Curated OER
Kentucky
In this Kentucky reading comprehension worksheet, students read a 2-page selection regarding the state and they answer 10 true or false questions pertaining to the selection.
Other
American Coal Foundation: Lesson Plan: History of Coal in the u.s.
Students will learn about the history of coal mining in the United States by examining a timeline of key dates. In this two-part lesson, they will do research to discover why the coal industry is important to the economy and what types...
![Indiana Univ. Bloomington: Geo Notes: History of Coal Mining in Indiana [Pdf] Handout](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Indiana Univ. Bloomington: Geo Notes: History of Coal Mining in Indiana [Pdf] Handout")
Indiana University
Indiana Univ. Bloomington: Geo Notes: History of Coal Mining in Indiana [Pdf]
A brief history of coal mining in Indiana.
Other
Cape Breton Miners' Museum: History of Mining
The first coal mine was opened in Cape Breton in 1720. Read about the long history of coal mining there, mining techniques, how coal is formed, the industry's impact on immigration, coal miners' unionization, etc. There is a detailed...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: When Miners Strike: West Virginia Coal Mining Labor History
This collection uses primary sources to explore coal mining and labor in West Virginia.
Ohio State University
E History: Coal Mining in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
A look into the coal mining industry in the Gilded Age through maps, timelines, images, and primary source documents.
US Department of Energy
U.s. Department of Energy: Coal: Our Most Abundant Fuel
The U.S. has enough coal to last for the next 200-300 years. So why are we not using more of it? This article describes the different types or "ranks" of coal, the history, and the problems with burning coal for energy.
Ohio State University
E History: Hazards of 19th Century Coal Mining
Information from an Ohio State University site. You can read about the many hazards coal miners in the 19th century faced while digging coal to fuel the emerging industry of America.
US Department of Labor
U.s. Department of Labor: The Coal Strike of 1902: Turning Point in u.s. Policy
Read about the background of coal miners and coal mine operators prior to the coal strike in 1902. Find out the significant role of the federal government in bringing the strike to an end.
Other
West Virginia Office of Mhs & T: West Virginia Coal Mining Facts
The history and economy of the mining industry in West Virginia are presented.
Other
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts: The Energy Report: Coal [Pdf]
Chapter 7 of a report on the energy industry in Texas. It looks at coal, its history, its uses, its economic impact in Texas, consumption, mining, and the transportation of coal. The process of generating electricity from coal is...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source: Boomtimes: 20th Century Mining Mojave Desert
This collection uses primary sources to explore twentieth-century mining in the Mojave Desert.
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: Early Days of Coal Mining in Northern Illinois
Explore the coal boom of the late 1860s and learn about the difficult lives of the miners and their families.
Other
Colorado Coal Field War History
Presented is a fascinating detailed account of the 1913-1914 Colorado Coal Strike that went on for 14 months and resulted in 66 deaths. Although the coal miners lost, they ultimately came to see the strike as a victory in many ways....
Texas Railroad Commission
Texas Railroad Commission: Kids World: History of Coal Use
This one-page summary provides many facts about the history and origin of coal in providing humans with heat and energy.
Internet History Sourcebooks Project
Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: Women Miners in English Coal Pits
Detailed essay, written in 1842, on women and girl miners' working conditions in Great Britain. Includes the personal accounts of two women miners.
Other
Lehigh University: The Molly Maguires
An interesting site compiled by a Lehigh University undergraduate student, regarding a secret mining organization known as the "Molly Maguires" who operated in the Pennsylvania coal mines during the latter part of the 19th century.
Science Museum, London
Science Museum: Energy Hall: The Story of Steam
A virtual exhibition on the history of steam power, with animated images of the first steam engines. Covers the history of coal mining and engine building by millwrights and engineers, and gives biographical information about early...
Other
Kentucky Coal Association: Kentucky Coal Heritage
A brief history of coal in the state of Kentucky including explanations of scrip tokens and scatter tags.
Other
Arkansas Geological Survey: Lignite
Article on lignite that includes general information as well as a history of lignite mining and a summary of the geology of lignite deposits. The second section presents more detailed information about lignite geology in Arkansas.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Expore Pa History: Stories From Pa History: Labor Strikes and Mine Disasters
Read about the dangers of coal mining in Pennsylvania, the emergence of unions in an attempt to protect the miners, and some of the mining disasters that took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A&E Television
History.com: How the 1966 Aberfan Mine Disaster Became Elizabeth Ii's Biggest Regret
The Aberfan disaster wiped out a generation of Welsh school children and devastated the nation. An avalanche of coal waste slid down a rain-saturated mountainside. It destroyed everything it touched, eventually killing 144 people, most...
Other
Economic History Services: The Us Coal Industry in the Nineteenth Century
A look at the coal industry in the United States across the entire nineteenth century. Halfway through the page there is information about the advent of unions to represent the coal miners doing such a dangerous job.
US Energy Information Administration
U.s. Eia Energy Kids: Timelines: Coal
Timeline of key milestones in the use of coal as a source of energy in America.