ALTOONA, Pa. — Brian Black, distinguished professor of history and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona, recently published the article "Harpoon to Derrick: Lessons from an American Energy Transition from the 1860s” in Groniek, an historical journal published by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Groniek editors requested the article for a special issue on energy. The article explores the concept of energy transitions and uses it as a case study in the 19th-century shift in illuminants from whale oil to petroleum-based kerosene.