Blackout

[H]

November 9, 1965
The Great Northeast Blackout of the U.S. (but also included parts of southeast Canada) occurred, plunging most into darkness for over half a day; there was also a slight baby boom in the following year.

8-)

[ThomasKaira]

What happens in New York City without electricity you do NOT want to know.

It's almost like trying to answer the question "What happens if The City That Never Sleeps goes to sleep?"

Trust me, I go there every half a year, and I was born there. I know what it's like to be a New Yorker.

Then again, that was 1977.

[Hagar]

I can remember one more recent than that. According to this the Northeast Blackout of 2003 was the largest blackout in North American history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_North_America_blackout

[H]

I can remember one more recent than that.

From where over here are you "remembering" it? Although I see area population references in this report, I don't remember being in any extended blackout in 2003 NH (I may not have been all there but I was actually here); I know we're cut off from the rest by New York, geographically, but all of New Englnd is part of the northeast.

8-)

[Hagar]

I can remember one more recent than that.

From where over here are you "remembering" it? Although I see area population references in this report, I don't remember being in any extended blackout in 2003 NH (I may not have been all there but I was actually here); I know we're cut off from the rest by New York, geographically, but all of New Englnd is part of the northeast.

You don't have to be there in person to remember something on that scale. It was reported on the BBC news, all over the Internet & in all the newspapers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3156331.stm
It was also discussed on this forum.

[H]

I can remember of one more recent than that.

From where over here are you "remembering" it? Although I see area population references in this report, I don't remember being in any extended blackout in 2003 NH (I may not have been all there but I was actually here); I know we're cut off from the rest by New York, geographically, but all of New England is part of the northeast.

You don't have to be there in person to remember something on that scale. It was reported on the BBC news, all over the Internet & in all the newspapers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3156331.stm
It was also discussed on this forum.

You know I didn't mean that as a personal attack, just making use of the (acceptable) wording (see edit).
I was over here in the northeast in 2003 and I can't personally remember it as a comparison to the former blackout which, supposedly, was much more geographically inclusive and lasting. Different backup grids were set up in the years following that first major blackout. Of course, if we set up like some of the midwest where many individual towns have their own power stations.
In my outlook it would have been better if Edison and Westinghouse had merged their methods. It may cost a bit more to set up but, if the main source went down, instant temporary backup could be readily available per location even by battery. Cost isn't the only thing that inhibits perfecting technology. To say nothing of others, we are now introducing advances on electric powered vehicles that weren't presented nearly a century ago (and could have been) because exhaustible fossil-fueled locomotion was already more efficient and got maximum attention.

8-)

[DaveSims]

One cute little squirrel finds a nice warm place to build his nest, and the lights go out for hundreds of miles.  

[ThomasKaira]

[quote]One cute little squirrel finds a nice warm place to build his nest, and the lights go out for hundreds of miles.

[Jeph]

I was advised by a friend in a US Navy EA-6B squadron at my former base that it was an EA-6A that caused the blackout in '77. Aomeone allegedly accidentally hit the wrong switch in the cockpit.

This is unofficial, so if there's solid proof to another reason, please pass it on to me.

but bear in mind that only a few (classified number that i can't tell) of EA-6B's can jam, ruin, or burn out all of the lower 48's radar, weather, cell, tv, radio, etc etc communications.

[Brando14100]

I can remember one more recent than that. According to this the Northeast Blackout of 2003 was the largest blackout in North American history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_North_America_blackout

I remember that one! No computer! :-/

[DaveSims]

I remember the one in 2003, I was driving cross country to deliver a new car and heard it on the radio.  Everyone was talking terrorism at first, since 9/11 was still fresh on everyone's mind.  

As for the worst blackout I've experienced, the aftermath of Katrina.  Our house was without power for 12 days, some of my coworkers over a month.  The day after the storm, 98% of Mississippi and parts of Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama were all out for a couple of days.

[Anxyous]

Baby boom