Quantcast

Northeast blackout 2003: Photos of NYC

It was a dark time for New Yorkers on Aug. 14, 2003 – literally.

Nearly 16 years ago, a cascade of power failures that started in Ohio reached the five boroughs in a matter of minutes.

The Northeast blackout, the largest of its kind in American history, forced New Yorkers to endure the steamy summer weather sans air conditioning for up to 29 hours. Subway riders were evacuated from stalled trains across the city and were left with no choice but to walk.

Scroll down for photos from around the city on the day that everything went dark.