by Bruce Wells | Aug 3, 2026 | This Week in Petroleum History
A West Coast Spanish expedition discovered natural seeps that became known as La Brea (the tar). “We debated whether this substance, which flows melted from underneath the earth, could occasion so many earthquakes,” noted the expedition’s Franciscan friar in his diary. (more…)
by Bruce Wells | Jul 31, 2026 | Petroleum in War
A government-industry partnership built two petroleum pipelines from Texas to the East Coast that proved vital during World War II. “Big Inch” carried oil from East Texas oilfields. “Little Big Inch” carried gasoline, heating oil, diesel oil, and kerosene.
The final weld on the “Big Inch” was made in July 1943, just 350 days after construction began. “Without the prodigious delivery of oil from the U.S., this global war, quite frankly, could never have been won,” proclaimed historian Keith Miller. (more…)
