Black Sunshine The Story of Coal Author:Olive Woolley Burt The sunshine of a million years ago, stored in fossilized plants -- coal -- releases its energy with the strike of a match. — Here is the fascinating story of how coal was formed, of how it was mined in the past and how it is mined today, of the controversial strip mining, of new forms of coal.and of the people who work at one of the most dangero... more »us jobs in the world.