A look at what happened in New York City the night the lights went out in July of 1977, plunging 7 million city residents into darkness. By the time power was restored, stores and businesses had been looted and burned and thousands had been arrested.
American Experience: Blackout
On July 13, 1977, New Yorkers prepared themselves for another sweltering day. But high temperatures weren't the only thing making them sweat: unemployment was high, police and firefighters had been laid off, municipal services had been cut, and a serial killer named Son of Sam was still on the loose, keeping everyone on edge. That evening, lightning struck a power line outside the city, increasing demand on surrounding lines. Despite Con Edison's efforts to control the cascading effects and prevent a catastrophic system failure, the lights went out, plunging some seven million city residents into darkness.
In the city that never sleeps, the divide between the haves and the have-nots became ever more apparent, as mayhem broke out under the cover of darkness. By the time the lights went back on more than a day later, more than 1,600 businesses had been looted, over 3,700 people had been arrested, and firefighters had battled more than 1,000 fires.
Told through the memories of ordinary New Yorkers who lived through the events, Blackout explores what happened on the night the lights went out.
Producer: Callie T. Wiser, David Murdock
Production Year: 2015
Rating: TV-PG
Number of Discs: 1
Length: 60 minutes
Subtitled: Y
Subtitle Languages: English
DVI: N
Audio Format: 5.1 Surround
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen
VIDEO USAGE RIGHTS
Why the AV version? Because it provides additional usage options for PBS videos. AV versions come with limited performance rights so they can be shown in classrooms, at PTA meetings, during after school programs, and transmitted on a closed-circuit system within a building or on a single campus. They also can be enjoyed in admission-free public screenings, which also makes them ideal for use by library patrons and businesses involved in community clubs and organizations.