Elf Sternberg

Interestingly, this was one of the first major EMP incidents. Nuclear weapons do generate electromagnetic interference, but to get major damage you need to trigger a cascade event in the upper atmosphere.

If a similar device was detonated 500 km above Kansas today, it would wipe out most commercial and military electronics in the US and Canada. Telecom backbone service would still work, as optical isolators and EMI shielding are required by IEC 60950 (and third-party registrars such as UL audit manufacturing sites quarterly to ensure they're included).

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse