Energy in the United States (Image: CC0 Creative Commons Free for commercial use, No attribution required)
By scioly1617
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The Oil Pollution Act of 1924 Established
This was one of the first federal laws regulating pollution caused by the oil industry. This prevented expulsion of oil from ships and other seafaring vessels into coastal navigable U.S. waters.
The image below: “Surveying Oiled Sargassum” by NOAA's National Ocean Service is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015 -
Hoover Dam Completed
The Hoover Dam was built on the Colorado River and was the world's largest hydroelectric power plant until 1948. It supplies energy to 20 million people in the U.S.
Source: http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/7-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-hoover-dam
Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015
Check out this cool video: http://www.history.com/topics/hoover-dam/videos/deconstructing-history-hoover-dam
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The First Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction Occurs
Physist Enrico Fermi produced the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. This event is considered to mark the birth of nuclear power.
Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015
Image: “Enrico Fermi Plaque” by Justin Ennis is licensed under CC BY 2.0 -
First Practical Silicon Solar Cell is Demonstrated
The practical silicon solar cell was created by a team of scientists. Bell Labs announced the invention and demonstrated it by powering a radio transmitter and a small Ferris wheel toy in New Jersey The solar cell was 6% efficient at converting sunlight energy into electricity.
Source:http://ethw.org/Milestones:First_Practical_Photovoltaic_Solar_Cell
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_4fGMF25Cs
Image:“Solar Cell” by Thomas Kohler is licensed under CC BY 2.0 -
Shippingport Nuclear Power Plant Begins Operation
This nuclear power plant was located in Pennsylvania. It was the first large-scale nuclear power plant in the world. It supplied electricity to the Pittsburgh area until it was retired in 1982.
Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015
Image: “Shippingport Atomic Power Station” by Nuclear Regulatory Commission is licensed under CC BY 2.0 -
Santa Barbara Oil Spill Occurs
Union Oil well leaked 235,00 gallons of crude oil. This created a slick of 800 miles and damaged the fishing industry significantly.
Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrHF5TEsNik
Image: “Oil Drilling Platform in the Santa Barbara CA Channel” by Mike Baird is licensed under CC BY 2.0 -
Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act Passed
When a large amount of oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, Congress decided to build a pipeline crossing Alaska to access this oil. Although environmentalists had concerns about the pipeline's effects, Congress passed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Act to authorize the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015
Image: “Trans Alaska-Alyeska Oil Pipeline” by Arthur Chapman is licensed under CC BY 2.0 -
The World's First Solar Powered Village is Built
The world's and U.S.'s first solar powered village was located on the Tohono O'odham Reservation in Arizona. Fifteen homes were provided with electricity here until 1983.
Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015
Image: “Trailer with-Students” by U.S. Department of Agriculture is licensed under CC BY 2.0 -
Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident
This nuclear accident occurred because of malfunction of the coolant flow within the Three Mile Island power plant. A meltdown occurred and a potentially disastrous hydrogen bubble formed. No immediate casualties are known, but the Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident did increase opposition to nuclear power.
Source: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html
Image: “three mile island” by Todd MacDonald is licensed under CC BY 2.0 -
World's First Wind Farm Built
The world's first wind farm was located in New Hampshire and consisted of twenty turbines, producing thirty kilowatts each. It is regarded to have been partially unsuccessful because the wind turbines of the farm broke often, due to an overestimation of wind resource.
Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015
Image: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license -
British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Spill
The explosion of the BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico caused damage, including fractures, to the oil pipeline. The accident killed 11 people and is estimated to have leaked 30 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill is the largest in U.S. history.
Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015
Image: “Skimming oil in the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill” by Office of Response and Restoration is licensed under CC BY 2.0