The Deadly Solar Storm from 800 Years Ago The year was 1315, and Europe was gripped by a severe cold snap known as the Great Famine.
Unbeknownst to people at the time, a far more devastating force was about to strike: a massive solar storm that would wreak havoc on navigation systems, shipbuilding, and global trade.
The Carrington Event, named after British astronomer Richard Carrington who first observed it in 1859, had occurred before – roughly 800 years earlier.