As we move to more energy-efficient and earth-friendly alternatives, the use natural gas in the United States is becoming a popular alternative to oil. Natural gas is an important fuel source and is used for heating, cooking and generating electricity as well as fueling vehicles. It’s a much cheaper and cleaner alternative to oil. America is one of the most oil dependent countries in the world and with the rising prices of fuel, it’s understandable why gas is in the news so often. But what else do you know about natural gas other than it being an alternative to oil? Petroleum consultant David Stewart of Bowling Green KY provides 12 interesting things you may not have known about natural gas.

1. Natural gas first arrived in the home in the first century A.D. in Persia.
2. In its natural form, natural gas is colorless and odorless.
3. The famous painter Rembrandt Peale established the first natural gas utility in 1816 after he used natural gas as an energy source to light his museum gallery.
4. Natural gas is used to generate electricity and burns much cleaner than other fuel sources, with less pollutants and no mercury.
5. Currently over 20% of the world uses natural gas as a primary fuel.
6. About half of the homes in the U.S. use natural gas as their primary heating fuel.
7. Natural gas is used to manufacture a variety of items including paper, trash bags, sun glasses, makeup, carpets, fertilizer, and even medicine such as aspirin.
8. Museums rely on natural gas-fueled equipment to ensure the proper humidity is maintained to conserve art, historic documents and fabrics.
9. There are over 120,000 natural gas vehicles driven in America.
10. In addition to being an alternative to gasoline for vehicles and heating for homes, natural gas is used for chilling the glycol used to produce ice for hockey and skating rinks.
11. Many chefs prefer to cook with natural gas due to the speed and outstanding quality.
12. Natural gas development creates jobs with over 600,000 Americans employed by natural gas development.

Which fact were you the most surprised by? Is there something you recently discovered about natural gas that few people know about? Leave a comment sharing your knowledge about natural gas so that we can all learn of the never-ending list of benefits natural gas has to offer!