TIME, July 25, 1977

The New York City Blackout of 1977 was a blackout that affected New York City on July 13 - July 14, 1977. This image is a TIME magazine cover. ... This image is a TIME magazine cover. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... Candy From a Stranger is Soul Asylums eighth studio album. ... Power Outage is an episode of The WB drama series, Charmed. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

Unlike other blackouts that affected the region, namely the Northeast Blackout of 1965 and the 2003 North America blackout, the 1977 blackout was localized to New York City and the immediate surroundings. It resulted in city-wide looting and other disorder, including arson. A map of the states and provinces affected The Northeast Blackout of 1965 was a significant disruption in the supply of electricity on November 9, 1965, affecting Ontario, Canada and Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, and New Jersey in the United States. ... The 2003 North America blackout was a massive power outage that occurred throughout parts of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada on Thursday, August 14, 2003. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ...

Cause

The events leading up to the blackout started at 8:37 p.m. EDT on July 13 with a lightning strike at Buchanan South, a substation on the Hudson River, tripping two circuit breakers in Westchester County. The Buchanan South substation converted the 345,000 volts of electricity from Indian Point to lower voltage for commercial use. A loose locking nut combined with a tardy upgrade cycle ensured that the breaker was not able to reclose and allow power to flow again. is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A 115 kV to 41. ... The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river that runs through the eastern portion of New York State and, along its southern terminus, demarcates the border between the states of New York and New Jersey. ... A 2 pole miniature circuit breaker A circuit breaker is an automatically-operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC) is a three-unit nuclear power plant station located in Buchanan, New York just south of Peekskill. ...

A second lightning strike caused the loss of two 345,000 volt transmission lines (and subsequent reclose of only one of the lines) and the loss of power from a 900MW nuclear plant at Indian Point. As a result of the strikes, two other major transmission lines became loaded over their normal limits. As per procedure, Con Edison tried to start fast-start generation at 8:45PM EDT - however, no one was manning the station, and the remote start failed. Consolidated Edison Company of New York (NYSE: ED) (Con Edison, or Con Ed) is a utility company in New York state, USA. Con Edison is a regulated utility that provides electric service in New York City and most of Westchester County, New York. ...

At 8:55PM EDT there was another lightning strike, which took out two additional critical transmission lines. As before, only one of the lines was automatically returned to service. This outage of lines from the Sprain Brook substation caused the remaining lines to exceed the long-term operating limits of their capacity. After this last failure, Con Edison had to manually reduce the loading on another local generator at their East River facility, due to problems at the plant. This exacerbated an already dire situation.

At 9:14PM EDT, over thirty minutes from the initial event, Con Edison initiated a 5% system-wide voltage reduction to try to reduce NYC load and the transfers from upstate. The results were not satisfactory, and the power was then reduced by 8%. At 9:19 PM EDT the final major interconnection to Upstate NY at Leeds substation tripped due to a thermal overload which caused a 345kV conductor to sag into a tree. This trip caused the 138 kV links with Long Island to overload, and a major interconnection with PSEG in New Jersey began to load even higher than previously reported. At 9:22PM EDT, LILCO opened its 345,000 volt interconnection to Con Edison in an effort to save its own system. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... In telecommunications, interconnection is the physical linking of a carriers network with equipment or facilities not belonging to that network. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... LILCO Logo of the 80s and 90s The Long Island Lighting Company, or LILCo [ lil-co ], was an electrical power company for Long Island, New York. ...

At 9:24 pm EDT the Con Edison operator tried and failed to manually shed load. Five minutes later, at 9:29 PM EDT, the Linden 345,000 volt interconnection with New Jersey tripped, and the Con Edison system began to automatically isolate itself from the outside world. In telecommunications, interconnection is the physical linking of a carriers network with equipment or facilities not belonging to that network. ...

Con Ed, the power provider for New York City and some of Westchester County, could not generate enough power within the city, and the three power lines that supplemented the city's power were overtaxed. Just after 9:27 PM EDT, the biggest generator in New York City, Ravenswood 3 (also known as Big Allis), shut down. With it went all of New York City. (Mahler 2005) Consolidated Edison, Inc. ... Westchester County is a primarily suburban county with about 940,000 residents located in the U.S. state of New York. ... Power line redirects here. ...

By 9:36 PM EDT the entire Con Edison power system shut down, almost exactly an hour after the first lightning strike. By 10:26 PM EDT operators started a restoration procedure. Power was not restored until late the following day.

