In the small hours of 2 September 1859, a telegraph operator in Portland, Maine disconnected his batteries because they were throwing sparks, and then discovered he could still send a clean message to Boston using nothing but the current the aurora was pushing through the wire above his head. (opens in new tab)

On the morning of 2 September 1859, telegraph operators along the American East Coast began arguing with their own equipment. Sparks were jumping from the keys. Paper tape was scorching. Operators reported jolts strong enough to knock them back from their desks. And then, after the batteries were disconnected, the lines kept working anyway, humming […]