I have been meaning to add this to WVP lore. Whipple was 25 years old when he woke up early Friday morning, 2 September 1859 to a pre-dawn sky so bright that he could have read his newspaper and mail.
From a recent report:
On September 1, 1859, astronomer, Richard Carrington observed a sudden flash over a large area of sunspots on the sun. Within 60 seconds the flash had already started to disappear, but early the next morning, there were reports that the northern lights were so bright that people could read the newspaper as if it were daylight.
At the same time strange things began happening worldwide telegraph systems. Telegraph operators were being shocked unconscious and the flying sparks were setting their machines on fire. When the telegraph operators disconnected their machines from the batteries, there were still sparks flying. This is because the power of solar flares induced electricity into the lines that carried the telegraph signals.I do not know if WVP had access to a telegraph in late Summer 1859, but if he didn't, he would have heard about the strange doings by the next day, or that Friday from train passengers. It is a rare day that we know precisely what WVP was experiencing or doing, but this world-wide phenomenon lets us have some small insight into his life.
Below is a Providence newspaper reference to the event - not yet fully understood.
Below, an 1859 Calendar
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