Coal is formed when peat is altered physically and chemically. First, peat undergoes several changes as a result of bacterial decay, compaction, heat, and time. For the peat to become coal, it must be buried by sediment. Burial compacts the peat and, consequently, much water is squeezed out during the first stages of burial. Continued burial and the addition of heat and time cause the complex hydrocarbon compounds in the peat to break down and alter in a variety of ways.
If you were born in Europe in 1900 by the time you were 50 you would have experienced the first and second World Wars. In addition you would have begun to experience the early years of the Cold War, which was dominated by covert conflict and proxy wars more so than direct conflict like the World Wars.
The most straightforward theory for Western Rome's collapse pins the fall on a string of military losses sustained against outside forces. Rome had tangled with Germanic tribes for centuries, but by the 300s “barbarian” groups like the Goths had encroached beyond the Empire's borders