The comet panic of 1910
The return of Halley's Comet in 1910 came at a pivotal time in human history. Mass communications kept people informed better than ever before — with books, newspapers — but the average reader wasn't all that well educated in the goings-on in the cosmos.
Which is why eccentric French scientist Camille Flammarion got some traction for his more sensational predictions… He said Halley's comet contained a poisonous cyanogen gas that "would impregnate the atmosphere and possibly snuff out all life on the planet". When The New York Times ran a story on his assertion, the fear amplified on a global scale in the tabloids. Some folks were so frightened, they began sealing up the keyholes of their houses to "keep the poison out of their homes". The "Sacred Followers" religious group in Oklahoma was reportedly planning on sacrificing a virgin to ward off the disaster but was stopped by police. So while many cashed in on the comet by selling souvenirs and anything with a comet theme, others leveraged the panic with survival elixirs and protection devices — comet pills, comet shelters, comet soap, and even submarine rentals became the norm for these early doomsday preppers.
It's a close neighbourhood.
Westward bound, never found
