July 13, 1977: Where were you when the lights went out?

[The Big Ragu]

It's the 32nd anniversary of the blackout that set off riots in NYC. I was 9 years old, and it's one of my most vivid memories from childhood. The whole story -- about how Con-Ed bungled it, and couldn't handle the overload, what triggered the rioting and how it all went down was covered really well in Jonathan Mahler's book, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning.

Here is a commemoration the NY Times did for the 30th anniversary:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/13/the-night-the-lights-went-out/

The city was in such a malaise and the blackout and the rioting really defines that period in the late 70s for me. I remember all the graffiti everywhere and how run down parts of New York that are nice now, were then.

Anyone else have vivid memories of the blackout?

 

[Pancamo]

Hiding from Sam.

 

[Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell]

I was still a week or two away from being conceived.

 

[old_tony]

I was 22 days short of turning 17 and we were celebrating my sister's 6th birthday. Thus, today I had lunch with my sister for her 38th birthday.

 

[finishthehat]

I was in a bar in Passaic. Being stupid and young, we thought about heading into the city, but luckily we came to our senses.

I remember the mid-60s blackout better, because it actually affected us. And we all thought my sister caused it, because -- after losing too many dials off the TV from fights over which station to watch -- we were completely forbidden to change the channel once a show had been agreed upon.

My sister decided to ignore the law, and just as she touched the dial the lights went out.

 

[Drip]

I was on vacation in Miami.

 

[Trey Beamon]

Probably on tour. I was one of Freddie Mercury's unitards in a past life.

 

[shockey]

i was 20. away from nyc, working in the catskills.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

I was in high school in southwestern Kansas.

This is the first time I've heard about it.

 

[Colton]

I was 13 and I am embarrassed to say I have no recall of this, though I have read about it.

I was more than likely desperately searching for Barry Foote, Gary Sperum or some other player's card(s) to fill out my '77 Topps set.

Then again, perhaps I was still trying to recover from barely surviving Hurricane Agnes in 1972 to think about any other calamities. :-\

 

[dooley_womack1]

I was in a bar in Passaic. Being stupid and young, we thought about heading into the city, but luckily we came to our senses.

I remember the mid-60s blackout better, because it actually affected us. And we all thought my sister caused it, because -- after losing too many dials off the TV from fights over which station to watch -- we were completely forbidden to change the channel once a show had been agreed upon.

My sister decided to ignore the law, and just as she touched the dial the lights went out.

Your sister apparently being our 21

 

[JR]

I betcha perhaps half of sj. wasn't even born in '77. Just a hunch

 

[Flying Headbutt]

I sure wasn't.

 

[imjustagirl]

Probably on tour. I was one of Freddie Mercury's unitards in a past life.

Holy crap is that awesome. and it explains so much.

I was one year, four months and six days old.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Probably on tour. I was one of Freddie Mercury's unitards in a past life.

Holy crap is that awesome. and it explains so much.

I was one year, four months and six days old.

Well, if you are going to be that exact. ... I wasn't quite 9 yet.

My memories of that blackout are so vivid for some reason. Pancamo mentioned him; I also remember all the hysteria about Son of Sam that year so vividly, too.

 

[imjustagirl]

I was only exact because it was easy to count. If it had been before the 7th of any month, it would have been too much counting.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

talking to my neighbor's dog

 

[dooley_womack1]

Washing the windshield of some Pinto.

 

[Dyno]

I was 9. My dad was in the hospital, our dog had just run away and there were rumors that the blackout had been caused by a meltdown at Indian Point nuclear power plant (not to far away). I was very scared, for lots of reasons. I remember that summer very vividly, too, for lots of reasons. The city was so gritty then - Son of Sam, the looting, grafitti, crime on the subway. ****, it's making me scared just thinking about it.

 

[waterytart]

I was one year out of college, living in the Village (13th Street, between 7th and 8th). I think there were maybe 15 apartments in the building, and all the tenants were young. We went up to the roof to watch. The whole island didn't go dark at once; every minute, another cluster of blocks would shut down and it was fascinating to watch. Somebody yelled, "The beer in your fridges is getting warm." Everybody ran downstairs, grabbed their beer, and headed back to the roof. We didn't know what was going on elsewhere but, on that rooftop, it was a great party.


[Son of Sam aside: I'm a brunette, back then with waist-length hair. All the female victims to date had had long, dark hair. I'm standing in line at the supermarket checkout one day when the guy behind me grabs my hair and says, "You should cut this. It's not safe." Seriously freaked me out.]