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When the Lights Go Out: History's Nine Biggest Blackouts

The pandemonium, parties, and politics behind history’s nine biggest blackouts

Alex Goldmark
By Alex GoldmarkJan 28, 2011
Alex Goldmark
See Full Bio

The pandemonium, parties, and politics behind history's nine biggest blackouts.

Every three months, GOOD releases our quarterly magazine, which examines a given theme through our unique lens. Recent editions have covered topics like the impending global water crisis, the future of transportation, and the amazing rebuilding of New Orleans. This quarter's issue is about energy, and we'll be rolling out a variety of stories all month. You can subscribe to GOOD here.

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Feeding babies peanuts helped over 40,000 kids avoid a troubling health trend

A decade ago, a rising health concern affecting children into adulthood still lingers today: peanut allergies. A study released in 2010 by researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine found that cases of peanut allergies tripled between 1997 to 2008. In 2015, new evidence emerged that reduced peanut allergy cases, not by delaying the introduction of peanut products until age three as previously recommended, but by feeding them to children as infants. A decade later, the results showed that it worked.

In humans, peanut allergies occur when the immune system mistakenly recognizes the protein in peanuts as harmful. There is a wide range of peanut allergy symptoms; some people experience digestive problems, while others break out in hives. The most severe symptoms include dramatic drops in blood pressure and anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis can cause difficulty breathing and uncontrolled vomiting, which can be fatal as swelling in the throat closes off airways and reduces intake of oxygen. Understandably, parents and adults alike grew concerned about ingestion and exposure to peanuts and peanut products at schools, playgrounds, and other public spaces.

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A former bandmate gave Elton John this '60s song the superstar had completely forgotten he wrote

In the late '60s, before Elton John officially became Elton John, immortal pop-rock superstar and one of music’s best-selling artists, he was simply Reginald Dwight: a young songwriter searching for his musical identity. During that pre-fame era, he was briefly bandmates with Derek Shulman in the psychedelic soul group Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. And while they lost touch over the years, the pair reconnected decades later through a kind gesture: Shulman gifting John a demo recording of a song the latter forgot he’d ever written.

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Rick Allen has one of rock music’s most inspirational stories: The Def Leppard drummer tragically lost his left arm following a 1984 car accident, but he relearned to play on a custom drum kit, while the band went on to reach their biggest commercial success. That redemption may have never happened, though, without the uplifting messages he received, including one from another famous drummer: Phil Collins.

Allen was, naturally, in a dark place following the accident, which happened Dec. 31, 1984, in the Sheffield, England area, when he was only 21. The prior year, Def Leppard had released their blockbuster LP Pyromania—which featured the hit singles "Photograph," "Foolin’," and "Rock of Ages"—and now the future looked uncertain. But hearing from Collins, an immensely popular singer-songwriter and one of the world’s most revered drummers, gave him a crucial confidence boost.

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It’s fair to assume that most of us don’t enjoy doing taxes—especially if you're self-employed and have to fill out 9,000 forms, keep mountains of documents, and decide exactly which expenses you're allowed to write off. On the latter front: If you’ve spent any reasonable amount of time combing through the Internal Revenue Service website or chatting in person with a rep at your local H&R Block, you’ve probably felt the sting of deduction confusion.

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