There have been many incidents in the United States that lead to disastrous consequences. The Rodney King case and the 1977 New York blackout are two incidents that had catastrophic consequences. There are also many things that everyone can learn from reading or experiencing these two incidents. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Rodney King case began on March 3, 1991, on the California Turnpike. California Highway Patrol officers saw Rodney King speeding on Interstate 210 and chased him for eight miles. Officers claimed they were chasing King at speeds in excess of 160km/h, however it was later pointed out by the manufacturer of the car King was driving that the car is not capable of exceeding 150km/h even at full speed speed. When officers were finally able to subdue King, King disobeyed officers' commands to lie down. The officers realized they had to act, so they pulled out a taser and shocked King with it. However, King repeatedly attempted to get up and refused to do anything they asked of him. The officers then took out their batons and struck King with them, forcing him to the ground. Later, when King was brought to trial, officers argued they had legitimate reason to believe King was potentially dangerous and possibly on drugs. Later that night Rodney King was charged with a crime, but the charge was dropped. The officers were later accused of discrimination and unnecessary physical contact. This incident sparked a massive riot in Los Angelos, which lasted three days. When everything was under control, it was reported that there was nearly $1 billion in damage, with 58 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 firefighting incidents, and 3,100 businesses damaged. Another incident that had disastrous consequences is the blackout in New York City. on July 13, 1977. The blackout began at 8:37 p.m. when lightning struck Buchanan South, tripping two circuit breakers in Westchester County. However, this had only damaged the circuitry and had not caused it to malfunction. Shortly thereafter, a second lightning strike caused the loss of two 345,000-volt transmission lines and caused a nuclear power plant at Indian Point to lose power. 18 minutes after the initial impact, another bolt of lightning struck two critical transmission lines. This left the remaining lines to do all the work. The remaining transmission lines could not do this job and were all overloaded. Therefore, the entire area lost its electricity and did not receive it until the next day. During the period in which the city lost power, countless cases of looting and vandalism occurred. There were also many shops and buildings set on fire and left burning. After things were sorted out, there were 1,616 shops damaged by looting and rioting, 1,037 fires, and 3,776 people arrested. Damage costs were estimated to be just over $300 million (US). There are many things that these two incidents have taught everyone. The Rodney King case teaches readers that people should not judge others by their skin color or differences. If the officers who arrested King had not been somehow racist towards blacks, they would not have physically abused King just because he did not obey their wishes. The blackout in New York City teaches readers that even if you have the ability to create chaos and loot everyone, you shouldn't. In this accident, the damage costs ultimately amounted to.