Photos: The last total eclipse in the U.S.: 1979

People watch as the moon eclipses the sun in the last total solar eclipse, Feb. 26, 1979. People watch as the moon eclipses the sun in the last total solar eclipse, Feb. 26, 1979. Photo: MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection Photo: MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Photos: The last total eclipse in the U.S.: 1979 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

The world seems to have gone mad over the eclipse expected Monday morning.

Hotels and campgrounds across the path of totality have been booked up for weeks, highways are already backing up and every news website is loaded with eclipse-related content (here's some more!).

All the hype should come as no surprise, though. After all, the last time the U.S. saw a total eclipse of the sun (not to be confused with the 1983 hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler) was on Feb. 26, 1979.

That astronomical event plunged Portland and other cities in or near the path of totality into darkness for two or so minutes. For Seattle, the event marked an incomplete eclipse, measuring at 99.6 percent of a total eclipse.

Nonetheless, people gathered with variations of the silliest eclipse glasses to watch as the moon passed over the sun.

We dug through various archives to compile the gallery above from that historic event. Look back at how it went down last time to better prepare for the coming eclipse Monday. And don't miss it! The next total eclipse to pass through the Northwest won't be until 2045.