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Questions and Answers
What was the total fee Benjamin Silliman, Jr. was promised for the outside research project?
In what year was Benjamin Silliman, Jr. retained for the outside research project?
Who was the New York lawyer involved in the venture related to 'rock oil'?
Where did rock oil bubble up or seep into salt wells, according to the text?
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Who sought to keep a low profile due to involvement in the speculative venture?
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What substance was known as 'rock oil' in the text?
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What was the critical issue for the investors in establishing the petroleum business?
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Who became obsessed with the potential of asphalt and collaborated with a Canadian in the oil industry?
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What did Silliman's report reveal about rock oil?
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What led to the growing demand for cheaper lighting fluids in the petroleum business?
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What drove entrepreneurial innovation in the late 1840s and early 1850s in the oil industry?
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What was the main drawback of cheaper lighting fluids such as camphene and 'town gas'?
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Who was responsible for the creation of the oil industry?
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What was the initial use of rock oil before it was promoted as an illuminant?
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What role did Yale's Professor Silliman play in the development of the oil industry?
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What motivated George Bissell to promote rock oil as an illuminant?
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What did the involvement of Professor Silliman bring to the project?
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What did George Bissell see in rock oil while passing through western Pennsylvania?
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Who established a kerosene works in New York City in 1854?
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What was the estimated annual worth of kerosene production in the United States by 1859?
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Which substance was used in the Middle East for various purposes, including as a traded commodity, building mortar, and medicinal uses?
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What was the mixture of petroleum and lime used in warfare by the Byzantines?
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How was refining technology for petroleum transmitted to Europe?
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Where had a small oil industry developed in Eastern Europe by 1859?
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What was the essential insight of the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company?
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What was the main hindrance to the spread of kerosene in Eastern Europe in the 1850s?
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What inspired George Bissell to apply drilling techniques to oil recovery?
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What marked the birth of the American oil industry according to the text?
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What was the aim of the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company?
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What was the potential alternative to digging for oil mentioned in the text?
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Study Notes
The Birth of the American Oil Industry
- In the 1850s, the Eastern European industry lacked the technology for drilling, hindering the spread of kerosene.
- The introduction of kerosene in the United States faced barriers due to the lack of a substantial supply and suitable lamps.
- A kerosene lamp with a glass chimney from Vienna, designed in Lvov, overcame the issues of smoke and smell, finding a market in the United States.
- The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company aimed to discover a new source for raw material for illuminating oils at a cheaper price.
- The Chinese salt "boring" technique, imported to Europe and the United States, was a potential alternative to digging for oil.
- George Bissell, inspired by an advertisement for rock oil medicine, saw the potential to apply drilling techniques to oil recovery.
- The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company's essential insight was to adapt the salt-boring technique directly to oil, aiming to drill for oil.
- The company's idea of drilling for oil was initially not taken seriously, but they were convinced of the need and opportunity.
- Edwin L. Drake, chosen by coincidence, brought no outstanding qualifications to the task but was recruited due to his availability and tenacity.
- Drake's arrival in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1857, marked the birth of the American oil industry, where he was welcomed as "Colonel" Drake.
- Titusville, a small, impoverished village in northwestern Pennsylvania, became the starting point for the American oil industry.
- "Colonel" Drake's journey to Titusville was exhausting, and he was met with a warm and hospitable welcome, marking the beginning of the American oil industry.
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Description
Test your knowledge of the birth of the American oil industry with this quiz. Explore the key events and individuals that led to the establishment of the oil industry in the United States, from the introduction of kerosene to the pioneering drilling techniques of "Colonel" Drake.
