1941
Smith-Putnam — first megawatt-scale U.S. wind turbine
The 1.25 MW Smith-Putnam turbine on Grandpa's Knob, Vermont, briefly fed the local grid—decades ahead of the modern wind industry.
Historical era
Coal ascendancy (1885–1949)
Coal powered railroads, factories, and—after the 1880s—rapidly expanding electric utilities.