O Século Report on the Fátima Event (October 15, 1917)
Type: Newspaper Report
Source: O Século
On October 15, 1917, the secular, anti-clerical Portuguese newspaper O Século published a front-page eyewitness account of the Miracle of the Sun by journalist Avelino de Almeida.
Despite arriving as a skeptic, Almeida reported that approximately 50,000 to 70,000 people witnessed the sun appearing as a silver disc that could be stared at without pain, before it began to spin, emit multicolored light, and zigzag toward the earth in a phenomenon lasting about ten minutes.
Eyewitness Detail: Almeida described the sun as looking like a "plate of dull silver" that did not burn or blind the eyes, followed by a "colossal howl" from the crowd as they shouted "Miracle!"
Historical Impact: The report was significant because it came from an anticlerical source, providing credible, secular confirmation of the event which had been predicted by shepherd children Lucia dos Santos, Francisco, and Jacinta Marto.
Event Context: The phenomenon occurred on October 13, 1917, at Cova da Iria, Fátima, Portugal, serving as the final and most dramatic of the Marian apparitions.
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