Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel on earth and the most used fuel for thousands of years.
According to archeological evidence burning of coal started in the Bronze age for food consumption, survival, and tradition. Coal mining as an industry began in 18th-century Europe and the first coal mine to open was in Newcastle in the 13th century.
The Industrial Revolution in Britain made coal mining a large-scale industry powering steam engines, machinery in factories, and heating systems in homes and buildings.
In the United States, the first commercial mining started in the 1740s in Virginia and gradually expanded in Pennsylvania.
This led to the demand and expansion of large-scale mining coal mines in Europe and North America and ultimately, gave rise to their economic growth.
Though it is the first contributor to global warming, coal remains an important source of energy globally.