1839 - William Grove Invents the "gas battery". the first fuel cell
1889 - Charles Langer and Ludwig Mond develop Grove's invention and name the fuel cell
1950s - General Electric invents the proton exchange membrane fuel cell
1960s - NASA first uses fuel cells in space missions
1970s - The oil crisis prompts the development of alternative energy technologies
1980s - US Navy uses fuel cells in submarines
1990s - Large stationary fuel cells are developed for commercial and industrial locations
1999 - Europe's first public commercial hydrogen fuel station for cars and trucks opened for business in Hamburg, Germany
2009 - Residential fuel cell micro-CHP units become commercially available in Japan. Thousands of portable fuel cell battery chargers are sold
