What followed lights-out at the Sleep Disorders Center was, predictably enough, not sleep. (Imagine for a moment going to bed in a fuse box.) Every time I moved, I got tangled in a wire.

NEWYORKER: Up All Night

On the drive there, a fuse blew, knocking out the car stereo, and so I pulled over, removed the fuse box, fashioned a fuse out of some aluminum foil from a pack of cigarettes, and got the cassette deck going again.

NEWYORKER: Looking for Someone

Its research also suggests many UK adults do not have adequate protection from electrical fires - less than half of those surveyed (49%) have a Residual Current Device in their fuse box, a safety device which minimises the risk of fire by cutting off the power in the event of a fault.

BBC: 'Blunder' fires increasing say Electrical Safety Council

When lightning struck the box, it blew a fuse, which caused two catastrophic problems: it cut off communication and froze the signal on the color green.

NEWYORKER: Boss Rail

He bought an electric saw and some lumber to patch the second-floor gallery, but every time he was halfway through a board a fuse would blow in the spider-haunted circuit box in the kitchen.

NEWYORKER: Idols

The first time he fired up his double hot plate, the fuse-box door was open and he witnessed a cerulean flash and a rattail of smoke, the first of four fuses it took to fry one egg.

NEWYORKER: Idols