by Bruce Wells | Apr 20, 2026 | This Week in Petroleum History
April 20, 1875 – Improved Well Pumping Technology –
Pumping multiple wells with a single steam engine boosted efficiency in early oilfields when Albert Nickerson and Levi Streeter of Venango County, Pennsylvania, patented their “Improvement In Means For Pumping Wells.” The new technology used a system of linked and balanced walking beams to pump oil wells. (more…)
by Bruce Wells | Jan 19, 2026 | This Week in Petroleum History
January 19, 1922 – USGS predicts Oil Shortage, Again –
The U.S. Geological Survey predicted America’s oil supplies would run out in 20 years. It was not the first nor last false alarm. Warnings of shortages were made for most of the 20th century, according to A Case History of Oil-Shortage Scares, a 1950 report that documented six claims prior to that year alone. (more…)
