by Bruce Wells | Jun 1, 2026 | This Week in Petroleum History
Less than 10 months after Edwin L. Drake completed the first commercial U.S. oil well at Titusville, Pennsylvania, Thomas A. Gale published an 80-page pamphlet many regard as the first book about America’s petroleum resources. The Wonder of the Nineteenth Century: Rock Oil in Pennsylvania and Elsewhere described the advantages of the new fuel source for kerosene lamps. (more…)
by Bruce Wells | May 30, 2026 | Petroleum in War
Secret pipelines unwound from massive spools to reach French ports and transport vital oil across the English Channel after the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings.
Wartime planners knew that following the Normandy invasion, Allied forces would need vast quantities of petroleum to continue the advance into Europe. The Allies also knew any tankers trying to reach French ports would be vulnerable to Luftwaffe attacks. A secret plan relied on new undersea pipeline technologies. (more…)
