1. Major world markets

Rise and fall

Used since time immemorial on every continent, mineral coal only became a significant source of energy after the firewood crisis in England in the 17th century and the technical innovations of the first industrial revolution in the 18th century. It was the growth in extraction in this country, then in most of Western Europe, the USA and Japan, that ensured its supremacy in the world's energy supply until 1910 (table 1 )