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Creation of the First Steam Engine (Date Unknown) (The Start of Automotive Transport)
Info SourceImage SourceIn 1712, Thomas Newcomen (a British inventor) was the first person to create a working steam motor. His "Newcomen Atmospheric Device" (as it was called) was orginally used in coal mines to remove water that had flooded the mine. His first designs of the steam engine were inefficient and large; several scientists would come along and later improve it, but none of them improved it as well as James Watt. The steam engine (with Watts help) would pave the way for modern automotive technology. -
Benjamin Franklin's Kite Experiment (Date Unknown)
Info SourceImage Source Benjamin Franklin suspected that lightning was a form of energy know as electricity. Because of this, he set out to find out whether or not he could prove lightning was a form of electricity. His famous "Kite Experiment" was used to find out if lightning (like electricity) was attracted to metals, in this test Franklin used a metal key to see if it would draw electricity. Benjamin Franklin's hypothesis was correct and as a result he paved the way for all modern technology and the future, -
Construction of the Grand Coulee Dam (One of the Largest Hydroelectric Dams)
Info SourceImage SourceThis dam was built in the western United States and is located on the Columbia River in Washington State. It is the largest power plant in America. The Grand Coullee dam produces electicity for over 2.3 million people. The dam is over 500 feet tall and over 5,000 feet wide. Its construction was supposed to have started earlier but was originally cancelled because of the lack of public support. -
Clean Air Act of 1963
Info LinkImage SourceEnergy production produces a lot of pollution and because of the increased pollution the U.S. government decided to pass the Clean Air Act. This act regulated the pollution output of power plants and steel mills. Since it has been enacted in 1963 it has been modified several times to adapt to increasing pollution numbers. Without this act (some people say) we would have pollution levels equal to that of China. -
Oil Crisis of 1973 (Exact Date Unknown)
Info SourceImage SourceIn the 1970's America was very reliant on oil for fuel and power for machines such as cars. In 1973, OPEC (the world's biggest oil-producing alliance) declared a trade embargo on the United States because of wars going on in their homelands. America was sent into a panic and as a result of the lack of oil, gas prices rose severely. This came as bad news for the already occuring Great Depression. In 1974 the embargo was finally lifted and the oil prices returned to normal. -
Department of Energy Organization Act is Enacted (Forming the Department of Energy)
Info SourceImage SourceIn 1977, Jimmy Carter wanted to create a department in the government that was in charge of energy management and conservation. To go about doing this President Carter created a law that, once enacted, would create the Department of Energy. This law stated that the purpose and mission of the Department of Energy was to manage America's nuclear weapons and to ensure that energy was distributed evenly among all citizens. The leader of the Department of Energy today is Dr. Ernest Moniz. -
Second Energy Crisis
Info SourceImage SourceDeficiency of oil majorly caused by the Iranian Revolution. Caused America to have the need to ration gas. Iranian rebels were discontent with their leader so, on Febuary 11th, 1979, they officially started the Iranian Revolution and as a repercussion of the revolution cargo ships were held up and attacked. Chaos slowed the transport of oil. For the second time America worried the nation might collapse without power provided by the oil from OPEC. -
Chernobyl Disaster
Info SourceImage SourceChernobyl is a city in Ukraine that is famous for having one of the most tragic nuclear disasters of all time. The Chernobyl Disaster (as it is called) was an event in 1986 in which a power surge ran through a nuclear plant causing one of its reactors to explode. As a result of the explosion 31 people died on impact and another estimated 40,000 died of radiation exposure. This event largely questioned the efficiency of nuclear power. -
Topaz Solar Farm (Major Solar Farm)
Info SourceImage SourceThe Topaz Solar Farm was built in November of 2011; it is one of the largest solar farms in the world. As a result of being so big it produces immense amounts of energy for people in western California. The original cost of the project was over 20 billion dollars and it took 3 years to complete. Currently it has over 4 million solar panels installed. This solar farm produces 1,100 GWh every year. -
Alta Wind Energy Farm is Improved (Month Unspecified)
Info SourceImage SourceThe Alta Wind Energy Farm is the largest wind farm in the world; it was orginially constructed in 2010, but it wasn't until 2013 that it was actually the largest in the world. Located in southern California this wind farm has over 100 turbines and covers 9,000 acres.
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