1859 Solar facts

While investigating facts about 1859 Solar, I found out little known, but curios details like:

The solar storm of 1859 caused worldwide electrical failure, with telegraph systems being knocked out, some throwing sparks and shocking operators. This event, if it occured today, would cause trillions in damages.

A solar storm like the Carrington Event in 1859 would cause devastation to world electronics if it happened today.

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 24 of the best facts about 1859 Solar I managed to collect.

1. A massive solar flare in 2012 barely missed earth (by mere days). Had it hit, the power grid would likely have failed, causing unprecedented devastation. Scientists recently determined that it was of similar magnitude as the 1859 Carrington Event.

2. There was a massive solar storm in 1859 that sparked fires in telegraph offices. Were a storm of that size to hit today, it would knock out power grids for months or longer.

3. A solar super storm on July 23 2012 missed Earth by just 9 days. If it had hit, as one did in 1859, it would have sent us back to the 18th century overnight, rendering our electrical systems inoperable (incl. satellites).

4. An 1859 solar storm caused the Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis to be seen as far south as Cuba

5. In 1859 the most powerful recorded solar storm shocked telegraph operators through their machines and set their papers on fire.

6. In 1859 there was a solar storm so powerful it shut down telegraph systems in North America and Europe. Aurora's stretched as far as the Caribbean.

7. In 1859 the largest solar storm on record, the Carrington Event, would devastate modern technology, and caused the northern lights to be seen as far south as Cuba

8. The solar storm of 2012 would've been the same strength as the Carrington Event in 1859, and if it had hit us, the damages would have been $0,6 - 2,0 trillion dollars in the US alone.

9. In 1859, there was a solar flare from the Sun that hit the Earth of which scale if happened today, would heavily jeopardize our entire global telecommunications systems. A flare like that happened in 2012 but missed the Earth.

What is true about 1859 solar?

You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.

In 1859, Earth was hit by a solar storm that was three times as large as the strongest once since then, knocking out telegraphs in the United States and Europe.

If the Solar Storm of 1859 were repeated today, it would cost the US alone up to $2.9 trillion in damage to electrical equipment. A repeat missed earth by 9 days in 2012. - source

During the solar storm known as the Carrington Event in 1859, telegraph operators in different states were able to communicate using only the current induced to the wires from the atmosphere itself - source

In 1859 a solar flare occurred that was so large it burned out telegraphs, shocked operators, and allowed some to run without power applied.

During the Carrington event (Solar Storm of 1859) the Aurora it caused were so bright they woke gold miners in the colorado rockies and disabled telegraph lines in europe.

During the solar storm of 1859, aurorae were visible as far south as the Caribbean, and as far from the poles as Cuba and Hawaii. People over the Rocky Mountains mistook the aurora for daylight and so began preparing breakfast.

In 1859 here was a solar storm that fried the telegraph system, if it occurred today it would cost $2.6 Trillion to repair

During the 1859 solar storm, telegrams actually caught on fire and all technology was rendered useless for a small while