Facts
• Ancient Usage: The Aztecs used coal for jewelry, and the Romans used it for heating and metalwork.
• Black Lung: Formally known as pneumoconiosis, this disease is caused by inhaling fine coal dust.
• Canaries: Until 1986, canaries were used in British mines to detect carbon monoxide.
• China Dominates: China has the world's largest coal fleet and burns half the global supply.
• Climate Change: It's the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, a major driver of climate change.
• Coal Ash: Creates toxic coal ash stored in ponds, posing risks to nearby communities.
• Continuous Miners: These machines can rip coal from a seam at a rate of several tons per minute.
• Deepest Mines: Some underground mines can reach depths of up to 1,000 feet (300 meters).
• Employment: In the U.S., coal mining directly employs nearly 136,000 people.
• Energy Power: A pound of coal can power ten 100-watt bulbs for an hour.
• First Power Station: The world's first public coal-fired power station, the Edison Electric Light Station, opened in London in 1882.
• Global Leader: Coal is the world's second-largest energy source after oil and primary fuel for electricity.
• Good Luck: In some cultures, seeing a chimney sweep or throwing a piece of coal into a new theater's gallery is considered good luck.
• Haul over the Coals: This modern phrase for reprimanding someone originated as a literal punishment for heretics.
• Health Costs: Pollution leads to asthma, respiratory issues, and mercury contamination in seafood.
• Historical Role: Fueled the 19th-century Industrial Revolution and 20th-century electric era.
• Industrial Revolution: Coal was the fuel that powered steam engines, launching the modern industrial era.
• Mercury: Coal-fired power plants are a significant source of mercury emissions into the atmosphere.
• Methane: Coal mining emits roughly 52 million tons of methane annually, a potent greenhouse gas.
• Methods: Surface mining (cheaper) and underground mining are used.
• Mountaintop Mining: A method in Appalachia, involves removing mountaintops.
• Non-Renewable: A finite resource, despite large reserves.
• Pollution: Burning coal releases smog, sulfur, heavy metals (mercury), and radioactive materials.
• State Symbols: Coal is the official state mineral of Kentucky and the official state rock of Utah.
• Black Lung: Formally known as pneumoconiosis, this disease is caused by inhaling fine coal dust.
• Canaries: Until 1986, canaries were used in British mines to detect carbon monoxide.
• China Dominates: China has the world's largest coal fleet and burns half the global supply.
• Climate Change: It's the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, a major driver of climate change.
• Coal Ash: Creates toxic coal ash stored in ponds, posing risks to nearby communities.
• Continuous Miners: These machines can rip coal from a seam at a rate of several tons per minute.
• Deepest Mines: Some underground mines can reach depths of up to 1,000 feet (300 meters).
• Employment: In the U.S., coal mining directly employs nearly 136,000 people.
• Energy Power: A pound of coal can power ten 100-watt bulbs for an hour.
• First Power Station: The world's first public coal-fired power station, the Edison Electric Light Station, opened in London in 1882.
• Global Leader: Coal is the world's second-largest energy source after oil and primary fuel for electricity.
• Good Luck: In some cultures, seeing a chimney sweep or throwing a piece of coal into a new theater's gallery is considered good luck.
• Haul over the Coals: This modern phrase for reprimanding someone originated as a literal punishment for heretics.
• Health Costs: Pollution leads to asthma, respiratory issues, and mercury contamination in seafood.
• Historical Role: Fueled the 19th-century Industrial Revolution and 20th-century electric era.
• Industrial Revolution: Coal was the fuel that powered steam engines, launching the modern industrial era.
• Mercury: Coal-fired power plants are a significant source of mercury emissions into the atmosphere.
• Methane: Coal mining emits roughly 52 million tons of methane annually, a potent greenhouse gas.
• Methods: Surface mining (cheaper) and underground mining are used.
• Mountaintop Mining: A method in Appalachia, involves removing mountaintops.
• Non-Renewable: A finite resource, despite large reserves.
• Pollution: Burning coal releases smog, sulfur, heavy metals (mercury), and radioactive materials.
• State Symbols: Coal is the official state mineral of Kentucky and the official state rock of Utah.
