Pondering on how the recent eclipse provided a backdrop for the present conflagration in the Middle East, the previous ones in this 18.5 year Saros cycle are significant if not cheering. Though it would have to be said in addition to problems there were also positive outcomes.
Last time in 2008 oversaw the financial crash.
1990 oversaw the Gulf War 1.
1972 – Watergate, Munich Olympics massacre.
1954 – division of Vietnam which was the forerunner to the debilitating US war. Soviet escalation of the Cold War.
1935 – intensifying aggression leading into WW11. Italy invaded Ethiopia, which created significant international friction. Nuremberg Laws: Nazi Germany passed laws that deprived Jewish people of citizenship and banned marriage between Jews and Germans. Hitler instituted mandatory military service, violating the Treaty of Versailles. Persia/Iran: Persia was formally renamed Iran