Look Up (Safely!): The 2026 Solar Eclipse is Today
If you notice a slight change in the light today, you aren't imagining it! Today, Wednesday, August 12, 2026, a spectacular solar eclipse is sweeping across the globe. While lucky viewers in Iceland, Greenland, and Spain will witness a breathtaking total eclipse, a partial eclipse will be visible right here in the US across northern and eastern states. Depending on how far north and east you are located, the moon will take a noticeable "bite" out of the sun.
Remember: because the sun will never be completely covered in the US, you must wear certified solar eclipse glasses at all times to protect your eyes. If you aren't in the viewing path or don't have glasses, you can still join the excitement by watching NASA's official live stream online starting at 1:15 p.m. EDT. Happy viewing!
Good morning. It's August 12th — let's begin where we always do: on this very date in history.
📅 On This Day — August 12
🎶 (It's also National Vinyl Record Day.)
1960 — NASA launched Echo 1, the first communications satellite — a giant reflective balloon that bounced signals across the country.
1977 — The prototype shuttle Enterprise made its first free flight, gliding to a landing after release from a jumbo jet.
1981 — IBM introduced the Personal Computer, the machine that put a PC on office desks everywhere and set the standard for decades.
1990 — Fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson found "Sue," the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever discovered, in South Dakota.
2005 — NASA launched the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, still circling and studying the Red Planet today.
Now, let's set the dial back to 1967…
⏪ REWIND: 1967 Lyndon Johnson is president, a first-class stamp is 5 cents, gas is about 33 cents a gallon — and something's happening in San Francisco.
📰 The Headlines The Summer of Love is at its peak. As many as 100,000 young people have converged on the Haight-Ashbury — flowers, free concerts, a whole new idea of how to live — and the word "hippie" has gone from local slang to national headline.
🎬 At the Movies Opening tomorrow (Aug 13): Bonnie and Clyde. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as the Depression-era outlaws — stylish, violent, and about to blow the doors off old Hollywood and usher in a new one.
🎵 On the Charts At #1 is "Light My Fire" by The Doors — Jim Morrison, that swirling Ray Manzarek organ, and the sound of 1967 in a single record.
🏆 In Sports In Boston, the "Impossible Dream" is on. The Red Sox, ninth-place also-rans a year ago, are in the middle of the closest pennant race baseball has ever seen — with Carl Yastrzemski on his way to a Triple Crown and the MVP.
🏰 The Disney Vault Down in Anaheim, Pirates of the Caribbean opened this spring (March 18) — the last ride Walt Disney personally helped design, debuting just three months after his death. Its audio-animatronic buccaneers set the standard every theme park still chases.
— a couple of quick things before you go —
👟 Step Challenge: the Summer 2026 Step Challenge is rolling — grab the free Pacer app and walk with us: Join the challenge (already have Pacer? Club code E42727228). Every step counts.
💡 Health Snap: midweek, a short walk right after a meal helps more than the same walk on an empty stomach — a small habit that adds up. More easy wellness reading is at ourfreehealthreport.com.
🎉 Born on an August 12th — or know someone who was?
Forward this to them right now — there's no better "this is the day you were born" gift than a little time travel.
🎂 In good company: August 12 babies include Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler (1949), tennis's Pete Sampras (1971), Casey Affleck (1975), model Cara Delevingne (1992), and George Hamilton (1939).
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