CALCUTTA, India, Aug. 12 — The last total solar eclipse of the 20th century raced across vast swathes of the world, dramatically plunging day into night and thrilling millions from Canada’s east coast to the Bay of Bengal.
 
In one of nature’s great spectaculars, the sun turned black and appeared ringed with fire for just a minute or two on Wednesday—presenting a diamond ring effect to many watching on earth.
 
Druids danced, Moslems prayed, Hindus bathed and Europeans stopped work and took to the streets as an eerie twilight followed by darkness covered their countries.
 
Although cloud and rain obscured the view for many, those who fully saw the three-hour long eclipse were awestruck. “Imagine what our ancestors must have felt like when it happened to them 2,000 years ago,” said astronomer David Hughes as the eclipse snuffed out the light at Land’s End in southern England, where the eclipse first cast its shadow on land.
 
Pope John Paul, a keen astral watcher, peered at the last solar eclipse of the millennium through a square of tinted glass and cut short his weekly general audience to be sure not to miss the event.