Page 85 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV

Oil

Oral History
Organization of American
States

Orientalism
Orthodoxy, Christian
Osman I

Ottoman Empire

Oil

o commodity or industry had a greater impact on
Nworld history in the twentieth century than petro-
leum, or oil, a complex mixture of hydrocarbons that
had their ultimate origin in plants and animals that lived
and died hundreds of million of years ago. Oil produc-
tion and use has transformed economic life and has had
a deep and lasting impact on the environment. Control
of oil has helped determine the outcome of major wars
and has been a central element in U.S. global power.

History of Oil Use
Oil from natural seepages was used as early as 3000 BCE
in Mesopotamia and China for heating, lighting, medi-
cine, ship caulking, and road building. Later, oil was a
key ingredient in Greek fire, a flammable mixture of
petroleum and lime that was used in warfare. Wide-
spread oil use did not occur until the mid-nineteenth cen-
tury, however, when the development of techniques for
refining crude petroleum created new uses for oil, and
the development of hard-rock drilling for oil greatly
expanded oil production. Kerosene refined from crude
petroleum quickly became a major source of illumina-
tion, and petroleum-based lubricants replaced vegetable
oils, whale oil, and animal tallow.
Used mainly for illumination in the nineteenth cen-
tury, oil became an integral part of modern life in the
twentieth century. Just as electricity began to overtake
kerosene as the main source of illumination, at least in
urban areas, the development of the oil-powered internal