EARLY INDEPENDENT OIL VENTURES GROW IN COLORADO
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 19, 2026 EARLY INDEPENDENT OIL VENTURES GROW IN COLORADO On March 19, 1903, the Grand County Oil & Refining Company was incorporated in Sulphur Springs, Colorado, with $500,000 in capital stock to pursue regional oil production and refining. This marked one of the earliest independent ventures in the American West, […]
NEW LONDON SCHOOL EXPLOSION TRAGEDY
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 18, 2026 NEW LONDON SCHOOL EXPLOSION TRAGEDY On March 18, 1937, a natural gas leak at New London High School in Rusk County, Texas, caused a catastrophic explosion just minutes before the school day ended. The blast, fueled by odorless casing-head gas, was heard four miles away, killing nearly 300 […]
OKLAHOMA’S OIL BOOM TRANSFORMS SEMINOLE COUNTY
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 17, 2026 OKLAHOMA’S OIL BOOM TRANSFORMS SEMINOLE COUNTY On March 17, 1923, the Betsy Foster No. 1 well near Wewoka, Oklahoma, erupted as a 2,800-barrel-per-day gusher, launching the Seminole oil boom. Within the next decade, 39 separate oilfields were discovered across Seminole and neighboring counties. By 1935, this previously impoverished […]
THE ICONIC FLYING HORSE BECOMES A TRADEMARK
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 16, 2026 THE ICONIC FLYING HORSE BECOMES A TRADEMARK On March 16, 1911, the Vacuum Oil Company (a precursor to Mobil) registered the Pegasus flying-horse logo in South Africa. The emblem would become one of the most recognized symbols in the petroleum industry worldwide, appearing on gasoline stations and lubricants […]
OPEC LIFTS ARAB OIL EMBARGO
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 13, 2026 OPEC LIFTS ARAB OIL EMBARGO On March 13, 1974, members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) ended the five-month oil embargo against the United States, which had caused severe fuel shortages and long gas lines during the 1973 energy crisis. The embargo had cut U.S. oil […]
THOMAS SLICK STRIKES ONE OF OKLAHOMA’S GREAT OILFIELDS
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 12, 2026 THOMAS SLICK STRIKES ONE OF OKLAHOMA’S GREAT OILFIELDS On March 12, 1912, independent wildcatter Thomas B. “Dry Hole Slick” Slick struck a major pay zone with his No. 1 Wheeler well, uncovering the Drumright-Cushing oilfield in central Oklahoma. The discovery came after years of risky drilling that earned […]
PASSING OF A TEXACO FOUNDER
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 11, 2026 PASSING OF A TEXACO FOUNDER On March 11, 1937, Joseph S. Cullinan, founder of The Texas Company (Texaco), passed away, marking the end of a career that helped shape the modern American oil industry. Cullinan founded Texaco in 1901, just months after the Spindletop gusher, recognizing early that […]
OIL APPEARS WHILE DRILLING FOR SALT IN KENTUCKY
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 10, 2026 OIL APPEARS WHILE DRILLING FOR SALT IN KENTUCKY On March 10, 1829, driller Martin Beatty was boring for brine on a farm near Burkesville, Kentucky when he unexpectedly struck oil at a depth of about 171 feet — one of the earliest documented oil shows in American history, […]
STANDARD OIL FACES THE SUPREME COURT
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 9, 2026 STANDARD OIL FACES THE SUPREME COURT On March 9, 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments in Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States, a landmark antitrust case that challenged John D. Rockefeller’s vast petroleum empire. At its peak, Standard Oil controlled an estimated […]
OFFSHORE OIL PRODUCTION BEGINS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
TODAY IN ENERGY HISTORY March 6, 2026 OFFSHORE OIL PRODUCTION BEGINS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO On March 6, 1950, the Pure Oil Company completed Creole No. 1, the first commercially successful offshore oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, located just off the coast near Creole, Louisiana. Drilled in shallow waters using a fixed […]