Book 22, Question 66
How Did People Long Ago Put Sunshine to Work?
People have used the Sun's energy for thousands of years. Long before electric power, they put sunshine to work. Remember, sun-dried bricks called adobe are still used in warm, dry places.
More fun facts
- As long ago as the 7th century B.C., people used magnifying glasses to focus sunlight and start fires.
- Ancient Greeks and Romans used burning mirrors to light torches.
- Famous Roman bathhouses had large south facing windows to let in the sun's warmth.
- Sunrooms became so common that a Roman law code created "sun rights" so people could keep their sunlight.
- In the 1200s, Ancestral Pueblo people built south facing cliff homes that caught the winter sun.
- In 1767, Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure built what is called the world's first solar collector.
- Astronomer John Herschel later used a solar box like it to cook food in South Africa in the 1830s.
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy
Questions kids ask
Is solar power a new idea?
No. People have used the sun's heat for thousands of years, long before solar panels.