
Chapter 6: Agriculture, Metal, and Mining
The Industrial Revolutions
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The Pros and Cons of Coal
Coal made the first industrial revolution possible, powering much of our production and homes even today. But coal smoke permeated life so much that people came to figure it was just fog. Starting in 1660s, some coal mine operators started putting strips of wood down that could guide coal-filled carts out of the mines. And in 1726, the first bridge for these strips was built at a place called Cosi Arch. These strips were rail tracks, and they would serve as both the literal and figurative foundation of the coal-powered locomotive railway in the coming decades.
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