U.S. ENERGY TIMELINE By 1505903 Jun 1, 1748 Coal Production begins in Richmond, Virginia. US coal production begins in Richmond, VA. Jun 1, 1752 Ben Frankin invents lightening rod, proves lightening is electricity with the famous kite experiment. Feb 7, 1817 Street Lights lit with gas made from coal - Baltimore, Maryland. Jun 1, 1834 Thomas Davenport invents the Electric Motor Aug 27, 1859 Edwin Drake drills first oil well (69 feet) - Titusville, Pennslyvania Sep 4, 1882 Thomas Edison opens Pearl Street Power Station, NYC, the first central electric generating power station. Sep 30, 1882 First Hydroelectric Power Plant opens in Wisconsin. Sep 1, 1908 Henry Ford's Model T, runs on gas or ethanol, opens up travel in the US. Dec 1, 1915 Shell's Martinez Refinery, first modern petroleum refinery, California. Jun 1, 1954 First Photovoltaic System, solar cell module used in space, built by Bell Labs. May 26, 1958 First Commercial Nuclear Power Plant officially opens in Shippingport, Pennslyvania.