As a result of the 1977 blackout, the operating entities in New York fully investigated the blackout, its related causes, and the operator actions. They implemented significant changes, which are still in effect today, to guard against a similar occurrence. Despite these safeguards, there was a blackout in August 2003, although this was caused by a power system failure as far away as Eastlake, Ohio A map of provinces and states that had areas of blackout, including minor ones. ... Eastlake information sign Eastlake is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. ...

Effects

The blackout came at a low point in the city's history, with New York facing a severe financial crisis, and commentators contrasted the event with the good-natured Where were you when the lights went out? atmosphere of 1965. Some pointed to the financial crisis as a root cause of the disorder, others noted the hot July weather. Still others noted that the 1977 blackout came after businesses had closed and their owners went home, while in 1965 the blackout occurred during the day and owners stayed to protect their property. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Looting and vandalism were widespread, hitting thirty-one neighborhoods, including every poor neighborhood in the city. Among the hardest hit were Crown Heights where seventy-five stores on a five-block stretch were looted, and Bushwick where arson was rampant with some 25 fires still burning the next morning. At one point two blocks of Broadway, which seperates Bushwick from Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, were on fire. Thirty-five blocks of Broadway were destroyed: 134 stores looted, 45 of them set ablaze. Looting (which derives via the Hindi lut from Sanskrit lung, to rob), sacking, plundering, or pillaging is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe or riot, such as during war,[1] natural disaster,[2] or rioting. ... Vandalism is the conspicuous defacement or destruction of a structure, a symbol or anything else that goes against the will of the owner/governing body. ... A neighbourhood or neighborhood (see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community located within a larger city, town or suburb. ... Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... Bedford Stuyvesant (aka Bed-Stuy) is a neighborhood in central Brooklyn, New York City. ...

In all, 1,616 stores were damaged in looting and rioting. 1,037 fires were responded to, including 14 multiple-alarm fires. In the largest mass arrest in city history, 3,776 people were arrested. Many had to be stuffed into overcrowded cells, precinct basements and other makeshift holding pens. A Congressional study estimated that the cost of damages amounted to a little over US$300 million.

Shea Stadium went dark at approximately 9:30 p.m., in the bottom of the sixth inning, with Lenny Randle at bat. The New York Mets were losing 2-1 against the Chicago Cubs. Jane Jarvis, Shea's Organist and "Queen of Melody", played Jingle Bells and White Christmas. The game was completed on September 16, with the Cubs winning 5-2. William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium, is an American baseball stadium in Flushing, New York. ... Lenny Randle attempting to blow the close roller ball foul Lenny Randle (b. ... Major league affiliations National League (1962–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 14, 37, 41, 42 Name New York Mets (1962–present) Other nicknames The Amazin Mets, The Amazins, The Metropolitans Ballpark Shea Stadium (1964–present) Polo Grounds (1962–1963) Major league titles World Series titles... Major league affiliations National League (1876–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 10, 14, 23, 26, 42 Name Chicago Cubs (1902–present) Chicago Orphans (1898-1901) Chicago Colts (1890-1897) Chicago White Stockings (1870-1889) (a. ... Jane Nossett Jarvis (born November 1915 in Vincennes, Indiana) is a renowned jazz pianist. ... Jingle Bells, originally One Horse Open Sleigh, is one of the best known and commonly sung secular Christmas songs in the world. ... White Christmas is an Irving Berlin song whose lyrics reminisce about White Christmases. ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ...

By 1:45 p.m. the next day, service was restored to half of Consolidated Edison's customers, mostly in Staten Island and Queens. It was not until 10:39 p.m. on July 14 that the entire city's power was back online. Staten Island (IPA: ) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. ... Queens County, often referred to as simply Queens, is the largest in area of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It is home to New York Citys two major airports (John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia), the New York Mets baseball team, the USTA National Tennis Center, Silvercup... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Aftermath

Mayor Abe Beame accused Con Ed of "gross negligence" but would eventually feel the effect himself. He finished third in the Democratic primary to Ed Koch and Mario Cuomo. Koch would go on to win the mayoral election. Abe Beame in mid-career Abraham David Beame (known as Abe Beame) (March 20, 1906 – February 10, 2001) was mayor of New York City from 1974 to 1977. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Edward Irving Koch (born December 12, 1924; pronounced to rhyme with Scotch) was a United States Congressman from 1969 to 1977 and the Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. ... Mario Matthew Cuomo (born June 15, 1932) served as the Governor of New York from 1983 to 1995. ...

Trivia

• Superman: The Movie was being filmed in New York at the time of the blackout. According to director Richard Donner, cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth mistakenly believed that he had caused the blackout by plugging a powerful spotlight into a lamppost.

