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2000 BCE
Chinese first use coal as an energy source
According to the report of an early missionary to China, coal was already being burned there for heating and cooking, and had been so employed for up to 4000 years -
200 BCE
Europeans use water as an energy source
By the end of the Roman era, waterwheels powered mills to crush grain, full cloth, tan leather, smelt and shape iron, saw wood, and carry out a variety of other early industrial processes -
Feb 2, 900
Windmills Built in Persia to Grind Grain and Pump Water
For the tenth century, we have material proof that windmills were turning in the blustery Seistan region of Persia. These primitive, vertical carousel-type mills utilized the wind to grind corn, and to raise water from streams to irrigate gardens -
Discovery of electricity
Ben Franklin tied a key onto a kite during a storm and proved that static electricity and lightning were the same. His correct understanding of the nature of electricity paved the way for the future. -
Process of Electrolysis Discovered
"English scientists William Nicholson and Sir Anthony Carlisle discovered that applying electric current to water produced hydrogen and oxygen gases. This process was later termed 'electrolysis -
First Natural Gas Well in US Is Drilled
he first well specifically intended to obtain natural gas was dug in Fredonia, New York, by William Hart. After noticing gas bubbles rising to the surface of a creek, Hart dug a 27 foot well to try and obtain a larger flow of gas to the surface. Hart is regarded by many as the 'father of natural gas' in America -
Coal Becomes Primary Locomotive (Train) Fuel in US
The first major boon for coal use occurred in 1830 when the Tom Thumb, the first commercially practical American-built locomotive, was manufactured. The Tom Thumb burned coal, and in rapid fashion, virtually every American locomotive that burned wood was converted to use coal. America's coal industry had begun taking shape -
First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Developed to Generate Electricity
The 'Grove cell,' as it came to be called, used a platinum electrode immersed in nitric acid and a zinc electrode in zinc sulfate to generate about 12 amps of current at about 1.8 volts -
First Commercial Oil Well Drilled by Edwin Drake in Pennsylvania; Kerosene Begins to Displace Other Lamp Fuels
Kerosene, which Abraham Gesner, a Canadian chemist, discovered how to distill from petroleum in 1853, proved in many circumstances to be a better choice -
First Solar Power System Developed in France to Produce Steam to Drive Machinery
Worried by the possibility of fossil fuels, such as coal, running out, Augustine Mouchot develops a solar powered steam generation system to drive industrial machinery -
