Natural+Resources

=Natural Resources=

Fire Stones Animals and Organisms Lumber Cotton Draft Animals Steam Tidal Energy Wind Energy Solar Energy Water Geothermal Energy Fossil Fuels (Oil, Coal, Petroleum, Natural Gas, etc.) Minerals Nuclear Power

Cited from Period 3 - Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources



History of Oil


= = Colonel Edwin Drake is recognized as the first to drill oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The  oil was first successfully drilled on August 27, 1859 at a depth of 69 feet. The discovery of oil, however, was much earlier than the drilling in 1859.. Once oil was founded, scientists began experimenting with its use. People found it mainly as a lighting fuel or a lubricant ("Energy in the United States"). Its most practical use, however, would be its use in the combustion engine. Edwin Drake developed and added to technology by creating the first successful drill. Edwin Drake drilled through an iron pipe that limited water seepage and expedited flow. (Famous People in Energy)

Oil is used as heating and lighting. It is most used and known for its use in the combustion engine.  The history for the combustion engine is vast and dates back to Da Vinci's time. Over hundreds of years, [|scientists] have added to the development of the combustion engine. The first to create the practical combustion engine was Nikalous Otto. Nickalous Otto, in 1861, built the four-stroke cycle for the engine. This is the first alternative to the power engine of the time - steam engine. Karl Benz, in 1879, was the first to place the four-stroke cycle engine into an autombile.  The four-stroke cycle is now used in all automobiles.  The combustion engine uses fuel and air, pressed in a confined space, where the end result is a hot gas with high pressure.



History of Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is energy that comes from the core of an atom (Uranium, 2007). Nuclear power includes nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and radioactive decay.

Lisa Meitner, born in 1878 in Austria, was one of the first females to pursue a career in physics. She discovered the element protactinium. Also, she bombarded uranium with neutrons and was the first to split uranium. This process later became known as fission. She declined the offer of working on the atomic bomb, and instead decided to work on the experimental nuclear reactor. (Famous People in Energy) The idea of gaining enormous amounts of energy from elements is credited to British physicist Ernest Rutherford in 1904 ("Energy in the  United States"). In 1942, Enrico Fermi would use previous scientists such as Rutherford as a foundation to create the world's first reactor. In 1957, the first power plant was established in Shippingport, Pennsylvania (Uranium, 2007).

Robert Oppenheimer, born in 1908, however, decided to work on the atomic bomb, and is considered the father of the atomic bomb. He was one of a team to design and build the first atomic bomb.(Famous People in Energy) 









Scientists have been trying to incorporate the one of the newest of energy sources - solar energy. They have been trying to attach solar cells to clothing. Solar panels are made of silicon and glass, making it rigid. Now, inkjet printing and flexibly mylar can be combined to stitch solar cells into your clothing. The company Fujitsu Siemens reported to be only a year away from achieving this goal. Article was published in Popular Science - March 26, 2008 by Matt Ransford. (Ransford, 2008)
 * Currently, **

Back