NBC "Countdown to History"

NBC's Total Eclipse Special

American Paper Optics manufactured these custom NBC/Al Roker eclipse glasses to go along with the TODAY show coverage as well as NBC's eclipse special titled "Countdown to History".

In the picture below, Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, Hoda Kotb, Carson Daly, Sheinelle Jones, Dylan Dreyer and Jenna Bush Hager assembled outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on Monday afternoon with their custom American Paper Optics eclipse glasses in hand.

How Glasses are made (TODAY Show behind the scenes look)

In preparation for the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, TODAY Show 3rd Hour’s Maura Barrett shares a behind-the-scenes look at How Eclipse Glasses are Made at American Paper Optics US-based factory.

This timely segment is introduced by Al Roker, Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones, and Dylan Dreyer from the TODAY Show 3rd Hour team. When asked about their eclipse glasses compared to the traditional 3D eyewear they make, American Paper Optics CEO John Jerit explains the main difference is the lens. Jerit adds that their eclipse glasses have ISO Certified lenses. And to support the surge in demand for the Total Solar Eclipse, Jerit almost tripled their staff.

For the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse, Jerit explains that his team sold about 45 million eclipse glasses. And in 2024, they’re on track to sell 75 million eclipse glasses for the April 8, 2024, Total Solar Eclipse that will be seen by millions more people in the U.S. Jerit then takes Maura Barrett on a behind-the-scenes tour of their Bartlett, Tennessee factory, just outside of Memphis. They produce 50,000 eclipse glasses per hour, which are then sent to major retailers like Walmart, Kroger and Loews, along with custom and direct to consumer orders.

In addition, Barrett shares American Paper Optics’ “Core 4” eclipse glasses safety tips that can be used to tell whether you have Real vs. Counterfeit Eclipse Glasses. Towards the end of this segment, Jerit emphasizes, “This is such an important event, and your eyes are so important. This is it for the next 20 years until 2044, the next…US Total Solar Eclipse.”