In 1880, coal powered a steam engine attached to the world's first electric generator. Thomas Edison's plant in New York City provided the first electric light to Wall Street financiers and the New York Times.Only a year later, the world's first hydroelectric plant went on-line in Appleton, Wisconsin.By the late 1800s, a new form of fuel was catching on: petroleum.With the low-cost automobile and the spread of electricity, our society's energy use changed forever. Power plants became larger and larger, until we had massive coal plants and hydroelectric dams. Power lines extended hundreds of miles between cities, bringing electricity to rural areas during the Great Depression.(this is just a brief description)