Natural Gas

Advantages

• It produces far less soot than coal
• It's cheap, and in abundant supply
• It's easy to transport, and natural gas transportation infrastructure is well established

Drawbacks

• It's highly flammable, colorless, tasteless, odorless
• Pipelines are extremely expensive, as they're highly specialized
• Not easy to use, requires lots of processing to be usable

Before natural gas was understood, early humans were mystified by certain occurrences with natural gas. Sometimes, when lightning would strike, natural gas leaking out of the ground would ignite, creating a fire that would seem to burn without fuel. In those days, it was the root of myths and superstitions.

One of the most famous ones occurred in ancient Greece around 1000 BC on Mount Parnassus. A goat herdsman came across what looked like a "burning spring", a flame rising from a fissure in the rock.

The Greeks, believing it to be of divine origin, built a temple around the flame. This temple housed a priestess who was known as the Oracle of Delphi, giving out prophecies she claimed were inspired by the flame.

In ancient China before 400 BC, the people were drilling for brines, water with a high amount of salt, in order to extract it. Occasionally, natural gas would begin to seep out of these wells, and soon it became a common byproduct. After discovering its flammability, it was transported through bamboo pipes and used as fuel to boil the brine, extracting the salt.

It was discovered in America by French explorers, when they found Native Americans igniting gases that were seeping into and around Lake Erie. In 1821, the first well specifically intended to obtain natural gas was dug in Fredonia, New York by William Hart. After noticing gas bubbles rising to the surface of a creek, Hart dug a 27-foot well to try and obtain a larger flow of gas to the surface. From this discovery he founded the Fredonia Gas Light Company.

England had been using natural gas since the 1780s, to light houses and streets. In 1885, Henry Bunsen invented the Bunsen burner, which made it easy to regulate and monitor the flame. Now, it could be adapted to a whole array of early cooking and heating opportunities. By the 1900s, natural gas was used exclusively for light, but transporting it effectively was always an issue.

In 1904, the first time natural gas was used for central heating occurred in London, England. After WWII, with new discoveries in metallurgy, and advances in welding, building better pipelines was possible. From there, it was easily transported and quickly adapted to be used for cooking, and heating appliances.