Sunspot Records
Systematic records began in 1755 (Cycle 1), covering all periods discussed. Data from SIDC, cross-referenced with Tchijevsky’s studies and modern analyses (e.g., AGU 2023).
•●○°•○○●●°•○○••○°○○•°●●○°●○●°••°•○○○
This summary covers all requested years/periods in chronological order, detailing solar cycle activity (sunspot numbers from SIDC) and associated historical events, focusing on the hypothesis that solar maxima correlate with traumatic or revolutionary events, as proposed by Tchijevsky. Correlation does not imply causation.
Tchijevsky’s Hypothesis
Suggests solar maxima drive social unrest via geomagnetic/psychological effects; ~80% of major conflicts since 1750 align with maxima or near-maxima.
Key Observations
Solar Maxima and Events: Most periods (1756–1763, 1778, 1788, 1830, 1848, 1860, 1870, 1906, 1917, 1937, 1957, 1989, 2001, 2007, 2019, 2025) align with solar maxima or near-maxima and major wars/revolutions, supporting Tchijevsky’s hypothesis (r ≈ 0.6–0.8 for 1901–2008). Exceptions: 1803–1815 (weak maxima, Dalton Minimum), 1913, and 2020 (near minima).
Sunspot Intensity: Highest was 1957 (~201), followed by 1989 (~158.5), 1778 (~150), 1830 (~146), 1848 (~146), 1788 (~139), 1870 (~139), 1937 (~119), 2001 (~120.8 in 2000, ~111 in 2001), 1917 (~103.9), 1860 (~98), 1756–1763 (~86.5 in 1761), 1803–1815 (~49.7 in 1805, ~45.8 in 1816), 1906 (~64). Cycle 25 (2025, ~115–173) is comparable to 1937, 1989, and 2001.
9/11 (2001): Occurred near Cycle 23 maximum (~120.8 in 2000), with high activity (~111 in 2001); aligns better with Tchijevsky’s hypothesis than 2003 (~60–70, post-maximum).
Napoleonic Wars: Spanned weak maxima (Cycles 5–6); battles in 1805 aligned with Cycle 5 peak, but low activity (Dalton Minimum) suggests transitional phases also drive unrest.
2025 Context: Cycle 25’s strong maximum may amplify tensions (e.g., Russia-Europe), echoing 1761, 1788, 1917, 1937, 1989, and 2001. Solar disruptions (e.g., 1989 Quebec blackout) highlight technological risks.
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1761 Seven Years’ War (1756–1763)
Global conflict (Britain, Prussia vs. France, Austria); peak in 1761 aligned with solar maximum; reshaped colonial empires (e.g., Britain gained Canada).
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 1 (Max: 1761)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~8–10 (1756, ascending);
~86.5 (1761, max);
~20–30 (1763, descending)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1778 American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
Peak solar activity during key battles (e.g., Yorktown); U.S. independence; intense auroras reported.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 3 (Max: 1778)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~150 (maximum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1788 French Revolution (1789)
High solar activity preceded the revolution; major upheaval led to Napoleonic Wars.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 2 (Max: 1788)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~139 (maximum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1803-1815 Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815)
French Empire vs. European coalitions; key battles (Trafalgar, Austerlitz) near weak Cycle 5 maximum; Dalton Minimum kept activity low; spread nationalism.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 5 (Max: 1805); Cycle 6 (Max: 1816)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~30–40 (1803, descending); ~49.7 (1805, max); ~10–20 (1815, ascending)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1830 Revolutions of 1830 (France, Belgium, Poland).
Liberal revolts; July Revolution ousted Charles X; Belgium gained independence; Polish uprising against Russia.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 7 (Max: 1830)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~146 (maximum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1848 Revolutions of 1848 (”Spring of Nations”).
Widespread rebellions for democracy and nationalism; key in Italian and German unification efforts.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 9 (Max: 1848)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~146 (maximum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1860 American Civil War (1861–1865).
Solar maximum preceded war; conflict over slavery and union, ~620,000 deaths.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 10 (Max: 1860)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~98 (maximum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1870 Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871).
German unification under Bismarck; led to Paris Commune and Franco-German tensions.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 11 (Max: 1870)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~139 (maximum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1906 Russian Revolution of 1905 (1905–1907).
Revolt against Tsar; strikes and mutinies; precursor to 1917 revolution; low sunspot peak.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 14 (Max: 1906)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~64 (maximum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1913 Vienna Convergence (Hitler, Trotsky, Stalin, Tito, Freud)
Low solar activity; prelude to World War I and Russian Revolution (1917).
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 15 (Max: 1917)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~11.1 (annual, near minimum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1917 World War I (1914–1918), Russian Revolution (1917).
Peak solar activity during WWI’s bloodiest phases and Bolshevik Revolution.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 15 (Max: 1917)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~103.9 (maximum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1937 Pre-World War II (1939–1945).
Solar maximum during Nazi rise and invasion of Poland; WWII caused 70–85 million deaths.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 17 (Max: 1937)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~119 (maximum)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1957 Suez Crisis (1956), Hungarian Revolution (1956).
Cold War tensions; Soviet invasion of Hungary, Anglo-French conflict in Suez.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 19 (Max: 1957)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~201 (maximum, highest recorded)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
1989 Fall of Berlin Wall, Revolutions of 1989, Tiananmen Square Protests.
Collapse of communism; violent repression in China; major geomagnetic storm in Quebec.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 22 (Max: 1989)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~158.5 (maximum, annual ~142.6)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
2001 September 11 Attacks (2001).
Al-Qaeda attacks on World Trade Center; triggered War on Terror, including Afghanistan invasion; high solar activity near maximum.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 23 (Max: 2000)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~111 (annual, descending, max ~120.8 in 2000)
Tchijevsky noted that solar minima can also coincide with social unrest, often linked to economic or social stress rather than wars/revolutions.
The 2019–2020 pandemic crisis, like the 2007–2009 financial crisis, aligns with this pattern, as it triggered widespread social “excitation” (e.g., anti-lockdown protests, geopolitical tensions) during a deep solar minimum.
》Year/Period / Historical Events
2007-2009 Global Financial Crisis (2007–2009).
Housing bubble collapse, bank failures (e.g., Lehman Brothers); global recession, social unrest (e.g., Occupy protests); deep solar minimum.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 23 (Max: 2000); Cycle 24 (Max: 2014)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~7–10 (2007, descending); ~2–3 (2008, minimum); ~3–5 (2009, ascending)
》Year/Period / Historical Events
2019- 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis.
Onset in Wuhan, China; global lockdowns, millions of deaths, economic disruption; deep solar minimum, similar to 2007–2009.
》Solar Cycle
Cycle 24 (Max: 2014); Cycle 25 (Max: 2025)
》Sunspot Number (Smoothed)
~3–5 (annual, minimum ~1.8 in Dec 2019)