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Edwin Drake and Oil
Drake was the first successful driller of an oil well.
(Source: https://www.priweb.org/ed/pgws/history/pennsylvania/pennsylvania.html) -
Invention of the Telephone
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the Telephone
(Source: https://www.biography.com/people/alexander-graham-bell-9205497) -
Creation of the First Marketable Incandescent Lightbulb
On New Year's Eve of 1879, Thomas Edison demonstrated his incandescent lightbulb. He developed a filament that lasted longer and was effective enough to sell in the market. Today, the incandescent lightbulb is the standard lightbulb.
(Source: http://www.edisonmuckers.org/thomas-edison-lightbulb/) -
The First Battery
Today, batteries store energy for our daily uses. In math class, our graphing calculators are powered by triple A batteries. Alessandro Volta, an Italian physicist invented the first battery in 1880.
(Source: http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/when-was-the-first-battery-invented.htm) -
The World's First Hydroelectric Power Plant
In Appleton, Wisconsin, the world's first hydroelectric power plant was built. Hydroelectric power plants are water powered.
(Source: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/gilded/jb_gilded_hydro_1.html) -
America's First Wind Turbine
This wind turbine produced about 12kW of electricity. -
First Geothermal Power Plant
The first geothermal power plant created in the US was built in The Geysers in California. However, the 250 kW plant wasn't able to survive the competition of other energy sources such as fossil fuels which were cheaper.
(Source: http://web.mit.edu/nature/archive/student_projects/2009/bjorn627/TheGeothermalCity/History.html) -
Completion of Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam generates hydroelectric power for many cities in the Southwest of the United States.
(Source: http://www.history.com/topics/hoover-dam) -
The Clean Air Act of 1970
This law was made to prevent the further spreading of air pollutants. Everyday, Americans rely on fossil fuels without even realizing it. Simply going out by car releases CO2 into the ground level ozone.
(Source: https://envirohistorytimeline.wikispaces.com/1970+Clean+Air+Act+(1970,+with+beginning+in+1963+%26+additional+amendments+in+1965+%26+1990)) -
Three Mile Island Accident
Nuclear power plants are feared by the public, and there's a reason for that. Meltdowns are hazardous. The Three Mile Island Accident happened in Pennsylvania where there was a partial nuclear meltdown at the plant.
(Source: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html)
