On June 6, 1910, astronomers at the Yerkes Observatory captured Halley’s Comet on camera during its spectacular 1910 apparition. Believed to be over 4 billion years old, this icy wanderer was forged from the primordial debris that built our solar system. Halley returns to the inner solar system every 75–76 years, a cosmic rhythm so steady that ancient civilizations tracked its appearances long before the United States existed. After dazzling observers in 1910 and again in 1986, it is now on its long outbound arc and will not return until July 2061.
The 1910 approach brought not only scientific excitement but also a wave of global hysteria. When French astronomer Camille Flammarion speculated that cyanogen gas in the comet’s tail might interact with Earth’s atmosphere, newspapers sensationalized the remark into apocalyptic headlines. Opportunists quickly cashed in, selling “anti‑comet pills,” bottled “comet insurance,” and gas masks to frightened citizens. Humanity passed harmlessly through the comet’s tail — transforming a moment of worldwide panic into one of history’s most memorable cultural curiosities.
