2003 blackout

Tomorrow marks the 21st anniversary of the history-making cascading power failure that put much of the northeast United States and parts of Ontario, Canada in the dark. On August 14, 2003, a series of events occurred that switched off the lights for much of the eastern seaboard. High afternoon temperatures that day in much of the region lead to an increased energy demand on the power grid. This caused power lines to sag, some of which came in contact, or flashed, with overgrown trees below. … Read More