# Where did the whole "lightning bolt in Niagara Falls" rumor start? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2003, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568 "2003-08-16T10:48:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/1 "2003-08-16T10:48:58Z")
In NYC, a few hours into the blackout, I heard (I think over the radio) that some authorities were pretty sure the blackout was caused by lightning knocking out some power plant in the Niagara Falls area. A few hours later–certainly by a day later-- this was widely discredited. Has anyone traced the rumor to its source? If so, how did the rumor get started? Is this sort of thing (i.e., erroneous rumors at the very beginning of an unexpected event) more typical of malice, misunderstanding, or what? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/2 "2003-08-16T11:28:53Z")
According to this article: [http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/08/15/power.blame.ap/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/08/15/power.blame.ap/index.html) > [@](#): > > Canada’s government offered conflicting explanations for the blackout, blaming it first on lightning in Niagara, then a fire at a Niagara plant, and next a fire at a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant. > > (snip) > > Jim Munson, a spokesman for Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said: “We have been informed that lightning struck a power plant in the Niagara region on the U.S. side.” > > The premier’s office later said a fire at the Niagara plant in New York caused the blackout, while the defense minister said the fire was at a Pennsylvania nuclear plant. > > (snip) > > Brian Warner of the New York Power Authority said he was not sure where the power failure originated, but said the Niagara plant never stopped operating and wasn’t struck by lightning. It makes you wonder why so many people who obviously had no clue felt like they needed to speculate on something that only now the experts are figuring out. I guess everyone wants to be in front of the mic. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/3 "2003-08-16T13:26:37Z")
[Kyle’s Mom]BLAME CANADA![/Kyle’s Mom] ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/4 "2003-08-16T14:02:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBill \* > \*\*[Kyle’s Mom]BLAME CANADA![/Kyle’s Mom] \*\* Keith Olbermann played that song yesterday, actually. ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/5 "2003-08-16T14:02:55Z")
The lightning part of the story is understandable. People know what lightning is. It’s electricity, it’s unexpected and it can have bad results. On the other had, most people, public figures and news reporters knew almost nothing about the power grid. Once anyone mentions lightning, it gets attached to the rumor. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/6 "2003-08-16T14:13:01Z")
Lightning can and has tripped power plants offline. Then again, so has a fallen broom handle and a cup of tea (don’t ask). ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/7 "2003-08-16T14:23:37Z")
I just heard some Canadian official on the news saying, “Has America ever taken responsibility for anything? This is no different.” Maybe it started with that moron. ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/8 "2003-08-16T14:41:36Z")
I didn’t know at my first post of the 1977 blackout that was caused by a lightning strike in Upstate New York. That’s probably it. Public officials wanted to get out the word quickly it wasn’t terrorism. Some mojo may have said something about the earlier case, and on its face, without a better explanation, it caught on. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/9 "2003-08-16T15:16:32Z")
Just speculation, but I wouldn’t be too hard on the Canadians. The information isn’t verified early on, and develops a life of it’s own as it propagates. In many cases, it is the news services and the desire to satisfy them that starts the dominos falling. I can think of a half dozen cases where a news service has called my office, and knowing that they won’t be allowed to talk to a decision maker, they start in on the assistants asking for confirmation of this or a best guess about that. Any slip-up invariably hits the news wire, and gets picked up by other services and is further spread. All attributed to “a spokesman for the company.” What the Prime Minister’s people are guilty of is not verifying that the source of the information might have been [hypothetically speaking] a beleaguered technician who offered a guess to get some schmuck off his phone line. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/10 "2003-08-16T22:45:53Z")
anthracite, i’m sorry but i just have to ask. tea and a broom? that sounds like a great epic. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/11 "2003-08-17T01:37:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\*I just heard some Canadian official on the news saying, “Has America ever taken responsibility for anything? This is no different.” Maybe it started with that moron. \*\* That would be Mel Lastman, Mayor of Toronto. He is a real peace of work. But, in his defence, he was responding to a statement that the Mayor of New York made blaming it on “Canada” and a massive demand in Toronto that took the whole system down. He obviously took it personally and made a shot. It would be nice for once if the politicians would just keep their mouths shut and not speculate when they obviously have no clue as to whats going on. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/12 "2003-08-17T01:57:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rocking chair \* > \*\*anthracite, i’m sorry but i just have to ask. tea and a broom? that sounds like a great epic. \*\* It’s actually two epics. Epics of Sadness and of People Losing Their Careers. . . . No, it wasn’t me. To quote from my Perssonal Journal regarding being a consultant visiting a power plant: "Don’t touch nothin’ ever. It will burn the fuck out of you. If it’s not hot, it will shock the shit out of you. If it’s not hot or charged, it will slice your clothes and skin like Freddy Krueger on PCP. And if none of the above, it will get you filthy. Plus, you might break something. Or trip the unit (read: $50,000 mistake). " ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-whole-lightning-bolt-in-niagara-falls-rumor-start/195568/13 "2003-08-17T01:59:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\*I just heard some Canadian official on the news saying, “Has America ever taken responsibility for anything? This is no different.” Maybe it started with that moron. \*\* That would be Mel Lastman, noted moron, who also once said that he didnt want to go to Africa because it was full of cannibals. In fairness, however, his comments were a response to Michael Bloomberg’s equally inane blatherings about the blackout being the fault of Canadians. As in turned out, it happened in neither Canada nor New York.