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Fossil Fuels: fun facts and quiz
The essentials in 7 ideas, with fun facts, an illustrated story and a quiz to see how much you know.
The essentials
What Fossil Fuels Are
Coal, oil and natural gas formed over millions of years from ancient plants and sea creatures, buried and squeezed underground.
Key fact
Much of today’s coal formed about 300 million years ago.
Oil
Crude oil is pumped from underground and refined into petrol, diesel, jet fuel and plastics. The world uses about 100 million barrels a day.
Key fact
One barrel holds 159 litres.
Coal
Coal powered the Industrial Revolution and still makes a large share of the world’s electricity, but it’s the most polluting fossil fuel.
Key fact
China burns about half of the world’s coal.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is mostly methane. It heats homes, cooks food and makes electricity, and it releases less CO₂ than coal when burned.
Key fact
A smell is added to gas so leaks can be noticed.
Fossil Fuels & Climate
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, the main cause of today’s global warming. They still supply around 80% of the world’s energy.
Key fact
In 2023, countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels.
Drilling Deep
Oil and gas are reached by drilling, sometimes kilometres down or far out at sea. Fracking pumps high-pressure fluid into rock to release trapped gas and oil.
Key fact
Some offshore platforms stand in water over 2 km deep.
The Energy Transition
Many countries are shifting from fossil fuels towards renewables and electric vehicles. The UK, first to burn coal for power, closed its last coal plant in 2024.
Key fact
Britain opened the first coal-fired public power station in 1882.
Fun facts
The Carboniferous period, when much of the world’s coal formed, is named after coal: “carbo” is Latin for coal.
The 159-litre oil barrel dates back to 1860s Pennsylvania, when oil was shipped in wooden barrels.
British coal miners took canaries underground until 1986, to warn them of poisonous gas.
In Turkmenistan, a gas crater nicknamed the “Door to Hell” has been burning for decades.
Scientists can tell the extra CO₂ comes from fossil fuels: ancient carbon has lost its radioactive carbon-14.
Fracking isn’t new: it was first used commercially in 1949, in Oklahoma and Texas.
Oil was once used mainly as lamp fuel, before cars existed.
Story: Drake’s Folly
Drake’s Folly
1859, Titusville, Pennsylvania. An oil company hires Edwin Drake, a retired train conductor, to drill for oil. It dubs him “Colonel” to impress the locals.
The locals laugh at “Drake’s Folly”. When the hole keeps caving in, he drives an iron pipe down to hold it open.
On 27 August, at about 21 metres, oil wells up. The modern oil industry was born, but Drake never patented his pipe and died poor.
True or false?
Tap your answer to see if you got it, and why.
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Question 1 of 10
Fossil fuels formed from ancient living things.
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True. Plants and tiny sea creatures.
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Question 2 of 10
Plastics are often made from oil.
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True. Oil is a key raw material for plastics.
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Question 3 of 10
Coal powered the Industrial Revolution.
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True. It fed the steam engines.
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Question 4 of 10
Natural gas is used to heat homes and cook food.
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True. And to make electricity.
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Question 5 of 10
In 2023, countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels.
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True. At the COP28 summit.
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Question 6 of 10
Fracking uses high-pressure fluid to crack rock.
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True. Releasing trapped gas and oil.
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Question 7 of 10
Britain opened the first coal-fired public power station.
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True. In 1882.
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Question 8 of 10
Fossil fuels form in just a few years.
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False. They took millions of years.
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Question 9 of 10
The world uses about 100 barrels of oil a day.
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False. About 100 million barrels a day.
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Question 10 of 10
Coal is the cleanest fossil fuel.
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False. It releases the most CO₂.
Keep going in the app
KnowSoda learns what you know and brings back what you’re about to forget. Fossil Fuels has 6 more ideas at the Advanced and Expert levels.
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Oil, coal and natural gas explained
- IEA — World Energy Outlook 2024
- UNFCCC — COP28 outcome (2023)
- UK Government — End of coal power, Ratcliffe-on-Soar (2024)
- IPCC AR6 — Global warming potentials of methane
- Equinor — Sleipner carbon storage
- OECD (2022), Global Plastics Outlook
