When did man first use coal as a fuel?
Coal has a very long and varied history. Some historians believe that coal was first used commercially in China. There are reports that a mine in northeastern China provided coal for smelting copper and for casting coins around 1000 BC. One of the earliest known references to coal was made by the Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle, who referred to a charcoal like rock. Coal was used in Britain during the Bronze Age (2-3000 years BCE), where it has been detected as forming part of the composition of funeral pyres. Roman historians describe coal as a heating source of last resort in Britannia. The earliest use of coal in the Americas was by the Aztecs. They used coal not only for fire, but as ornaments as well.
