Historical eventSeptember 11859

Carrington Event

A powerful solar flare caused a coronal mass ejection that struck Earth a few hours later, generating the most intense geomagnetic storm ever recorded and causing bright aurorae visible in the middle latitudes.

Everything on September 1Original source

In context

When
Thursday, September 1 1859167 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1850s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1859.

What happened

A powerful solar flare caused a coronal mass ejection that struck Earth a few hours later, generating the most intense geomagnetic storm ever recorded and causing bright aurorae visible in the middle latitudes.

September 1 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1859Carrington Event
  2. 1973Rescue of Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman
  3. 1973Celtic Sea
  4. 1974Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
  5. 1981David Dacko
  6. 1982United States Space Force Combat Forces Command
  7. 1983Cold War
  8. 1985Titanic
  9. 2000Speakers' Corner, Singapore
  10. 2004Beslan school siege
  11. 2008Iraq War

Also in 1859

  • September 17San FranciscoDisgruntled with the legal and political structures of the United States, Joshua Norton (pictured) distributed letters to various newspap…
  • August 27Edwin DrakeEdwin Drake successfully drilled for oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania, resulting in the Pennsylvania oil rush, the first oil boom in the U…
  • June 15San Juan IslandsThe shooting of a pig in the San Juan Islands led to the so-called Pig War over the border between the United States and British North Am…
  • June 15Pig War (1859)Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between American and British/Canadian settlers.
  • November 15Evangelos ZappasSponsored by Greek businessman Evangelos Zappas, the first modern revival of the Olympic Games took place in Athens.
  • March 2Great Slave AuctionThe Great Slave Auction, the largest single sale of slaves in U.S. history, with more than 400 people sold, began in Georgia.
  • February 16Musical noteThe French government passed a law setting the musical note A4 to a frequency of 435 hertz, in the first attempt to standardize concert p…
  • November 24Charles DarwinBritish naturalist Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was first published, and sold out its initial print run on the first day.

Everything we record for 1859 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Carrington Event”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/carrington-event-1859-september-1, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Carrington Event happen?

September 1 1859 — 167 years ago, on a Thursday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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