-
Coal Founded
Coal is founded in Virginia. It is not very popular, but a century later with the development of the railroad and as an energy source for the house. -
Coal Production Begins
First commercial coal prediction begins in Virginia. -
Steam Engine
James Watt patented the modern-day steam engine. Coal was used to produce steam for early steam engines, and as the 1800's began, coal was used to power trains. -
First Self-Propelled Vehicle
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (France) built the first self-propelled vehicle, a military tractor that ran on steam. It could go 2.5 miles per hour. -
Fredonia Gas Light Company
In Fredonia, New York, William Hart dug the first successful well that was intended to produce natural gas. Hart dug a 27-foot well to try and bring a larger flow of gas to the surface. Expanding on Hart's work, the Fredonia Gas Light Company was eventually formed, becoming the first American natural gas company. -
Edwin Drake's Discovery
Edwin Drake drilled the first commercial well and hit oil and natural gas at 69 feet below the earth's surface. A 2-inch diameter pipeline was built, running 5½ miles from the well to the village of Titusville, Pennsylvania. -
Incadescent Lightbulb Invented
Joseph Swan invented the first incandescent lightbulb. His lightbulb burned out quickly. -
Pearl Street Power Station
Thomas Edison opened the Pearl Street power station in New York City. The power station was one of the world's first central electric power plants and could power 5,000 lights. It used a direct current power system. -
Niagra Falls Power Station
The Niagara Falls hydropower station opened. It originally provided electricity to the local area. One year later, when a new AC powerline was opened, electric power from Niagara Falls was sent to customers over 20 miles away in Buffalo, New York. -
First Geothermal Power Plant
The first dry steam geothermal power plant was built in Laderello in Tuscany, Italy. The Larderello plant today provides power to about 1 million households -
Hoover Dam Created
A 287 kilovolt power line stretched 266 miles from the dam in Boulder City, Nevada, to Los Angeles, California. -
Coal #1!
Coal had become the major fuel used by electric utilities in the United States to generate electricity. -
Natural Disaster Strikes!
The Gulf of Mexico, one of the nation's largest sources of oil and gas production, was dealt a one-two punch by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many Gulf of Mexico wells, terminals, processing plants, and pipelines went off-line.
