Profile America: Where Were You During The Blackout?

A mis-set relay in an Ontario power station began a cascade of power grid overloads across 80,000 square miles of the U.S. and Canada. (Life Magazine)

Wednesday, November 9 — At 5:16 pm Eastern time on this date 51 years ago, about 30 minutes after sundown, a fast-moving ripple of deeper darkness spread over much of the northeastern United States and a part of Canada. A mis-set relay in an Ontario power station began a cascade of power grid overloads and disconnects across 80,000 square miles of the U.S. and Canada.  The entire states of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts were blacked out.

Some 30 million people, including New York City’s roughly 7.8 million, were affected for up to 14 hours. Each year, more than 4 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity are generated by U.S. power companies.  Over 10,500 establishments produce, transmit and distribute this energy.

You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online here.