A 16-minute delay in a train in Exeter, England, has been the focus of a new study that sheds light on how solar storms have historically affected technology. Initially thought to have occurred in 1841, the incident is now believed to have happened in 1848, according to research published in the journal Space Weather. The original account described a powerful solar storm causing a "very intense magnetic disturbance" that disrupted electric telegraph equipment, leading to the train delay. However, researchers discovered a key mistake in the original report—the railway line involved had not yet opened in 1841, five years before the event was thought to have occurred. To determine the correct date, the researchers cross-checked historical railway timetables, newspaper reports, solar activity records, and digitized data on Earth’s magnetic field. They found evidence of a strong geomagnetic storm on October 18, 1848, along with sightings of auroras and sunspots across the UK and Europe. This strongly suggests that the original report had a typographical error in the year. The corrected date makes the Exeter incident one of the earliest known cases of space weather interfering with human technology, but not the very first. A more recent study identified a similar event in March 1847, when solar activity disrupted telegraph systems on the Midland Railway. Professor Jim Wild from Lancaster University, who led the study, emphasized that space weather has been influencing technology almost as long as electricity has been used. He noted the value of combining historical records with scientific data to better understand past events and improve predictions for the future. Dr. Mike Hapgood, a visiting scientist at STFC's RAL Space, compared the research to a detective story, highlighting the importance of preserving historical records to study past space weather events. Although nearly 200 years have passed since the Exeter incident, modern infrastructure remains vulnerable to space weather. Today, the risks extend beyond telegraphs to power grids, satellite systems, navigation tools, and communication networks. The study underscores the ongoing need to understand and prepare for the effects of solar storms on modern technology, ensuring that critical systems remain resilient against these natural space phenomena.