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Ben franklin tied a key onto a kite during a storm and proved that static electricity and lightening were the same.
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Wiliam Hart dug the first natural gas well in the US. After noticing gas bubbles rising to the surface of a creek, Hart dug a 27 foot well to try and obtain a larger flow of gas to the surface.
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William Robert Grove development an improved wet cell battery. It was called the "Grove cell" It used a platinum electrode immersed in nitric acid and a zinc electrode in zinc sulfate to generate about 12 amps of current at about 1.8 volts.
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In New York Thomas Edison built the first commercial electric utility near wallstreet.
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Theodore Roosevelt signed the Free Alcohol Bill. This bill was signed to promote the use of alcohol as an alternative to gasoline.
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In 1954, Congress passed new legislation that for the first time permitted the wide use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.
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President Jimmy Carter made a famous speech on energy, detailing how the US is facing an imminent energy shortage and arguing that the country must make profound changes in the way it uses energy.
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On this day the Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. The grounding ripped the bottom of the single-hulled vessel, resulting in the rupture of 11 of the vessel’s crude oil tanks and the release of nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into the environment.
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The breach released 1.3 million cubic meters of fly ash (a coal) combustion waste product captured and stored in wet form. The spill infiltrated the Emory River, buried some 120 hectares (300 acres) in sludge, and even knocked a nearby home completely off its foundation.
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President Barack Obama announced the largest single energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history, funding a broad range of technologies that will spur the nation’s transition to a smarter, stronger, more efficient and reliable electric system.
