http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/07/15/SciTechTalk-When-the-sun-brought-darkness/UPI-62461342348260/?spt=hts&or=7

When a huge solar flare Thursday sent a magnetic storm heading toward Earth, Americans heard the usual warnings of possible power outages, disruption of satellite communications and other effects -- and for the most part ignored them.

The warnings seem to come with every such event. "Heard it all before." "They always say that." Familiarity breeds contempt.

And yet Canadians in Quebec province probably felt the same way on March 13, 1989, complacent and happily going about their business -- until the lights went out in the early-morning hours, the start of a 12-hour blackout that left people stranded in dark office buildings by stalled elevators, or waking up to up to cold homes.

Schools and businesses were closed by the blackout, and the Montreal Metro commuter system was shut down during the morning rush hour.

............................................. The cause? A solar storm.