-
1854 kerosene lamp invented.
The kerosene lamp, invented in 1854, ultimately created the first large-scale demand for petroleum. -
First successful well drilled
Titusville, Penn., Col. Edwin Drake drilled the first successful well through rock and produced crude oil. What some called "Drake's Folly" was the birth of the modern petroleum industry. He sold his "black gold" for $20 a barrel.