Saturday, March 7, 1970, in Perry, Florida, more than half a century ago, a tiny timber town's day in the sun was spoiled by a dense overcast that obscured a long-awaited total eclipse of the sun that more than 25,000 people had come to see.
The long-term weather records had suggested that there was a 70-percent chance of clear or partly cloudy skies, which was the primary reason why so many had gravitated to this community, normally populated by only about 8,000.
