The Night the Lights Went Out, Nov 9, 1965

Man, I was just thinking about the time back in August 2003 when I was almost finished building my new house on Noyac Road. It was hot, so I decided to knock off about three in the afternoon. I was listening to the radio when I heard them announce that there was a massive blackout on the east coast. As the afternoon drew on, I noticed my Nextel walkie-talkie starting to work intermittently and then die out. However, I did have a generator and satellite TV along with a wired telephone, so this blackout had no effect on me.
Not so with the one on November 9, 1965 when I was attending Pierson High School. That night, a Tuesday, I had put off until the last moment doing a social studies report that was due the next day. Around 5:30 just as it was getting dark the light dimmed and went out. We had candles that we lit, and when it became apparent the lights were not coming on for a while, I turned on a handheld transister radio and was able to tuned in WCBS News Radio 88 and learned how extensive the blackout was. Thousands of people trapped in subways and elevators in New York City alone. Oh yes, I did my report that night by candlelight. The next day, the teacher said that because of the blackout he would give us an extra day. So much for being consciencous.
To listen to the actual aircheck of ABC's flagship New York station that night, click here77 WABC and listen to Dan Ingram as the blackout was about to happen! WABC's 50KW transmitter in Lodi, N.J. still operated, but their studios in Mahattan were fading fast man!

The Big Northeast Blackout