On October 7, 1859, America's first commercial oil well—drilled by Edwin L. Drake in Titusville, Pennsylvania—erupted in flames. The blaze began when an open flame lamp ignited volatile gases escaping from the well, sparking one of the earliest disasters in the young petroleum industry.
While quickly extinguished, the fire exposed the dangers of oil extraction and the urgent need for improved safety practices. It also highlighted the volatility of petroleum as a resource that would go on to fuel the industrial revolution and shape America's energy trajectory.
