Walter Kretzer remained single his whole life. He was once a school teacher in Baker, Oregon. Family notes passed down over years and newer internet tools that expand geneaology research capabilities confirm that his death of a suicide was attributed in part to the Halley's Comet Panic of 1910.
Information about this phenomenon located the following description:
"The downside of this close pass and the new observations made was that a panic briefly overtook much of the world's population. Scientists had noticed a poisonous gas known as cyanogen that was present in the composition of the tail, and while they assured the public that the gas would be much too diffuse to have any effect during Earth's pass through the tail, many people still panicked and assumed the worst.
In addition, the comet was connected to several events that it could not possibly have caused, such as the death of King Edward VII in England and the death of Mark Twain.
This brief hysteria faded when the Earth passed through the comet's tail without problems in May, 1910 but many people were coerced into buying expensive comet protections or otherwise suffered from the panic. Opportunistic salesman marketed comet pills, comet umbrellas and gas masks. Suicides, accidents, and other unfortunate events were reported."
Noted author Mark Twain wrote in his autobiography in 1909: "I came in with Halley's comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together."
Twain died on April 21, 1910 - the same day as Walter Kretzer.
Information about this phenomenon located the following description:
"The downside of this close pass and the new observations made was that a panic briefly overtook much of the world's population. Scientists had noticed a poisonous gas known as cyanogen that was present in the composition of the tail, and while they assured the public that the gas would be much too diffuse to have any effect during Earth's pass through the tail, many people still panicked and assumed the worst.
In addition, the comet was connected to several events that it could not possibly have caused, such as the death of King Edward VII in England and the death of Mark Twain.
This brief hysteria faded when the Earth passed through the comet's tail without problems in May, 1910 but many people were coerced into buying expensive comet protections or otherwise suffered from the panic. Opportunistic salesman marketed comet pills, comet umbrellas and gas masks. Suicides, accidents, and other unfortunate events were reported."
Noted author Mark Twain wrote in his autobiography in 1909: "I came in with Halley's comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together."
Twain died on April 21, 1910 - the same day as Walter Kretzer.
Walter Kretzer remained single his whole life. He was once a school teacher in Baker, Oregon. Family notes passed down over years and newer internet tools that expand geneaology research capabilities confirm that his death of a suicide was attributed in part to the Halley's Comet Panic of 1910.
Information about this phenomenon located the following description:
"The downside of this close pass and the new observations made was that a panic briefly overtook much of the world's population. Scientists had noticed a poisonous gas known as cyanogen that was present in the composition of the tail, and while they assured the public that the gas would be much too diffuse to have any effect during Earth's pass through the tail, many people still panicked and assumed the worst.
In addition, the comet was connected to several events that it could not possibly have caused, such as the death of King Edward VII in England and the death of Mark Twain.
This brief hysteria faded when the Earth passed through the comet's tail without problems in May, 1910 but many people were coerced into buying expensive comet protections or otherwise suffered from the panic. Opportunistic salesman marketed comet pills, comet umbrellas and gas masks. Suicides, accidents, and other unfortunate events were reported."
Noted author Mark Twain wrote in his autobiography in 1909: "I came in with Halley's comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together."
Twain died on April 21, 1910 - the same day as Walter Kretzer.
Information about this phenomenon located the following description:
"The downside of this close pass and the new observations made was that a panic briefly overtook much of the world's population. Scientists had noticed a poisonous gas known as cyanogen that was present in the composition of the tail, and while they assured the public that the gas would be much too diffuse to have any effect during Earth's pass through the tail, many people still panicked and assumed the worst.
In addition, the comet was connected to several events that it could not possibly have caused, such as the death of King Edward VII in England and the death of Mark Twain.
This brief hysteria faded when the Earth passed through the comet's tail without problems in May, 1910 but many people were coerced into buying expensive comet protections or otherwise suffered from the panic. Opportunistic salesman marketed comet pills, comet umbrellas and gas masks. Suicides, accidents, and other unfortunate events were reported."
Noted author Mark Twain wrote in his autobiography in 1909: "I came in with Halley's comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together."
Twain died on April 21, 1910 - the same day as Walter Kretzer.
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