• It is widely rumored that the birth rate in New York City went up 35% nine months following the blackout in 1977 (suggesting that people had sexual intercourse during the blackout), but this has not been proven and remains an urban legend (but was nevertheless featured on VH1's I Love the 70s episode for 1977).

For the franchise, see Superman film series. ... Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg on April 24, 1930) is an American film director and also producer through the production company, The Donners Company, he and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler-Donner, own. ... A Cameraman-Reporter during a MINUSTAH mission in 2007 (Photo: Patrick-André Perron A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera (the art and science of which is known as cinematography). ... Geoffrey Unsworth (1914-1978) was a British cinematographer who enjoyed a long and varied career in the British film industry, working on nearly 90 feature films spanning more than 40 years. ... It has been suggested that Duration of sexual intercourse be merged into this article or section. ... An urban legend or urban myth is similar to a modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ... VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently part of the MTV Networks division... I Love the 70s is a television mini-series originally produced by the BBC, and later for American audiences by VH-1 which is the sister series to I Love the 80s and explains such stories about the 1970s. ...

Cultural references

• In 1977, The Trammps released the song "The Night the Lights Went Out" to commemorate the electrical blackout.

• In a what-if alternate history issue of Conan the Barbarian by Marvel Comics, the blackout is connected to a brief time travel visit of Conan to our times. Peter Parker also makes a cameo.

• According to Men in Black (1997), the blackout was caused by a super bouncing energy ball, and the blackout was a practical joke by "The Great Attractor."

• Raymond Stantz knocks out New York City's power while investigating a river of slime in Ghostbusters II (1989).

• Coupled with Son of Sam hysteria, the effects of the blackout on New York City are a key theme of the 1999 Spike Lee film Summer of Sam.

• Rapper Pharoahe Monch's 2006 music video "Push" is set in the night of the blackout.

• The Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel Blackout by Keith R.A. DeCandido takes place during the '77 blackout.

• In an episode of "Phenomenon: The Lost Archives" (documenting the works of Nikola Tesla), it was suggested that a Soviet radio tower, broadcasting "noise" which had been labelled the "Russian Woodpecker" by the CIA, coincidentally ceased after a year of continual transmission prior to the blackout.

• The riot features in the game The Warriors as a level. The gang must loot shops, graffiti and then escape before the riot police arrest them.

• News coverage and videos of riots were featured on an episode of The Bronx is Burning.

The Trammps, based in Philadelphia, were one of the first disco bands. ... Alternate history (fiction) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... Time travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity—whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammeds trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... Men in Black is a 1997 science fiction comedy action film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Vincent DOnofrio. ... An image taken by the European Southern Observatory looking in the direction of the Great Attractor. ... Dr. Raymond Ray Stantz, PhD is a fictional ghostbuster appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II (played by Dan Aykroyd) and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters (voiced by Frank Welker). ... Ghostbusters II is the 1989 sequel to Ghostbusters (1984). ... David Falco Berkowitz (born June 1, 1953), better known by his nickname Son of Sam, is an infamous 1970s New York City serial killer who killed six people and wounded several others. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Spike Lee, is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. ... Summer of Sam is a 1999 film about the Son of Sam serial murders. ... Pharoahe Monch (born Troy Donald Jamerson on October 31, 1972) is an American hip hop artist from Queens, NY. He is known for his complex delivery and multi-syllabic rhyme schemes. ... Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated American cult television series that initially aired from March 10, 1997 until May 20, 2003. ... Book cover // Book Information Author(s): Keith R.A. DeCandido Substance: 256 pages Publisher: Pocket Books Date first published: August 29, 2006 Book Description Spoiler warning: It is 1977, the summer of a brutal blackout, the time of the Son of Sam murders, and a period of brutal fiscal disaster... Keith R. A. DeCandido (born April 1969 in New York, United States) is an American sci-fi writer. ... Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)[1] was a world-renowned Serbian inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. ... Duga-3 array outside Chernobyl. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... The Bronx Is Burning is a television drama that debuted on ESPN on July 9, 2007, following the 2007 Home Run Derby. ...

See also

• Northeast Blackout of 1965
• Northeast Blackout of 2003

A map of the states and provinces affected The Northeast Blackout of 1965 was a significant disruption in the supply of electricity on November 9, 1965, affecting Ontario, Canada and Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, and New Jersey in the United States. ... A map of provinces and states that had areas of blackout, including minor ones. ...

References

• Goodman, James (2003) Blackout New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
• Mahler, Jonathan (2005) Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning New York: Farrar, Straus and Girous