In 2011, an apocalyptic science-fiction novel called 77 Days in September by Ray Gorham was published. The book is based on the idea that if the United States power grid were wiped out, we would be thrust into the dark ages. Oddly enough, the book's first words are: On July 9...
The specific reference is to the July 9th test, Starfish Prime - the highest altitude, highest yield, atmospheric nuclear test of this type ever performed.
It's interesting we've stopped talking about the Osage County, MO nuclear drill... taking place on September 24th.
Summary from GoodReads :[]
On a Friday afternoon before Labor Day, Americans are getting ready for the holiday weekend, completely unaware of a long-planned terrorist plot about to be launched against the country. Kyle Tait is settling in for his return flight home when a single nuclear bomb is detonated 300 miles above the heart of America. The blast, an Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP), destroys every electrical device in the country, and results in the crippling of the power grid, the shutting down of modern communications, and bringing to a halt most forms of transportation.
Kyle narrowly escapes when his airplane crashes on take-off, only to find himself stranded 2,000 miles from home in a country that has been forced, from a technological standpoint, back to the 19th Century. Confused, hurt, scared, and alone, Kyle must make his way across a hostile continent to a family he’s not even sure has survived the effects of the attack. As Kyle forges his way home, his frightened family faces their own struggles for survival in a community trying to halt its own slow spiral into chaos and anarchy.
Based on scientist’s predictions of what would happen if a single nuclear bomb is detonated over Kansas, 77 Days in September follows Kyle and his wife, Jennifer, as they are stretched past their breaking point, but find in their devotion to each other the strength to persevere.