In this compilation of oral history excerpts Alan Shapley, Robert Herman, and Helen Hogg reflect on witnessing the total solar eclipse of January 24, 1925 and how it impacted their interest in astronomy.

Geophysicist Alan Shapley (1919-2006), son of noted Harvard astronomer Harlow Shapley, reflects on taking trips to see eclipses with his father during his childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Astronomer Robert Herman (1914-1997) recalls the impact witnessing the 1925 solar eclipse as a child, sparking his interest in astronomy and learning about science. Astronomer Helen Sawyer Hogg (1905-1993) attributes her interest in astronomy in part to the eclipse in 1925 during her time at Mount Holyoke College.

This excerpt comes from the oral history collection of the Niels Bohr Library & Archives at the American Institute of Physics. This collection comprises thousands of oral history interviews, with over 1500 interview transcripts being available to read free online. Interviews range in date from the early 1960s to the present and cover the major areas and discoveries of physics from the past 100 years. The Voices of the Past Collection highlights some of the oldest oral histories of the collection with interviewees who have passed on.

Oral History Credits:
Interview of Alan Shapley by Ron Doel and Fae Korsmo on 2003 August 21, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA, www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/30543-1

Interview of Robert Herman by Martin Harwit on 1983 April 11, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA, www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/32101

Interview of Helen Hogg by David DeVorkin on 1979 August 17, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA, www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/4679

To read the full transcript of these and other oral history interviews, visit: https://www.aip.org/history-programs/... For questions or to request the audio, please contact [email protected]