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Thales, a Greek, found that when amber was rubbed with silk, it became electrically charged and attracted objects. He had originally discovered static electricity.
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Hydropower was used by the Greeks to turn water wheels for grinding grains more than 2,000 years ago.
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The first record of coal in the United States was shown on a map prepared by Louis Joliet. The map notes charbon de terra (coal of the earth) along the Illinois River in northern Illinois.
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The first commercial U.S. coal production began near Richmond, Virginia.
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Joseph Henry (United States) invented the electrical relay, which could send electrical currents long distances.
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Auguste Mouchout (France), a mathematics instructor, was able to convert solar radiation directly into mechanical power.
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William Adams (England) constructed a reflector of flat-silvered mirrors arranged in a semicircle. To track the sun's movement, the entire rack was rolled around a semicircular track, projecting the concentrated radiation onto a stationary boiler.
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Hydropower was beginning to be used for electricity. The first hydroelectric plants were direct current (DC) stations used to power nearby arc and incandescent lighting.
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Wilhelm Roentgen, a German physicist, discovered X-rays.
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Rutherford and Soddy published the theory of radioactive decay.
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The first dry steam geothermal power plant was built in Larderello in Tuscany, Italy. The Larderello plant today provides power to about 1 million households.
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Wilhelm Hallwachs (German) discovered that a combination of copper and cuprous oxide was sensitive to light.
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Albert Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his theories that explained the photoelectric effect.
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The process of splitting uranium atoms, called nuclear fission, was demonstrated by scientists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman (Germany).
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Almost one-third of the Nation's electricity came from hydropower.
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The OPEC oil embargo focused attention on the energy crisis and resulted in an increase in demand for U.S. coal.
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Utah’s first commercial geothermal power plant began operating at Roosevelt Hot Springs with a 20 megawatt capacity.Nevada’s first geothermal binary power production plant began operating at Wabuska Hot Springs.
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The Clean Coal Technology Act passed.
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United States coal production topped 1 billion tons a year.
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With the full color range of the high-power LEDs, more advanced architectural designs and stage and studio lighting were developed. Colored LEDs reduce power consumption.
