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Coal Powered a Revolution
Did you know that coal powered America's Industrial Revolution?
The Industrial Revolution took place in the late 19th century. It was a period of social and economic change caused by technological advances and the switch in manufacturing from the work of humans to machines. This is called mechanization. At this time, coal was widely used to heat buildings. It was also burned to power steam engines used in manufacturing and locomotion and to power almost all of the innovations (new ideas, methods or devices) of the Industrial Revolution.
This film shows carloads of coal being loaded into vessels at the Erie Railroad docks in Cleveland, Ohio. Coal is still one of Ohio's most important mineral resources. In fact, the state's multibillion-dollar coal industry produced 22.4 million tons in 1999.
VIDEO CREDIT: Thomas A. Edison, Inc.: Edison Manufacturing Co., 1897; White, James, producer, "Giant Coal Dumper 1897." Early Motion Pictures, 1897-1920, Library of Congress.