At dusk on November 9, 1965, one of the biggest power failures
in history occurred as all of New York state, portions of seven
nearby states, and parts of eastern Canada are plunged into
darkness.

The Great Northeast Blackout began at the height of rush hour,
delaying millions of commuters, trapping 800,000 people in
New York’s subways, and stranding thousands more in office
buildings, elevators, and trains.

Ten thousand National Guardsmen and 5,000 off-duty policemen
were called into service.

The blackout was caused by the tripping of a transmission line
near Ontario, Canada, at 5:16 p.m., which caused several other
heavily loaded lines also to fail.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

American singer-actor Rick Springfield performs before a large
crowd at the Live Aid famine relief concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia on this day in 1985.

Live Aid concert crowds at Wembley Stadium in London.

Jean-Paul Marat, a famous French revolutionary and member of the
Club des Cordeliers, was assassinated by the Girondin sympathizer Charlotte Corday on this day in 1793.

Jean-Paul Marat
(May 24, 1743 – July 13, 1793)

In New York, Civil War draft riots erupted on this day in 1863.

It was on this in 1977 when a power blackout hit the Big Apple.

Actor Harrison Ford is 76 years old today.

Iconic actor Harrison Ford’s memorable characters include Han Solo from
the original Star Wars trilogy from 1977, Indiana Jones trilogy beginning
in 1981, and Rick Deckard from the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner. He
earned Golden Globe Award nominations for his roles in Witness (1985),
The Mosquito Coast (1986), The Fugitive (1993) and Sabrina (1995). He
was ranked #1 on Empire’s 1997 list of the Top 100 Movie Stars of All
Time.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

Live Aid was a charity concert, organized by Bob Geldof
and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing
Ethiopian famine. The event was held simultaneously at
the Wembley Stadium in London (UK) and the John F.
Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia (USA) on July 13, 1985
and was broadcasted internationally via satellite television.

On this day in 1863, opponents of the Civil War draft began three
days of rioting in New York City, which resulted in more than 1,000 casualties.

It was on this day in 1977.

Harrison Ford is 75 years old today.

Iconic actor Harrison Ford’s memorable characters include Han Solo from the
original Star Wars trilogy, Indiana Jones, and Rick Deckard from the 1982 sci-
fi classic Blade Runner. He earned Golden Globe Award nominations for his
roles in Witness, The Mosquito Coast, The Fugitive and Sabrina.He was put
at the #1 position on Empire’s 1997 list of the Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time.

1997

1981