Watch Clip
Blackout, Chapter 1
8m 12s
July 14, 1977 dawned hot and humid in New York City. By 9:30pm the city would be plunged into darkness for more than 24 hours. In the wake of the power outage, tensions that had been simmering for years erupted into looting and violence. "Blackout" premieres July 14 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.