BIG SCIENCE & ENERGY INNOVATION
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY September 10, 2025 BIG SCIENCE & ENERGY INNOVATION On September 10, 2008, the world witnessed the launch of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful particle accelerator ever built. While its mission centered on unlocking the mysteries of physics, this scientific marvel also showcased the incredible energy demands of big science. […]
IRAN’S FIRST NUCLEAR PLANT POWERS UP
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY September 3, 2025 IRAN’S FIRST NUCLEAR PLANT POWERS UP On September 3, 2015, the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant began supplying electricity to Iran’s national grid, marking a historic moment as the first commercial nuclear reactor in the Middle East came online. After decades of delays and international negotiations, Bushehr’s activation expanded […]
THE SAN BRUNO PIPELINE DISASTER
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY September 9, 2025 THE SAN BRUNO PIPELINE DISASTER On September 9, 2010, a major natural gas pipeline ruptured in San Bruno, California, triggering a massive explosion and fire that tore through a residential neighborhood. The blast sent a towering fireball into the sky, destroyed dozens of homes, and claimed lives—shocking a […]
SOUTHWEST BLACKOUT
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY September 8, 2025 SOUTHWEST BLACKOUT On September 8, 2011, a massive grid failure plunged Southern California, Arizona, and parts of Baja California into darkness. What began as a single transmission line outage escalated into a cascading failure, leaving more than 6 million people without power for hours. The blackout disrupted airports, […]
RICHARD CHACE TOLMAN
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY September 5, 2025 RICHARD CHACE TOLMAN On September 5, 1948, the world lost Richard Chace Tolman—a physicist and chemist whose work laid critical foundations for modern electricity. Tolman helped confirm that electrons are the charge carriers in electrical current, a breakthrough that shaped the understanding of how power flows through circuits. […]
EDISON LIGHTS UP NEW YORK
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY September 4, 2025 EDISON LIGHTS UP NEW YORK On September 4, 1882, Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street Station in New York City delivered the first commercial direct-current (DC) electricity to a handful of customers in Lower Manhattan. This marked the birth of the electric utility industry in the United States. The station […]
SOLAR SUPERSTORM
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY September 2, 2025 SOLAR SUPERSTORM On September 2, 1859, Earth was struck by the most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history, triggered by a massive solar flare during what became known as the Carrington Event. The storm was so intense that telegraph systems around the world sparked, caught fire, and transmitted […]
ARGONAUT REACTOR IN GENEVA
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY September 1, 2025 ARGONAUT REACTOR IN GENEVA On September 1, 1958, the Argonaut training reactor, developed by Argonne National Laboratory, was reassembled at the United Nations’ second International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Geneva. This event showcased nuclear energy’s potential beyond weapons, emphasizing collaboration for scientific and […]
THE USSR’S FIRST NUCLEAR DETONATION
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY August 29, 2025 THE USSR’S FIRST NUCLEAR DETONATION On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union conducted its first successful nuclear test, codenamed First Lightning, at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan. The blast marked the USSR’s entry into the nuclear arms race, just four years after the United States’ atomic bombings […]
PHOTOVOLTAIC EFFECT DISCOVERED
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY August 28, 2025 PHOTOVOLTAIC EFFECT DISCOVERED On August 28, 1839, French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect while experimenting with an electrolytic cell coated in silver chloride. He observed that the cell produced more electricity when exposed to light—an unexpected revelation at the time. This phenomenon demonstrated that sunlight could […]