Northeast Blackout (2003)
A sagging power line in Ohio touched a tree, tripped a generator, and set off a cascade that cut power to 55 million people across eight U.S. states and Ontario. Some areas went dark for up to four days.
Billions in economic losses and widespread disruption across the northeastern U.S. and Canada.
Led to mandatory grid reliability standards in the U.S. under the Federal Energy Reliability Commission.
Shows how a single transmission fault can ripple across a grid when infrastructure is aging and maintenance is deferred.
