In the summer of 1977, New York City was burning. A 25-hour blackout, triggered by lightning striking key transmission lines, led to widespread looting, riots, and more than a thousand fires.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the "Great New York Energy Crisis of 1977," when a 24-hour power outage in New York City caused a crime wave on July 13, 1977.

On 14 August 2003, 22 years ago this week, the electricity cut out for more than 50 million people in the US and Canada. The ...