One of the first scientists to publish a paper (in the 50's?) on solar carpusular radiation was Ludwick Bierman. He was trying to explain why the tails of comets always trail away from the sun. He was ridiculed. He later committed suicide. In 1962 the Mariner II probe proved him right. It's plasma detectors found an always present solar wind of 300-800 km/second. End of debate.

It's a good thing that the earth's atmosphere and magnetic field protect us from this radiation. Plus we get a cool light show when the Auroras pick up, although the power grid may be zapped on occasion (ref: NE Canada in 1995?).