JHB wrote:
I have just viewed a progam on the Great Blackout of 1965.
[...]
Can someone explain how aircraft in flight were safey landed at LGA and
the other airports that were out?

According to the official FAA history found at...

http://www.faa.gov/about/media/b-chron.pdf

.... only Kennedy and LaGuardia lost power. Aircraft were diverted to
Philly, Boston, etc. The Centers and those other airports were okay,
since they were connected to secondary power providers. (The same
thing happened here in NJ during the 2003 blackout... all of us on the
major grids lost power, but here and there were pockets of lit homes on
different grids.)

However, it caused the FAA to start buying backup generators, as it was
clear that trusting secondary providers could be a mistake. Somewhere
else I read that they have over 30,000 diesel generators now.

The history also notes that it was a clear, moonlit night, which helped
with navigation.

Regards, Kev