What Role Did Coal Play In The Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution was undoubtedly one of the most important events in the formation of the contemporary world. Sparked by the agricultural revolution of 1750 and 1880, the industrial revolution would transform Britain, and later the whole western world, into powerhouses of metal work, mining and industry. Beginning in England in around 1760, the revolution would continue well into the nineteenth century and bring around crucial inventions, such as steam pumps and railways. Crucially, the industrial revolution saw a switch from the use of wood and other bio-fuels such as charcoal for fuel, to coal for the very first time on a wide scale. It was this development that allowed the revolution to grow and spread across the whole world. Without the widespread mining of coal, the revolution simply could not have sustained itself. British lands were rich with coal, and there was a seemingly endless supply with millions of tons being processed every single year since the very beginning of the industrial revolution.