Comet Madness on the Doorstep: The Halley's Comet Fever of 1910, As Covered & Inflamed by the Newspapers

When Halley's Comet made its spectacular appearance in 1910, sweeping the earth with its tail, many feared being poisoned by gases or worse. Churches did booming business, scoundrels peddled "comet pills," and desperate souls committed suicide rather than go through an imagined conflagration. The newspapers eagerly printed every scrap of comet news they could find, or in some cases, invent. From serious astronomical discussions to breathless reports of mass hysteria, this compilation of articles and news items provides a wonderful glimpse into the comet madness that gripped the world.