Full notes at stepchange.show

Welcome to the debut episode of Stepchange—a podcast telling the stories of human progress. We unpack the technologies, systems, and infrastructure that shape our world.

Coal is the story of a step change—a transformation so profound that it reshaped the course of human history. The rise of coal reshaped economies, societies, and the very way we live. It became the foundation of the Industrial Revolution and powered a new era of progress, but this leap forward came at a tremendous cost.

Coal’s story begins with ancient plants that captured sunlight and locked away carbon over millennia. These deposits, buried deep in the Earth, would one day drive empires and fuel industries that transformed the world. Yet, behind this transformation lies a complex and often difficult legacy.

Even as coal has faded from the forefront of our energy landscape, its fingerprints remain everywhere. The technologies it spawned, from steam engines and the rail to industrial manufacturing, continue to underpin our modern world. At the same time, coal’s legacy is inseparable from many of the challenges we face today, from labor abuse and environmental degradation to global climate change.

In this debut episode, we explore the first chapter of coal's story, from its early discovery and use through the dawn of the 20th century.

Thank you for joining us for the first episode of Stepchange. Don’t forget to subscribe and share your thoughts by emailing us at [email protected].

Hosts: Ben Shwab Eidelson and Anay Shah

Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome to Stepchange03:37 - The Birth of Coal09:39 - Coal's Early History17:01 - Britain's Coal Transformation25:49 - Reshaping Home & Hearth34:49 - The Iron & Coke Revolution44:28 - The Steam Engine Breakthrough1:03:37 - The Railway Revolution1:19:50 - The Rise of Industrial Cities1:38:57 - Life in the Mines1:54:37 - Coal Comes to America2:24:11 - Themes & Reflections

Closing reading & listening recommendations:

* Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World

* Brian Cox

* Google’s quantum chip Willow announcement

* The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI

* Quantum Country: A free introduction to quantum computing and quantum mechanics

* Never Enough: From Barista to Billionaire

* Meditations for Mortals

For episode sources and a full transcript see show notes at stepchange.show/p/coal-part-i

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stepchangeshow.substack.com