A Chronology of U.S. Oil & Gas
This Week in Petroleum History
This Week in Petroleum History, January 27 – February 2
January 28, 1921 - "Vaseline Well" erupts in Oklahoma - After reaching a depth of 3,710 feet, drillers of the W.C. Newman well near Lamar, Oklahoma, "hit into a strata of oil, the like of which never before, nor since has been found," reported the Daily Oklahoman in...
This Week in Petroleum History, January 20 – 26
January 20, 1886 - Great Karg Well erupts Natural Gas in Ohio - A well drilled for oil near Findlay, Ohio, erupted natural gas flowing at 12 million cubic feet per day from pressure that could not be controlled by technologies of the day. The "Great Karg Well" ignited...
This Week in Petroleum History, January 13 – 19
January 14, 1928 - Dr. Seuss begins illustrating Standard Oil Ads - New York City’s Judge magazine published its first cartoon drawn by Theodor Seuss Geisel -- who would develop his skills as "Dr. Seuss" while working for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. In the...
This Week in Petroleum History, January 6 – 12
January 7, 1864 - Oilfield Discovery at Pithole Creek - The once famous Pithole Creek oilfield was discovered in Pennsylvania with the United States Petroleum Company's well reportedly located using a witch-hazel dowser. The discovery well, which initially produced...
This Week in Petroleum History, December 30 – January 5
December 30, 1854 - First American Oil Company incorporates - George Bissell and six investors incorporated the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company of New York. Convinced oil could be found in northwestern Pennsylvania, Bissell formed this first U.S. petroleum exploration...
This Week in Petroleum History, December 23 – 29
December 23, 1919 - Home Gas Heating System - When most American homeowners were stocking up on wood and coal to heat their homes, Alice H. Parker patented a gas furnace system with adjustable ducts. The 1910 graduate of Howard University described her patent (no....
This Week in Petroleum History, December 16 – 22
December 17, 1884 - Fighting Oilfield Fires with Cannons - “Oil fires, like battles, are fought by artillery” proclaimed an article in The Tech, a student newspaper of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “A Thunder-Storm in the Oil Country” featured the...
This Week in Petroleum History, December 9 – 15
December 9, 1921 – Scientists discover Anti-Knock Properties of Leaded Gas - Working for General Motors, scientists Thomas Midgely Jr. and Charles Kettering discovered the antiknock properties of tetraethyl lead. They had spent years examining properties of knock...
This Week in Petroleum History, December 2 – 8
December 2, 1942 - Roosevelt creates Petroleum Administration for War - President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Petroleum Administration for War, "for the successful prosecution of the war and other essential purposes." The executive order came after oil and...
This Week in Petroleum History, November 25 to December 1
November 25, 1875 - Continental Oil sends Kerosene Westward - Convinced he could profit by purchasing bulk kerosene in cheaper eastern markets, Isaac Blake formed the Continental Oil and Transportation Company and began transporting kerosene refined in Cleveland,...
History of oil and Gas
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