The Story of Fossil Fuels, Part 1: Coal

The Discovery of Coal

• Around 4,000 years ago, someone in northern China discovered an odd black rock that could burn, which was coal.
• This discovery was significant because keeping warm and getting food were major concerns in ancient times, and people relied on burning wood for heating and cooking.

Early Use of Coal

• Initially, only a few places with easy access to coal used it, including China and Britain.
• In Britain, coal was easily accessible, and people could even pick up lumps of coal on the beach, which they called "sea coal."

Roman Era and Decline

• During the Roman rule in the British isles, coal was used to heat water for public baths.
• The Romans brought British coal back to Rome with them, and traces of it can be found in Roman ruins in Italy.
• However, when the Western Roman Empire declined around 410 CE, coal usage declined, and it was nearly forgotten during the Dark Ages.

Revival of Coal in the 1200s

• Coal became popular again in the 1200s, especially in London, due to the growing population making it harder to find firewood.
• This marked the beginning of a significant event in human history.

The First Long-Distance Car Ride

• In 1888, Bertha Benz took the first 66-mile long-distance car ride with her two sons to visit her mother.
• Bertha took her husband Karl Benz's Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first true automobile, without telling him.
• The trip was a success, and Bertha acted as her own mechanic, creating makeshift brake pads and cleaning fuel pipes.

The First Gas Station

• Bertha purchased a fluid called benzene from a local pharmacy to fill up the car, making it the world's first gas station.

Petroleum and Its History

• Petroleum is a liquid that comes from oil, used to power cars.
• Petroleum means "rock oil" and comes from the remains of once-living organisms, similar to coal.
• People have used petroleum for various purposes throughout history, but it wasn't widely used until the invention of the internal combustion engine.

The Internal Combustion Engine

• In 1863, Nikolaus Otto created the first successful internal combustion engine.
• The engine works by igniting fumes from a petroleum liquid, producing heat that moves pistons, similar to how gas-powered cars work today.

Discover the origin of coal and its significance in ancient times. Learn how people used coal as a replacement for wood in heating and cooking.