When the power failed last week, many Americans' initial thought was of terrorism. The 1965 BLACKOUT led some Americans to blame themselves or their cold war enemies:
At first, many thought the darkness came from within. A middle-aged executive who had been playing a too-vigorous game of basketball wondered if the fading light before his eyes signaled a massive coronary...Scores concluded that, like latter-day Mrs. O'Learys, they were personally to blame for the blackout. After trimming the ends of some loose wires in readiness for the house painters next day, a Manhattan housewife saw the whole city go black and...