Trapped in the dark, strangers shared doughnuts and sandwiches

Lynn Lowin was riding the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan in November 1965 when the train stopped and every light went out. She was 61 years back from telling the story now, and her first worry was practical. She thought she would be late for her orthodontist appointment. The blackout that hit the northeastern United States and parts of Canada affected 30 million people, and more than 800,000 riders were trapped underground with her. Nobody left the cars. The third rail could kill, and in the dark no one could tell which one it was. So they stayed and started talking. People shared what food they had. Lowin was handed half a doughnut and gave away part of the peanut butter sandwich her mother had packed. Two nurses and a doctor walked car to car checking on the injured. Six hours later, firefighters led them out through the tunnels. New York recorded five reports of looting that night, the lowest crime of any night on record.