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Energy History

  • Coal!

    Coal!
    Coal was dicovered in Virginia and put to use for energy by burning.
  • Ben Franklin

    Ben Franklin
    Ben Franklin tied a key to a kite string during a
    thunderstorm and proved that static electricity and lightning
    were the same thing.
  • 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.
  • Electricity

    Electricity
    Thomas Edison founded the Edison Electric Light Co. in
    New York City. He bought a number of patents related to
    electric lighting and began experiments to develop a
    practical, long-lasting light bulb.
  • Hydroelectricity

    Hydroelectricity
    Almost one-third of the electricity in the U.S. came from
    hydropower.
  • Oil

    Oil
    Oil started to become very important in the mid 1950's for gasoline in cars and other uses, and we have been dependant on it ever since.
  • Nuclear Power

    Nuclear Power
    The focus for nuclear energy was harnesing this power in a controled fashion through reliable nuclear power plants.
  • Wind Energy

    Wind Energy
    A spike in iol prices raised interest in wind energy and "wind farms" began to become more popular.
  • Solar Power

    Solar Power
    Due to high oil prices, peopkle took more interest in solar power and over one million homes had some form of solar energy installed.
  • Biomass

    Biomass
    Biomass energy generated 1.8 billion dollars in revenue and employed 66,000 workers. Today 14% of the world still utilizes biomass energy.