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Leonardo da Vinci invented an oil lamp that used a lens to concentrate the light.
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Sir Isaac Newton builds an electric generator, which is later improved during the same year by F. Hawksbee.
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The British engineer William Symington made a practical steamboat that towed barges in Scotland
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William Robert Grove lights up an auditorium with really expensive incandescent lighting with platnum coils.
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The first record of the direct turning of solar energy to mechanical poswer goes to Auguste Mouchout. He got the first patent on a motor that ran on solar power. He continued to improve his design for about twenty more years. He laid the foundation for understanding converting solar radiation to mechanical steam power.
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Nikola Tesla creates alternate current generators that can transmit electricity longer distances
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General Motors Corp. introduces an electric car an auto show in LA.
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Is considered the larges accidential ocean oil spill in history. It dumped millions of gallons of oil into the gulf, killing many animals and plants and causing health problems. It caused many people to question our dependence on petrolium and fossil fuels.
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Geothermal energy is used commercially for the first time. The first plant is in Boise, Idaho and it uses a 1000-foot well.
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A document from Ancient China from 900 BC mentioned the use of natural gas.
Coal was used in Ancient China to make copper perhaps as early as 1000 BC. Coal was used for fuel in China during the Han Dynasty. (206 BC to 220 AD)
