The NYC blackout of 1977 resulted in widespread looting and arson in many of the poorest neighborhoods throughout the city and provided a generation of New York DJs with equipment. The blackout affected most of New York City on July 13–14, 1977.
Lights glow in a midtown Waterside Con Ed plant as traffic passes on East Side Drive during an NYC Power failure in the summer of 1977. (Farrell, Dan/New York Daily News)