Mining has a long world history. The first mines began to come into being with the industrial revolution. One of the first type of mines was the coal mine, as coal was a primary source of energy for transportation and industry starting in the 18th century.
One of the first developers of mining were the British, they developed techniques in underground coal mining beginning in the late 18th century through the 20th century.
Coal mining has been a social and political issue from the late 1890s. Often members of the Coal Unions were also involved in Trade unions that affected how and where coal would be mined.
The ancient Romans were involved in mining and had active coal mines located in Wales and England, and coal was being actively mined in Britannia during that time period. The Ancient Aztecs were mining coal both for heat and as ornaments in their culture. Early settlers and colonists to the Americas began to discover and mine coal in Eastern North America in the 18th Century.
Early types of coal mining were with coal being very near the surface, or close to it.
Gradually shaft mining began to emerge. The first room and pillar mining began to be done, where rooms of coal were mined with pillars of coal and minerals left to support the rooms and roofs.
Deep shaft mines, using wooden pillars to help support began to be established. With inventions of the Geordie lamp and the Davy Lamp helped prevent explosions of coal dust and dangerous gases in the mines.
Modern coal mining now takes place in mines around the world. With the use of industrialization and large machines, the numbers of miners required for mining has been reduced, but there are still mines in a variety of nations scattered around the world.