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Energy Use in the United States

By NickL19

  • Rockefeller starts Standard Oil Company

    Rockefeller starts Standard Oil Company
    Businessman John D. Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Company, which would grow to control ninety percent of the industry. Because of the efforts of Rockefeller and his company, petroleum became the leading energy source not only in the U.S., but also all around the world, during this time.

  • Incandescent light developed

    Incandescent light developed
    Thomas Edison invented a practical, long-lasting incandescent lamp. He tested many filaments before finally finding success with a carbon filament made from burned sewing thread.

  • First hydroelectric power plant in U.S.

    First hydroelectric power plant in U.S.
    The first hydroelectric power plant in the United States and the world was built in Appleton, Wisconsin.

  • First wind turbine in U.S.

    First wind turbine in U.S.
    America's first wind turbine was built in Ohio by an engineer named Charles Brush. It weighed 80,000 lbs, had 144 blades, and about 1,800 square feet of surface area.

  • Modern solar collector invented

    Modern solar collector invented
    William J. Bailey of the Carnegie Steel Company developed a modern solar collector. It consisted of copper coils and an insulated box, which is similar to its design today.

  • First geothermal power plant in U.S.

    First geothermal power plant in U.S.
    The first geothermal power plant in the United States was built in the Mayacamas Mountains of California. That plant, known as The Geysers, is now the largest geothermal field in the world.

  • First commerical fluorescent lamp introduced

    First commerical fluorescent lamp introduced
    The General Electric Company (G.E.) unveiled the first commercial fluorescent lamp. A fluorescent lamp is made of a glass tube coated with phosphor and mixed with argon and another inert gas. It gives off light when an electric current runs through the lamp, causing the gases to emit UV radiation, which excites the phosphors so that they emit light.

  • First nuclear power plant in U.S.

    First nuclear power plant in U.S.
    The United States' first nuclear power plant, the Shippingport Atomic Power Station, was built in Beaver County, Pennsylvania as part of President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace program.

  • Three Mile Island accident

    Three Mile Island accident
    An accident happened at a nuclear power plant on an island near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. One of the nuclear reactors overheated and underwent a meltdown, releasing some radiation into the environment. This event is the main reason why some Americans are fearful of nuclear power today.

  • BP oil spill in Gulf of Mexico

    BP oil spill in Gulf of Mexico
    After a cement seal on a BP oil well broke, oil and methane gas spewed into the ocean at one mile below the surface for eighty-seven straight days. This has been called the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.