WELCOME TO An Entertainment Site for Scottish Country Dancers - Enjoy the curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
November, 1965
The Great Northeast Blackout of 1965
Nov 9
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
The fiddles played, the ceilidh was bright,
Then—bam!—we’re plunged in pitch-black night.
Reels and jigs froze on the spot,
Dancers lost in the dark we got!
Someone shouted, “Mind your toes!”
As kilted dancers tangled in rows.
But when the lights flashed back on, what a sight—
Half the dancers were gone, but the snacks were all right!
Grab your flashlights, torches, or even a candle and matches for your next dance—you never know when the lights might go out! This 5-couple reel with all sorts of fun figures definitely deserves a spotlight. It even ends with a set and rotate, which might (or might not) remind you of screwing in a new lightbulb! Back in 1965, on November 9, one such evening turned dark for more than 30 million people across seven northeastern U.S. states and Ontario, when a massive blackout struck. The cause? A cascade of safety relays tripping on an especially cold night. Nearly four decades later, in 2003, a software glitch in an alarm system left over 55 million people without power in the same region. To ward off power cuts—or to celebrate the lights being on—bring a Brooklyn Blackout Cake to your next gathering! This decadent chocolate treat, created by Ebinger’s Bakery in the 1940s, got its name from the WWII blackouts, offering a delicious diversion during dim-outs. The cake, layered with chocolate pudding and topped with crumbs, is truly indulgent and just what you need for a night of celebration. So, dancers, heed the calls to strengthen the grid! We can't let cold weather, EMPs, solar storms, or outdated wiring stop our steps. Stock up on lanterns, batteries … and cake-making ingredients Just in case! 🖤 🖤 🖤 💡🔦🍰
We've Nae Electric
November 9th marks the anniversary of one of the earliest mass electrical disruptions, the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965, which holds the record as one of the most massive and disruptive electrical blackouts, affecting over 30 million people in Canada and the American Northeast.
Maintenance personnel incorrectly set a protective relay on one of the transmission lines between the Niagara generating station Sir Adam Beck Station No. 2 in Queenston, Ontario. The safety relay, which was to trip if the current exceeded the capacity of the transmission line, was set too low.
On Tuesday, November 9th, a significant disruption in the electricity supply affected parts of Ontario, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Over 30 million people and 80,000 square miles (207,000 km2) were left without electricity for up to 13 hours.
Fortunately, a bright full moon provided some natural light.
For a corresponding recipe, we have "Blackout Cake" a creation of a famous New York-based neighborhood bakery chain. Blackout cake, sometimes called Brooklyn Blackout cake, is an American chocolate cake filled with chocolate pudding and chocolate cake crumbs, and frosted with chocolate icing. It was invented during World War II by a Brooklyn bakery chain named Ebinger's, in recognition of the mandatory blackouts to protect the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Many bakers have tried to recreate this cake after the closure of this bakery. Click the slice of cake for a recipe that devotees claim comes close, but be warned, this cake is notoriously difficult to make!
See below for a well lit version of the dance performed by The Tay Dancers, in 2017.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
