1001 Space Earth Nature History First Civilisations Ancient Egypt Biblical Times Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Chinese, Japanese Civilisations Indian Civilisation African Civilisation The Early Americas The Rise of Islam The Middle Ages The Renaissance Civil War and Revolution The Industrial Revolution Two World Wars 20th-century Achievements Human World Science and Technology	What was coal used for? People had used coal to heat their homes for a very long time. But during the Industrial Revolution, more of it was needed to heat water to make steam, which ran the new engines. A type of coal called coke was also used for making iron. Deep mines were dug to extract the coal.   Previous: Back Book: 1001 Section: History Chapter: The Industrial Revolution