How did the 1919 solar eclipse support Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity?

The 1919 solar eclipse provided critical empirical support for Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity by confirming the prediction that gravity bends light.123

Einstein proposed that because gravity curves space, light passing near a massive body like the Sun should follow a curved path rather than a straight line. He calculated that starlight grazing the edge of the Sun should be deflected by 1.75 arc seconds.451

To test this, British astronomers led by Arthur Eddington organized two expeditions to observe the total solar eclipse on May 29, 1919—one to Sobral, Brazil, and another to the island of Príncipe. By comparing photographs of stars near the eclipsed Sun with reference images of the same stars taken when the Sun was elsewhere, the teams observed a displacement of the stars' positions. The results, which were consistent with Einstein’s prediction, provided the first major experimental validation of his theory and brought him international fame.15236