1965 Blackout
The Northeast Blackout of 1965 left 30 million people without electricity for up to 13 hours on November 9, effectively shutting down New York subways and trapping approximately 800,000 riders. Starting at around 5 p.m., the Northeast faced a colossal power outage, but by the next day many subway lines were running again. Many subway riders were forced to walk along dark tracks to the next station, and by 3 a.m., power was restored to midtown Manhattan. Following the blackout, posters were placed throughout New York’s subway stations thanking New Yorkers for their cooperation, as more than 600 trains were stalled throughout 237 miles of the transit system. “When the lights went out you were at your brightest,” the poster read.