Fire, Coal, and Oil
Description
Early hunter-gatherers rubbed two sticks together and created fire. By cooking our food and increasing its nutrition, our brains expanded—making us the most intelligent species on the planet. This documentary highlights human ingenuity in the ongoing search for new energy sources. Charcoal enabled iron production; coal powered the steam engine, driving industrialization and urbanization; whale oil lit 19th century street lamps; oil and the internal combustion engine altered American lifestyles; and World War II brought about nuclear energy and the atomic bomb. The next challenge will be to harness solar power on a massive scale.
Runtime
22 min 0 sec
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