-
Coal was discovered near Richmond, Virginia.
-
Ben Franklin
Ben Franklin tied a key to a kite string during a thunderstorm, and proved that static electricity and lightning were the same thing. -
Natural Gas
Natural gas was used in Baltimore to fuel street lamps. During the 19th century, natural gas was used in Europe and in North America as a lighting fuel. Most of the natural gas produced at that time was manufactured from coal and not extracted from the earth, as it is today. -
first American natural gas 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. -
Petroleum
Oil was first discovered when a homemade rig drilled down 70 feet and came up coated with oil. This rig was near Titusville (in northwestern Pennsylvania) and was owned by "Colonel" Edwin L. Drake. -
Thomas Edison invents the lightbulb
In 1879, the American inventor Thomas Edison was finally able to produce a reliable, long-lasting electric light-bulb in his laboratory. -
Hydropower
Hydropower was beginning to be used for electricity. The first hydroelectric plants were direct current (DC) stations used to power nearby arc and incandescent lighting. -
Henry Ford
Henry Ford built his first automobile, the quadricycle, to run on pure ethanol. -
Municipal Solid Waste
Energy recovery from garbage incineration started in New York City. -
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (U.S. immigrant from Germany) wrote the special theory of relativity. He created a new era of physics when he unified mass, energy, magnetism, electricity, and light. One of the most significant events of the 20th century was Einstein's developing the formula of E=mc2 (that is, energy equals mass times the square of the speed of light). -
Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1974
The first of many legislative actions to promote ethanol as a fuel, the Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1974 led to research and development of the conversion of cellulose and other organic materials (including wastes) into useful energy or fuels. -
Geothermal Energy
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding for geothermal research and development was increased substantially.
The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978 was enacted to promote greater use of renewable energy, cogeneration and small power projects. -
Clean Air Act Amendments
The Clean Air Act Amendments required many changes to fossil fuels to make them pollute less. The use of these cleaner fuels was phased-in during the 1990s. Natural gas was promoted as cleaner burning fuel in power generation and transportation, increasing the use of natural gas. -
Nuclear Energy
Herman Blumgart, a Boston physician, used radioactive tracers to diagnose heart disease.
