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77 WABC-1965 Northeast Blackout-DAN INGRAM

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Today marks 54 years since the Great 1965 Blackout. The power didn't go instantly, instead the frequency of the alternating current dropped as parts of the grid failed and remaining generators still online tried to crank out sufficient current to keep the lights running. As radio stations were using tape decks back then, as the frequency of the alternating current slowed, you can actually hear the tape recording of Jonathan King's "Everybody's Gone to the Moon" slow down. It was a perfect song to be playing on that night, because it was a full moon.

Old Sylvania 300watt Clear Incandescent Light Bulb

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I remember at Plattsburgh State that some of the campus meeting rooms had these massive light fixtures with 300 watt bulbs. Each campus meeting room had two of these bulbs for lighting -- while bright, they sucked down 600 watts per hour, or a kilowatt hour every hour and a half in relatively small rooms. But they were getting a lot of cheap Canadian hydropower on the campus, so replacing these luminaries with modern energy saving fixtures probably wasn't worth the cost.

Three-Phase Power Explained

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This video will take a close look at three-phase power and explain how it works. Three-phase power can be defined as the common method of alternating current power generation, transmission, and distribution. It is a type of polyphase system, and is the most common method used by electric grids worldwide to transfer power.