The \"Good\" Blackout: The Northeast Power Failure of 9 November 1965 [History]

On the night of 9 November 1965, the northeastern United States and the province of Ontario suffered an electric power failure unprecedented in the history of the industry up until that time. An estimated 30 million Americans and Canadians were directly affected in an area encompassing about 80,000 mi2, as shown in Figure 1. Full restoration of the power took up to 13 h. The event immediately became front-page news around the world, and photographs and films of a blacked-out New York City formed the root of endless editorials, speculations, and conspiracy theories.