6/2/03 9:06:02 PM Pacific Daylight Time
NorthEast Black out in 1946

And I don´t mean electrical. Although electric power was lost in many places.

I have talked to several older folks in my home town here in NW PA and they all remember the day the sun went out.

Some of the versions vary a bit but most basic points are agreed upon.

I have pinpointed the year to 1946. The weather was warm and most likely was in late Aug.

About noon or 1PM on that day, they all noticed a darkening of the sky. By 3-4 Pm it was dark. Pitch black dark. Not twilight but so dark you couldn´t see your hand in front of your face dark.

When the darkening started the sky was overcast or atleast appeared gray. You really couldn´t see clouds. After the darkeness set in, there were no stars, no wind, no fog, no smell of smoke.

Many places reported loss of electricity and even natural gas where it was available at that time.

NYC was blacked out. Reports of panic and people stuck in elevators covered the front page of local newspapers.

The official story given was a huge forest fire in Canada causing a smokey upper atmosphere that blotted out the sun.

The people I talked to remember at least 2 -3 days of darkness. Pitch black darkness.

Also that year (I was told) an electric plant in Niagria Falls was damaged by an earthquake.

So, I´m wondering, how wide spread was the black out? Who remembers it? Was there really a fire in Canada that year and would/could it have caused that kind of black out.

And why the loss of electricity and natural gas? It was just smoke supposedly although no one remembers smelling the smoke.

Enquiring Minds want to know.

I did some searches and couldn´t find anything about a NYC black out or a forest fire in Canada in that time frame.

Phimes

FWIW I've talked to 7 locals who remember this event. 6 of them don't believe the fire story