History of Energy Use in the U.S.

First Commercial Coal Production in US Begins

1748

In 1701, coal was found near the James River (Richmond, Virginia) and several years later, coal mines started to appear near here and near the border of Maryland and West Virginia. Coal was used to manufacture shot, shell, and other war material during the Revolutionary War. (source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015)

First Natural Gas Well in US Is Drilled

1821

In 1821, the first natural gas well drilled was in Fredonia, NY. This happened because a man named William Hart noticed gas bubbles rising to the surface of a creek. Natural gas was mainly used as a source of light around this time. (Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015)

Coal Becomes Primary Locomotive Fuel in US

1830

Previously, wood was the most popular source of fuel for trains, but in 1830, it was official that coal became the primary source of fuel for trains. When the Tom Thumb, the first commercially practical American-built locomotive was built, used coal, other locomotives started converting from wood to coal (Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015)

Kerosene Begins to Displace Other Lamp Fuels

1859

A Canadian chemist discovered how to get Kerosene out of petroleum, and it proved to be a better choice. There was soon an increase in petroleum production because of this (source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015)

First Electric Plant Built by Thomas Edison in New York

Sep 4, 1882

Named pearl street station, Edison created an elaborate power plant that would provide electricity to many areas in New York City. This was groundbreaking. (sources: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015 and https://ethw.org/Pearl_Street_Station)

Worlds First Flex Fuel Vehicle (Ford's Model-T)

1908

in 1908, Henry Ford designed a car that ran only on ethanol, but later that year, he built a flex-fuel Model-T that could run on ethanol or gasoline. (Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015)

World's First Geothermal Power Plant Is Built in California

1921

Geysers were found in California that appeared to be untapped energy sources. In 1921, John D. Grant drilled a geothermal well in an attempt to have electricity to run the Geyser resort. (Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015)

First Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction

1942

Fermi and other physicists discovered that if you split a uranium atom, it would release enormous amounts of energy. Fermi, Einstein, and other colleagues met at Columbia University to persuade the U.S. to study the idea. (source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015)

Santa Barbara Oil Spill Draws National Attention

Jan 28, 1969

Union Oil's well blew on January 28th, 1969, and caused a MAJOR oil spill of 235,000 gallons of crude. With this spill came a lot of problems for local fishermen and a large debate about who becomes responsible for cleaning it up (source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015)

Solar One: First Large Scale Solar-Thermal Power Plant Begins Operation

1981

In Daggett, California, the largest solar-thermal power plant was developed. It was designed by the department of energy, and it worked by collecting the suns energy to produce heat and run a generator that would produce energy. (Source: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000015)