Our world is powered by petroleum and its by-products during refining. We enter wars, betray allies, and punish innocent lives all for the opportunity to rejoice in the lucrative industry of petroleum. It is like a sweet stash of candy for the sweet tooth. It doesn’t last forever or replenish once in a while and whoever has control over its extraction is the most formidable of the land. Long before the use of the golden oil humans were able to drive off the frigid winds of long winters with the heat provided by burning whale oil. In the 17- 20th century men on ships would go out to sea and extract spermaceti oil from the head of large baleen whale species. The lubber of other whales could be boiled in slabs to extract oil. Whale oil was in such demand that various species were slain to
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Soon ships had to travel deeper in to the sea and stay longer to find meet quotas and whaling became more costly than profitable forcing us to find an alternative fuel (Business Desk). The business was detrimental in itself because it relied upon a large population of whales that took years to mature and of which they fiercely massacred. There was no possible way to remove the oil without harming them and tearing them apart. By 1986 the International Whaling Commission limited and enforced the killing of whales (Whale Facts). Eventually they banned whaling in countries including the United States of America. In years to come the competition of the free market would introduce fuels such as lard oil, coal oil, and kerosene.
Kerosene was found in Poland and the United States and provided a less volatile alternative sold at third the price of whale oil, 50 cents a gallon (American Oil Lamp Exhibit). Petroleum was found in Pennsylvania in 1858 and was slowly extracted. The massive market for kerosene motivated Edwin Drake to find the most effective method to extract the largest amount of petroleum. In 1859, Drake discovered drilling to provide the most
Soon ships had to travel deeper in to the sea and stay longer to find meet quotas and whaling became more costly than profitable forcing us to find an alternative fuel (Business Desk). The business was detrimental in itself because it relied upon a large population of whales that took years to mature and of which they fiercely massacred. There was no possible way to remove the oil without harming them and tearing them apart. By 1986 the International Whaling Commission limited and enforced the killing of whales (Whale Facts). Eventually they banned whaling in countries including the United States of America. In years to come the competition of the free market would introduce fuels such as lard oil, coal oil, and kerosene.
Kerosene was found in Poland and the United States and provided a less volatile alternative sold at third the price of whale oil, 50 cents a gallon (American Oil Lamp Exhibit). Petroleum was found in Pennsylvania in 1858 and was slowly extracted. The massive market for kerosene motivated Edwin Drake to find the most effective method to extract the largest amount of petroleum. In 1859, Drake discovered drilling to provide the most