3b+Hydro+--+History


 * The History of Hydropower ||
 * Date || Events ||
 * 12 A.D || * Greeks used water wheels to grind grains. ||
 * 62 A.D || * The first steam engine prototype was invented by the Greeks. ||
 * 299 A.D || * A hydraulis was invented.
 * A hydraulis a water powered instrument.
 * It was made in Ancient Rome. ||
 * 300 A.D || * Berbegal mill was the largest flour mills in France.
 * The mill was powered by a waterwheel!
 * It fed 12,500 people. ||
 * 1698 || * The first working model of the steam engine that the Greeks invented was built. ||
 * 1705 || * Thomas Newcomen improved the steam engine.
 * He changed it so it used the atmospheric principle. ||
 * 1776 || * Hydrogen was first detected by a British scientist named Henry Cavendish.
 * Henry detected that hydrogen was made of 2 hydrogen cells and 1 oxygen cell.
 * The steam engine was improved again by James Watt.
 * He changed it so that it had a crank and fly wheel which allowed it to have a rotating motion. ||
 * 1800 || * Water wheels were used to power machinery
 * Two people named Nicholson and Carlisle found out how to separate hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis. ||
 * 1838 || * A German scientist named Christian Schonbein combined hydrogen and oxygen to create electric current and producing water. ||
 * 1879 || * The first hydroelectric plant was built at Niagara Falls. ||
 * 1880 || * The water turbine was invented.
 * The water turbine is a VERY important part to hydroelectric dams today. ||
 * 1884 || * The steam turbine was invented.
 * The steam turbine wasn’t even used to create electricity until the late 1800’s ||
 * 1920 || * 36% of power generated in the United States was hydroelectric. ||
 * 1940 || * Most of the best hydroelectric sites were developed in the United States.
 * During these times fossil fuels became popular and they were much cheaper than hydropower.
 * People were finding new ways to harvest water’s power ||
 * 1996 || * The first tidal power plant was built in France ||
 * 1970 || * The cost of fossil fuels raised
 * The construction of hydropower dams slowed considerably. ||
 * 1974 || * People got power from waves with the first wave device. ||

media type="custom" key="17014354" align="center"



Click here to learn more about steam engines.

Click here to go to hydropower's obtaining page