The replacement of wood by coal as the world’s main source of energy stoked the engine of the industrial revolution as the world entered the 19th century. It was known that a flammable gas could be obtained from coal by destructive distillation, and it was not long before enterprising individuals thought of using it for the purposes of illumination. In June 1807, the world’s first demonstration of street lighting by coal gas (town gas in the US) took place at 100 Pall Mall in London. A plaque marks the spot.
This event predated much of the science by which the production and use of energy is understood. The laws of thermodynamics were yet to be formulated, the concept of molecules had yet to be proposed, and physical chemistry as a whole was at a very early stage of its development. The production of coal gas was therefore driven not by scientific knowledge but by utility. Lighting of streets and factories mobilized workforces for longer hours and more productivity, and coal gas provided the means to achieve it. Within a few years of the Pall Mall demonstration, the first public supply of coal gas was established in London at Horseferry Road in Westminster. (more…)
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