|
natural resources - events| 1545 | Spain, Peru | An Aymara servant of the Spanish conquistador Diego Gualpa discovers great quantities of silver in a mountain at Potosí (modern Bolivia); mining begins and the surfeit of silver suddenly available to Spain promotes a ‘Price Revolution’ in Europe and speeds the onset of a world economy. | | 9 September 1847 | USA | Gold is discovered in California and leads to the first ‘gold rush’. | | 24 January 1848 | USA | The US prospector James Marshall discovers gold in the millrace at Sutter's Mill on the American River near Sacramento, California. | | 28 August 1859 | USA | US engineer Edwin Drake drills the world's first oil well, at Titusville, Pennsylvania. Drilled to a depth of 21 m/69 ft, it produces 1,818 l/400 gal per day. His success, coinciding with a growing demand for oil products, especially kerosene, leads to further drilling. | | 21 May 1916 | United Kingdom | The British government introduces British Summer Time. The clocks are put forward one hour to help save valuable resources such as coal during wartime. |
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
?Sign in  |
|---|
|
|
|