January 15–16
November 3
August 21–22

117
119
121
123
125

June 10, 1964

March 28, 1968

January 16, 1972

November 3, 1975

August 22, 1979

127
129
131
133
135

June 11, 1983

March 29, 1987

January 15, 1991

November 3, 1994

August 22, 1998

137
139
141
143
145

June 10, 2002

March 29, 2006

January 15, 2010

November 3, 2013

August 21, 2017

147
149
151
153
155

June 10, 2021

March 29, 2025

January 14, 2029

November 3, 2032

August 21, 2036