Coal provided the steam and power needed to mass-produce items, generate electricity, and fuel steamships and trains that were necessary to transport items for trade.
Today, coal continues to be used directly (heating) and indirectly (producing electricity). Coal is also essential to the steel industry.
Coal can be extracted from the earth either by surface mining or underground mining. Once coal has been extracted, it can be used directly (for heating and industrial processes) or to fuel power plants for electricity.