Between 1880 and 1910 Elster and Geitel made important contributions to atmospheric electricity, in particular to precipitation electricity, the influence of solar radiation on the electric state of the atmosphere, the nature of charge carriers, and the ionization of air by radioactivity. They invented new instruments with unprecedented accuracy and reliability. A very modern concept was their attitude to undertake long-term measurements at various locations.

This paper discusses an historical record of the ocean tide made by the astronomer Manuel Johnson (a future President of the Royal Astronomical Society) at St. Helena in 1826–27. It describes how the measurements were made using a tide gauge of an unusual design, which recorded the heights of the high and low tides well, although information on their times were not so accurate. Johnson’s work is not well known. One objective of the present research was to make his measurements more accessible.

A method of deducing solar wind speed from magnetic observations of the Sun was verified in 1989 using 22 years of observations. This paper traces the evolution of this method from its birth in 1974 to its current use as a space weather forecasting technique. This paper is taken from an invited talk at the joint session of the Historical Astronomy Division and the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society during its 224th meeting in Boston, MA, on 3 June 2014.

An analysis is given of the account of a globe of fire observed in Zafra (Spain) in the middle of the 16th century. During a strong storm, Conde Don Pedro observed what he described as a globe of fire that was directed against the city and abruptly changed course. He attributed the change in course to a miracle. He described neither any damage nor sound.