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First Electric Plant Built
Thomas Edison flipped the switch on the first energy plant. -
First Windmill to Develop Electricity
In Cleveland, Ohio the first windmill made energy. This windmill had 500 rotations pre minute. -
First Geothermal Heating System Built
In Boise, Idaho hot water was piped from the ground to houses to heat the houses. -
"Free Alcohol Bill" is Signed to Promote the Use of Alcohol Instead of Gasoline
Theodore Roosevelt signed this bill so people would use alcohol as a menas of energy instead of oil. -
World's First Geothermal Power Plant is Built
John D. Well drilled a geothermal well into The Gysers (72 miles north of San Fransico). But the geothermal well's materials could not withstand the heat and this new energy resource got looked over because of newer and cheaper forms o energy. -
First Commercial Wind Turbines Sold
These wind turbines were used by farmers because other ways of electricty were too expensive. Marcellus and Joe Jacobs (two brothers) came up with the idea. -
Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam was completed on the Colorado River in Arizona. This dam produces hrdroelectricity and is the larerst producer of hydroeclectricity until 1948. -
First Nuclear Power Reactor to Generate Electricity
It was barely enough to power a simple string of four, 100-watt light bulbs, but the 16 scientists and engineers - all staff members of Argonne National Laboratory, which designed and built the reactor - recorded their historic achievement by chalking their names on the wall beside the generator. -
US Cogress Passes Atomic Energy Act
This Act allowed people to use atomic energy freely. -
First US Satellite in Orbit uses Solar Cells for Power
There was oiginally a controversy about whether or not the satellite would have solar cells or batteries. So the scientists put both on and just like they thought, the bateries ran out of power within a week, but the solar cells kept communication going for years.
