Título: Comet Madness
Autor: Richard J. Goodrich
Sinopse: Halleys Comet visits the earth every seventy-five years. Since the dawn of civilization, humans had believed comets were evil portents. In 1705, Edmond Halley liberated humanity from these primordial superstitions (or so it was thought), proving that Newtonian mechanics rather than the will of the gods brought comets into our celestial neighborhood. Despite this scientific advance, when Halleys Comet returned in 1910 and astronomers announced that our planet would pass through its poisonous tail, newspapers gleefully provoked a global hysteria that unfolded with tragic consequences. In Comet Madness, author and historian Richard J. Goodrich examines the 1910 appearance of Halleys Comet and the ensuing frenzy sparked by media manipulation, bogus science, and outright deception. The result is a fascinating and illuminating narrative history that underscores how we behave in the face of potential calamity then and now. As the comet neared Earth, scientists and journalists alike scrambled to get the story straight as citizens the world over panicked. Popular astronomer Camille Flammarion attempted to allay fears in a newspaper article, but the media ignored his true position that passage would be harmless; weather prophet Irl Hicks, publisher of an annual, pseudo-scientific almanac, announced that the comet would disrupt the worlds weather; religious leaders thumbed the Bibles Book of Revelation and wondered if the comet presaged the apocalypse. Newspapers, confident that there was gold in these alternate theories, gave every crackpot a megaphone, increasing circulation and stoking international hysteria. As a result, workmen shelved their tools, farmers refused to plant crops they would never harvest, and formerly reliable people stopped paying their creditors. More opportunistic citizens opened comet insurance plans. Others suffered mental breakdowns, and some took their own lives. Comet Madness reveals how humans confront the unknown, how scientists learn about the world we inhabit, and how certain peoplefrom outright hucksters to opportunistic journalistsharness fear to produce a profit.
Contexto da obra
Quando a classificação é mais ampla, o contexto do livro costuma depender ainda mais de autoria, tema e edição. “Comet Madness”, de Richard J. Goodrich, publicado pela editora Rowman & Littlefield, em 2023 e com 282 páginas, integra a categoria Livros Variados. Por isso, autoria, edição e tema acabam tendo ainda mais peso na forma de apresentar o livro.
Editora: Rowman & Littlefield
Páginas: 282
Ano: 2023
Edição:
Linguagem: English
ISBN: 1633888576
ISBN13: 9781633888579
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora Rowman & Littlefield oferecem uma experiência de leitura que combina rigor documental e narrativa envolvente, com temas que vão da história militar e política a investigações culturais e ambientais. O catálogo sugere um interesse por assuntos que exploram arquivos secretos, biografias complexas e estudos interdisciplinares, muitas vezes com um tom investigativo e detalhado. Há obras que convidam o leitor a mergulhar em contextos históricos e sociais, como espionagem na Segunda Guerra Mundial ou debates contemporâneos sobre religião e meio ambiente. O ritmo das obras varia entre análises densas e relatos mais acessíveis, atendendo a leitores que buscam tanto aprofundamento quanto clareza na exposição dos fatos. A diversidade do catálogo permite encontrar títulos que unem pesquisa acadêmica a histórias humanas, com abordagens que podem ser tanto mais narrativas quanto mais informativas.
