The last one (Venus Transit) before 2004 was in 1882, recent enough that photography was being used in astronomy. And it so happens that astronomers at Mt. Hamilton in California were able to take a series of 147 (!) images of the transit, 140 of which were used to make this amazing video:
That. Is. So. Cool! Not too often you see a movie made in 1882!
(Source: blogs.discovermagazine.com)
