Abstract :
Summary form only given. The blackout of August 14, 2003, was a very complex event. A description of the blackout is provided beginning with the power system status in the early afternoon and progressing through the rapid cascade of the blackout through Michigan, Ontario, and New York. Emphasis is placed on the major events that contributed to the progression of the blackout with discussion of the causes for those events and how they contributed to the progression of the blackout.