I Can't Believe It's Oil

I Can't Believe It's Oil !

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Released on - Wednesday,23 June , 2010 -11:56 00

Humans have been using petroleum for thousands of years, long before drilling technology arrived in the mid-1800s. Ancient cultures used it as an adhesive and to caulk the seams of wooden ships. The Chinese used it as a fuel to heat homes and light their lamps. Oil was skimmed from water surfaces and captured from areas where there was above-ground seepage.

Oil Dependency

Up until the 1950s, the United States produced the vast majority of the oil it consumed. That changed as post-war industrialization and the era of the automobile drove up demand. Demand was further increased as inventors and chemists created new ways to use oil as a basic ingredient in a wide variety of new products.

After the oil embargo of the mid-1970s, a strategic petroleum reserve was created to provide a buffer against future disruptions in foreign supplies. Today, the U.S. imports the majority of its oil, with Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico as the top three suppliers.

Oil Today

It's no surprise that most petroleum products are used to generate energy. Gasoline and diesel fuel power our cars and trucks, and kerosene and jet fuel keep our airplanes flying. Some of the propane we use is separated from crude oil during the refining process. On average, a 42-gallon barrel of refined crude oil yields about 19 gallons of gasoline and 9 gallons of diesel, with the remainder used to make other petroleum-based products