How did a 16-min train delay in 1848 reveal that space weather affects technology?

A train in England was delayed by 16 minutes on October 18, 1848, after a geomagnetic storm likely disrupted railway telegraph signals. The incident is one of the earliest documented examples of space weather affecting technology, a risk that persists today for power grids, satellites and navigation systems. Researchers have now inferred the incident's correct date, previously misdated as 1841.