History of Energy in the USA

Oil

Jan 1, 1859

Edwin Drake drilled for and found oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

Coal

Jan 1, 1882

Thomas Edison opens a coal-fired power station in New York City, New York.

Hydroelectric

Jan 1, 1882

The first hydroelectric power station is built in Wisconsin.

Gasoline/Ethanol

Jan 1, 1908

Henry Ford introduced the first functional automobile, the Model T, capable of running on gasoline or ethanol.

Natural Gas

Jan 1, 1912

An LNG (liquified natural gas) processing plant opened in West Virginia.

Oil

Jan 1, 1921

Shell, a gasoline company, discovered oil in Signal Hill, California. To date, it is among the most profitable deposits in the country.

Natural Gas

Jan 1, 1941

The first commercial liquefaction plant for liquified natural gas was established in Cleveland, Ohio.

Solar

Jan 1, 1954

Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson of Bell Labs succeeded in building the first working photovoltaic (solar powered) fuel cells.

Nuclear

Jan 1, 1957

The first commercial nuclear power plant was built in Shippingport, Pennsylvania.

Automobile

Jan 1, 1990

The General Motors Corporation releases a car called 'The Impact", which was one of the first electric cars on the market.

SOURCES 2

Jun 23, 1990

http://www.city-data.com/city/Cleveland-Ohio.htmlhttp://www.californiasolarcenter.org/history_pv.htmlhttp://www.eoearth.org/article/Shippingport,_Pennsylvaniahttp://evbuddy.dwgt.net/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Drake

SOURCES 1

Jun 23, 1990

Informationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigeratorhttp://www.shell.us/home/content/usa/environment_society/education/student/energy_timeline/http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/solar_timeline.pdfPictureshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edisonhttp://www.sections.asme.org/milwaukee/history/1-vulcan.htmlhttp://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1231.htmhttp://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/usa/west-virginia/http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/photo_gallery/historic_mom/pages/photo_01.aspx