Case file · Cosmic event
King Mongkut's eclipse
King Mongkut of Siam, an amateur astronomer, calculated the total solar eclipse of 18 August 1868 more accurately than European scientists and observed it at Wa Ko; he caught malaria there and died weeks later.
1868 CE · 11.70, 99.70 · status: official
The account
The event is celebrated in Thailand as the birth of Thai science; 18 August is National Science Day.