Ramona Shelburne Oct 27, 2026, 07:00 AM ET

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Senior writer for ESPN.com

Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News

BOB IGER WAS on his 213-foot sailing superyacht on Aug. 12, winding down a monthlong vacation in Europe following a historic, two-decade run as CEO of Disney.

The biggest event of the day was supposed to be the first total solar eclipse over the continent in more than a century.

Millions of tourists, including Iger, had booked vacations along the eclipse's path from Greenland to Southern Spain during the syzygy -- a word derived from Ancient Greek for "yoked together" -- which describes a rare astronomical event in which three or more celestial bodies align in a straight line.

During a solar eclipse, the moon sits exactly between the sun and Earth, casting its shadow onto Earth. Some enjoy the rare view -- through special sunglasses.

Others ascribe great meaning and magic to eclipses.…