Britain turns to coal

c. 1600Major

Wood shortages push England to burn coal, setting the stage for the Industrial Revolution.

Longest chain: The Big Bang → First stars ignite → Supernovae seed heavy elements → The Sun forms → Earth forms → First oceans → First life → Photosynthesis evolves → Great Oxidation Event → Complex cells (eukaryotes) → Multicellular life → Plants colonize land → First forests → Carboniferous coal forests → Britain turns to coal