A Chronology of U.S. Oil & Gas
This Week in Petroleum History
This Week in Petroleum History: May 19 – 25
May 19, 1885 - Lima Oilfield discovered in Ohio - Ohio's petroleum industry began when Benjamin Faurot found oil at Lima in the northwestern part of the state. He had been searching for natural gas in the prolific Trenton Rock Limestone (see Indiana Natural Gas Boom)....
This Week in Petroleum History: May 12 – 18
May 12, 2007 - Oil Museums open in Oklahoma - ConocoPhillips opened two petroleum museums as part of the 2007 Oklahoma statehood centennial celebrations (see ConocoPhillips Petroleum Museums). The company reportedly spent $10 million on state-of-the-art museums in...
This Week in Petroleum History: May 5 – 11
May 5, 1889 - Construction begins on Giant Refinery - On the southern shore of Lake Michigan near Chicago, Standard Oil Company began construction of its 235-acre refinery complex with advanced processing technologies. A newly patented refining method would allow the...
This Week in Petroleum History: April 28 – May 4
April 29, 1942 - Tanker SS Mobiloil torpedoed in Atlantic - A German U-boat torpedoed the unescorted steam tanker SS Mobiloil (spelled in some reports as Mobil Oil) in the Atlantic northeast of the Bahamas. During multiple torpedo attacks, U-108 surfaced and shelled...
This Week in Petroleum History: April 21 – 27
April 21, 1967 - GM celebrates its 100 Millionth Car - General Motors celebrated its 100 millionth American-made car (a two-door Chevrolet Caprice). Founded in 1908 by William Durant, the Flint, Michigan, company began as a manufacturer of horse-drawn carriages. After...
This Week in Petroleum History: April 14 – 20
April 14, 1865 - Failed Oilman turns Assassin - After failing to make his fortune in Pennsylvania oilfields, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. Booth had left his acting career a year earlier to drill an oil well in booming...
This Week in Petroleum History: April 7 – 13
April 7, 1902 - Spindletop Boom brings The Texas Company - Joseph "Buckskin Joe" Cullinan and Arnold Schlaet established The Texas Company in Beaumont to transport and refine oil from Spindletop Hill, a giant oilfield discovered in January 1901. The new company...
This Week in Petroleum History: March 31 – April 6
March 31, 1919 - Oklahoma's Other First Oil Well - The Cherokee-Warren Oil and Gas Company incorporated -- taking over the remaining assets of the exploration venture that drilled Oklahoma's "other first oil well" in Indian Territory. That well, drilled in 1889 but...
This Week in Petroleum History: March 24 – 30
March 24, 1989 - Exxon Valdez hits Bligh Reef - After almost 12 years of routine passages by oil tankers through Prince William Sound, Alaska, supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, resulting in an oil spill affecting 1,300 miles of shoreline. Vessels...
This Week in Petroleum History: March 17 – 23
March 17, 1890 - Sun Oil Company founded - Established in 1886 by Joseph Pew and Edward Emerson to provide light and heat to Pittsburgh, the Peoples Natural Gas Company expanded into production, becoming the Sun Oil Company of Ohio. The new company acquired leases...
History of oil and Gas
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