- author, rowena hoskin
- role, BBC news
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When Evan John Griffith found an article about a solar eclipse occurring on his birthday in the town that bears his name, he thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The teenager and her family flew 3,967 miles (6,384.37 km) from Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, to Evansville, Indiana, USA, for her 17th birthday.
Interviewed by American reporters, he said he had become something of a “local celebrity.”
Evan said the experience was “extraordinary.”
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun, blocking some or all of the sun's rays from reaching the Earth.
This is a cosmic event, and the Sun, Moon, and Earth need to be in just the right position for the Moon to cast a shadow on Earth.
Evan said, “A year ago, I found on the Internet that there was a solar eclipse on my birthday in the town named after me, Evansville in the United States.It was such a coincidence that it could happen to anyone.'' I thought not.
“Ironically, I forgot about it for a year, but in January I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and thought, 'Oh, I have to write this down,' so I kept pestering it. did” [mum] The last few weeks.
“I was surprised to see it actually come,” he said.
“We thought it would be a great adventure to come to a place like Evansville on this day after going through such a difficult time last year,” said his mother, Katherine Edwards.
The family also made news in Indiana, where 14 News wrote about their experience.
Evan said he got the call after he went to pick up glasses to view the eclipse.
“I've been recognized many times now. I'm a local celebrity,” he said. “This is probably the most interesting thing that has ever happened to me.”
Mr Evans said: “It was really fun to hear the reporters trying to say Welsh.
“I think they've gone back to either not saying Welsh place names or not saying Welsh names, which are very difficult.”
Additional reporting by Iolo Cheung.