It is fairly rare for the main circuit breaker to "trip," because usually, it is individual circuit breakers that trip long before there is a need for the main breaker to shut off.

Trading on the New York Stock Exchange was halted briefly Monday morning when the S&P 500 index fell 7%. Here's how these automatic circuit breakers work.

Most places you live in today will manage their electrical power via circuit breakers, though fuse boxes predated that technology in the early 20th century.