There is a really interesting article on the history of coal mining on the ucdavis.edu web site, at http://www-geology.ucdavis.edu/~cowen/~GEL115/115CH11coal.html
. The article, posted by Geology professor Richard Cowen, was written as part of a book that he's working on and covers the origin of coal mining in England.

Cowen writes that coal mining originally arose because wood became too expensive as an energy source as English forests were cut down and wood had to be shipped from further and further abroad.

Technological advances directly related to the coal industry brought about the development of cast iron, of the rail-road, and of steam engines.

So if the last great energy shortage gave us the industrial revolution, I wonder what the next energy shortage will bring about?