why tinfoil hat? what is controversial about this, if that's how you define "tinfoil hat" topics?

I like this one and share your view.

Makes me wonder: when exactly (historically speaking) did energy become not free? I.e. something we accept we just need to actually pay for.

I'm sure this question may have been answered in countless books, but I can't recall seeing it phrased like this:

When did mankind first start paying someone else for energy as the norm? (As opposed to generating or harnessing it themselves.)