Abraham Darby Smelts Iron with Coke

January 1, 1709

In the Severn Gorge at Coalbrookdale, a Quaker ironmaster replaced scarce charcoal with coke from local coal. The hearth flared and held. The process, long a trade secret, would eventually unlock mass iron production. The Industrial Revolution's first coal fire was lit in a small Shropshire valley. His grandson would use the technique to cast the world's first iron bridge across the same river.