Scientists have concluded that a reported railway disruption in Exeter during an 1841 geomagnetic storm almost certainly did not happen that year. The correction matters because the episode had been described as the earliest known example of space weather affecting technology, while historical records show the railway line was not yet open.

A 1871 account in Nature said a storm delayed a 10.05 pm express by 16 minutes because a telegraph operator could not confirm whether the track was clear. Researchers found that the relevant Exeter–Plymouth track section opened in May 1846, and the railway was not approved until 1844, making the 1841 date impossible. They suspect it was a typo, though they could not find the original source; the article may have been written by electrical engineer Nathaniel John Holmes. The 1859 Carrington Event remains the most powerful geomagnetic storm in the scientific record, and studying past events may help prepare infrastructure for future storms.