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Steam engine invented
In 1698, the first version of the steam engine was created. The steam engine became a greatly significant energy invention in the next two centuries, as it spurred many of the great advancements of the Industrial Revolution.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/a-short-history-of-energy.html#.WJ316dIrKig
http://www.his.com/~pshapiro/steam.engines.html -
Benjamin Franklin's famous kite experiment is conducted
In an experimental move that would soon become the stuff of American legend, Benjamin Franklin flies a kite in a thunderstorm and manages to capture energy when he is struck by a bolt of lightning. This experiment opened up much exploration into the field of electricity, which spurred widespread energy development in the United States and beyond.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/franklin-flies-kite-during-thunderstorm -
Coal mines operating- c. 1800
In the early 1800s, coal was beginning to be harnessed for energy and the first coal mines were opened in the US.
http://geology.com/articles/history-of-energy-use/ -
Construction of an energy plant at Niagara Falls begins
In 1860, Niagara Falls was outfitted with a hydroelectric canal that would become the framework for one of the largest hydroelectric power sources in America.
http://www.niagarafrontier.com/power.html#Origins -
First geothermal plant created
The predecessor to our modern geothermal energy plant was invented by a scientist named Piero Conti.
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/geothermalenergyhistory.php -
Solar cell invented
An American engineer named Russell Ohl discovers the solar cell, a device that can harness the power of the sun. The solar cell is widely recognized as the predecessor to the modern solar panel.
http://www.efficientenergysaving.co.uk/solar-panels-history.html -
Hydraulic fracturing first used
In 1949, a team of experts on petroleum first used the process commonly known as "fracking" on an oil well in Oklahoma.
http://aoghs.org/technology/hydraulic-fracturing/ -
Nuclear power is commercialized
Nuclear power, while discovered and refined prior to this, was first produced commercially and in large amounts in the mid-1950s.
http://geology.com/articles/history-of-energy-use/ -
Wind energy surges in popularity
In 1995, this form of renewable energy became the most quickly expanding of the many different types and has stayed consistently dominant up until the present day.
http://geology.com/articles/history-of-energy-use/ -
Vanguard I is launched
The concept of solar panels means that devices can produce their own energy, and NASA put this to use when they launched Vanguard I. This satellite carried the first solar power cells that were used in space.
http://www.efficientenergysaving.co.uk/solar-panels-history.html
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1958-002B
