People began using coal in the 1800s to heat their homes. Trains and ships used coal for fuel. Factories used coal to make iron and steel. Today, we burn coal mainly to make electricity.

Where did people start using coal?

The earliest references of coal mining come from China with a coal mine being opened over 3,000 years ago. By 200BC the Chinese were using coal for heat and as a trading commodity. It was also vital to China's metallurgy industry that first began to flourish around 120BC.

How long have humans burned coal?

The results confirmed that coal had been burned in the area around 3500 years ago. The team also found coal at four more sites, dating back 3500 to 3700 years – with one of them dating back even further, to about 4600 years ago (The Holocene, ).