In 1859 a storm on the Sun struck the Earth so hard that telegraph wires threw sparks and operators were shocked at their desks, and scientists warn the same event today would knock out power grids across entire continents. (opens in new tab)

The historical claim in the lede is well documented. On 1 and 2 September 1859, a coronal mass ejection from the Sun struck Earth’s magnetosphere with such force that telegraph systems across North America, Europe, and parts of Asia and Australia were disrupted. Operators in some stations received electric shocks. Paper caught fire from sparks […]