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2500 BCE
Wood
Wood was one of the only sources of energy they had back then. They didn't know about coal and they didn't have the technology to figure it out. -
2000 BCE
Coal
In China coal was being burned to cook and keep homes warm. They used coal because of wood shortages -
200 BCE
Natural Gas
China developed natural gas. They used it to make salt from brine in gas-fired evaporators. -
200 BCE
Water
The Europeans found a way to harness energy from water. They did this by using waterwheels, later on they found a way to crush grain using these waterwheels as well. -
32
Oil
People in China found oil seepages in the northwest parts of China. They already used petroleum for lamps and medical uses so then they found a way to make energy with it. -
1400
Charcoal
People found that if you burn wood it makes something similar to coal, charcoal. They then began to make charcoal as well as using coal still. -
Coal Coke
People found that when you burn wood (make charcoal) it left an extremely hot-burning fuel called coke. They found that the coke could be adapted into coal. -
Steam
In England the steam engine was created. It was originally used to pump water out of coal mines but they eventually found a way for it to power electrical things. -
Electrolysis
English scientists found that if you add an electric current to water produced hydrogen and oxygen gases. This was an important factor for hydrogen energy. -
Ethanol Blends
Before petroleum was discovered in Pennsylvania, they used something called camphene, which also meant burning fluid. They used it originally in lamps and eventually used it how we used coal. -
Solar Power
People were worried that their important fossil fuels (coal mainly) would run out. Augustine Mouchot, thought that the suns heat could replace the burning of coal. -
Petroleum
Petroleum was used a lot in the past, but not as a energy source. John D. Rockefeller developed petroleum into a major energy source. -
Alcohol Fuel (Ethanol)
People in South Dakota started to mix an ethyl alcohol blend with gasoline. They used this mainly to fuel their vehicles but still used it for electricity. -
Nuclear Power
Otto Hahn was a man in Germany that used nuclear fission to create electricity. -
Nuclear Reactor
In 1951 16 scientists and staff members created, designed, and tested a nuclear reactor. It could barely power 4 100 watt light bulbs but they knew it was the start of something. -
Clean Air Act
The nations most important air pollution law. It established National Ambient Air Quality Standards for 6 criteria pollutants that were known to cause health issues -
Clean Water Act
Required industries to limit, reduce, or eliminate point source pollution into surface waters -
Safe Drinking Water
Helped protect drinking resources and set contaminant levels for water
