This Day in History...
Oil. Black gold. It can be nearly colorless or jet black (not to mention the many shades in between). It can be thinner than water or thicker than molasses. It can come in a form as light as gas or as heavy as asphalt. Much of the world's crude oil comes from wells drilled from underground or under the ocean floor. The most important primary fossil fuel, petroleum has been used for centuries, with the first wells known to have been drilled in 8th-century China. On this date, 150 years ago, Edwin Drake drilled the first successful US oil well, near Titusville, Pennsylvania.
"Formula for success: Rise early, work hard, strike oil." — Jean Paul Getty