The City That Waited for a Comet
Halley's Comet was predicted to bring doom, but Everett's residents found the celestial visitor to be a massive letdown.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The fated 18th of May has come and gone with no damage except to the nerves of super-sensitive people who dreaded they knew not what. Of course, nobody much really expected anything out of the ordinary to happen, and everybody talked of the coming of the comet in a jocular vein. We were too wise and educated to take any stock in the direful possibilities which some astronomers said 'might happen' to this old globe. But just the same, we all really wondered. We all watched the sky Wednesday afternoon and evening, hoping against hope that some heavenly demonstration might take place which would give us a few thrills. Nothing doing! The comet was too busy making its salaam to the sun and figuring on a quick getaway to pay any attention to the puny inhabitants of this insignificant planet. Mr. Comet, you threw your press agents down and behaved shamefully; you were certainly the rankest fake of the century.
“Mr. Comet, you threw your press agents down and behaved shamefully and take it altogether you were certainly the rankest fake of the century.”
In 1910, the passage of Halley's Comet caused worldwide panic due to fears of toxic gas or collision. Today, we view celestial events through the lens of scientific curiosity rather than impending doom, but the collective anxiety felt by Everett's citizens reflects a timeless human fascination with the scale of the universe.
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