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Benjamin Franklin flies a kite with a metal wire during a thunderstorm and proves that lightning is a form of energy marking the beginning of developing electricity.
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Coal use skyrockets being use as the primary energy source for railroads as well as a source of fuel in the home.
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Baltimore, Maryland becomes the first city to light their street lamps with gas made from coal.
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Edwin Drake drills for oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania for the first time and is successful.
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Wood becomes the most popular source of fuel for heating homes and cooking and is relied on heavily by both homes and businesses.
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Thomas Edison starts the first coal-fired power station in New York City to supply electricity to light households. It is the first modern electricity generating station.
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Development begins on the Niagara Falls hydroelectric project which is designed to provide energy all the way to Buffalo, NY.
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Henry Ford introduces the Model T, the first successful car that runs on gasoline or ethanol.
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The first photovoltaic cells are invented to convert sun into electricity. They are used first in the space program to power satellies.
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The first commercial nuclear power plant goes into service in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, creating energy by splitting atoms of uranium.
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General Motors Corporation introduces one of the first electric automobiles, called "The Impact".
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Shell Wind Energy is established focusing on the development and operation of wind farms
