Energy Use in the USA

By apinon
  • 500

    Wind

    Wind
    The first windmills were developed in Persia for pumping water and grinding grain.

  • Coal

    Coal
    Coal became the principal fuel used by steam-powered trains (locomotives). As the railroads branched into the coal fields, they became a vital link between mines and markets.
    More and more households and steamboats used coal for fuel.
    Coal was used to produce oil and gas for lighting.

  • Electricity

    Electricity
    Sir Humphry Davy (England) invented the first effective lamp. The arc lamp was a piece of carbon that glowed when connected by wires to a battery.

  • Electrical Relay

    Electrical Relay
    Joseph Henry invented the electrical relay, which could send electrical currents long distances.

  • Wood

    Wood
    Wood was the primary fuel for heating and cooking in homes and businesses, and was used for steam in industries, trains, and boats

  • Hyddrothermal

    Hyddrothermal
    Hydropower was beginning to be used for electricity. The first hydroelectric plants were direct current (DC) stations used to power nearby arc and incandescent lighting.

  • Natural Gas

    Natural Gas
    Robert Bunsen invented what is now known as the Bunsen burner. The Bunsen burner produced a flame that could be safely used for cooking and heating by mixing the right proportion of natural gas and air. The invention of thermostatic devices allowed the flame's temperature to be adjusted and monitored.

  • Powerline

    Powerline
    A powerline between the US and Canada was opened. It was the first one.

  • Atomic Bomb

    Atomic Bomb
    President Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein on the possibility of a uranium weapon.

  • Fire

    Fire
    Fire was cilization's first great energy invention. Paved the way for all modern energy ideas.