Solar storm linked to 1848 Exeter train delay rewrites space-weather history

Space-weather researchers revisited a famous 19th‑century disruption and conclude the Exeter train delay was caused by a strong solar storm in October 1848, not the 1841 date previously cited. By cross‑checking railway timetables, old newspapers, solar observations, and geomagnetic records, the team shows this event is among the first well‑documented cases of space weather disrupting infrastructure, illustrating how archival science can update our understanding of historical geomagnetic impacts.