The night the lights went out

Today is the 29th anniversary of the electricity "Blackout" in New York City.


Where were YOU when the lights went out in New York City on July 13, 1977?





I was living in South Florida and watching TV after 9pm when the three networks ABC, CBS & NBC interrupted TV shows to report that the electricity was out in all of New York City. The "Blackout" as it was called had left millions stuck in Elevators and Subway trains. People were in high rise buildings without air conditioning and some went wild by LOOTING businesses.

My Grandmother lived in Queens NY at the time and we called her to see if she was ok. She was fine and eating watermelon on her front porch. It was a very hot summer time and the city was without electricity for 25 hours. When food began to thaw because of the power outage, my Grandmother and her neighbors pulled out the charcoal grills and barbequed.

Meanwhile I also had a cousin named Brenda who was pregnant at age 17. She gave birth to her daughter during the blackout.

Bernica is now 29 years old....Happy Birthday "Little B"!

And speaking of Babies. There are a lot of 27 year old native New Yorkers that owe their existance to "Con Edison" (the NY Power company) as many people found an intimate way to spend their time in the dark.

There is a song that tells the story of the time when the lights went out in New York City, July 13th, 1977.



"The Night The Lights Went Out" by The Trammps
Was a Disco dance club hit in the fall of 1977.
Written about the July 13, 1977 Electrical BLACKOUT in New York City

To read more about the 1977 New York City Blackout,
go to this wikipedia site.