In Kansas City and across the country, anticipation is building for the total solar eclipse of August 21. It parallels the nation’s fervor in 1878, when an eclipse darkened skies from Montana Territory to Texas and inspired jockeying among scientists hoping to solve longstanding riddles of the solar system.

In a discussion of his book American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World, journalist David Baron examines the spectacular celestial event of July 29, 1878. Among the eclipse chasers was a young Thomas Edison. Another was Vassar astronomer Maria Mitchell, who led an all-female expedition intending to show what women could do in science.

Baron also previews the upcoming eclipse, discussing what we can expect to see in Kansas City and how best to view the early-afternoon phenomenon. A three-time winner of the Science Journalism Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he has traveled the world to witness five solar eclipses.