ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

gas light and coke company

Okay kiddo, have you ever heard of gas light? It's like when you turn on the light switch at home and the light bulb lights up. But instead of using electricity, they used gas to make the light. It was a long time ago, before you were born.

The gas was made by a company called the Coke Company. "Coke" is not the same thing as the soda, it's actually a type of fuel made from coal. The Coke Company would take coal and heat it up without oxygen so it would turn into coke.

The gas light and coke company would use the coke to make gas, which would then be used to light homes and businesses. But, over time, people realized that gas lights weren't very safe. They could explode or catch on fire, and the gas itself was poisonous if there was a leak. So, people started using electricity instead and gas lights became less and less common.

But, at one point, the gas light and coke company was a really big deal and helped light up many cities around the world.