16 December 1773
Waxing Crescent, 14% lit
The Boston Tea Party
342 chests of tea went into Boston Harbour under a 15% crescent, barely any light at all.
The harbour was shallow at low tide and the tea reportedly piled up above the waterline. A thin crescent sets not long after the Sun, so the work was done in near-total darkness, which was rather the idea.
- Date
- 16 December 1773
- Moon computed for
- 21:00 local time, UTC−4:44
- Phase
- Waxing Crescent
- Illuminated
- 14%
Source: Massachusetts Historical Society