The Pulse

''"They used to say one nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day. It was sort of a joke, until the June morning those terrorist bozos whaked us with an electromagnetic pulse from 80 miles up. You always here people yapping on how it was all different before the pulse. Land of milk and honey blah, blah, blah, blah with plenty of food and jobs and things that actually worked. I was too young to remember, so, whatever.... The thing I don't get is why they call it a depression. I mean, everybody's broke...but they aren't really all that depressed. Life goes on." -  Max voiceover (Pilot)''

Event
On June 1, 2009, a group of terrorists detonate an electromagnetic pulse weapon 80 miles in the atmosphere over the United States of America, which destroys the vast majority of computer and communication systems.

After Effect
When the Pulse hit, every computer and communications system in America was damaged and all digital information was instantly erased, effectively throwing the country into utter chaos.

Hours after the electricity went down, everyone in the country panicked when it was realized that there was no immediate solution to the problem, and many were reduced to almost barbaric methods to ensure their survival. One example of such actions were found in Cape Haven.

Another effect of The Pulse was bankruptcy. Since most American-based banks used computers to monitor transactions, the database was wiped clean and a lot of people suddenly suffered from poverty.

America basically went from super-power to third-world country in a matter of days.