Category Archives: Energy
Dropping Energy Costs in Historical Perspective
There is a fascinating article by W. Rocky Newman and John R. Bowblis that shows up in The Conversation; I hope that it gets picked up for wider distribution. The piece, entitled, “Crash in oil prices will hurt the U.S. economy … Continue reading
Posted in economy, Energy
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Using Energy’s Past to Predict the Future
One of the many reasons that historians reconstruct the past is so that we can understand our present, and perhaps even make some predictions about the future. When I was writing my recent book, Home Fires: How Americans Kept Warm … Continue reading
Posted in coal, Energy, heating
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Got Coal? Now Would Be the Time To Buy
One of the many luxuries of contemporary life is the ability to heat homes at the flip of a switch or the turn of a dial. Modern utilities allow us to draw instantly on gas, electricity, and in increasingly rare … Continue reading
Coal Rolling is the New Old Black
As a historian of the Industrial Revolution, I’m almost always pleased to see my research interests resurface in a modern setting. I say “almost” because there has been a recent movement called “coal rolling,” in which trucks are fitted with … Continue reading
The End of 19th Century Energy Regimes?
There was an interesting story in the New York Times the other day about China and its decision to embark on an energy conservation program. Unlike the United States, in which the need for energy conservation came like a slap … Continue reading
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