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Commercial production of coal begins near Richmond, Virginia.
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Ben Franklin discovers that lightning is electricity.
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Coal becomes the only fuel used by the railway system.
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Baltimore, Maryland is the first city to use street lights lit with gas made from coal.
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Edwin Drake is the first person to drill for oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania and is successful.
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Wood is the most popular fuel for heating homes and for cooking.
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The first hydroelectric power station opens in Wisconsin.
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Henry Ford introduces the first successful car, which runs on gasoline or ethanol.
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The first liquified natural gas plant opens in West Virginia.
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The nation's first petroleum refinery is founded by Shell in Martinez, California.
