Edwin Drake drilled the first oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859.

Edwin Drake was a retired railroad conductor who drilled the first oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859.

Standard Oil Company was founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1870.

The United States was the first country to produce oil commercially, beginning in 1859.

The SS John D. Archbold was the first oil tanker, built in 1886.

The internal combustion engine, invented in the 1860s, led to the widespread use of oil.

The Benz Patent Motor Car, built in 1885, was the first car to be powered by an internal combustion engine.

Iran was the first country to discover oil in the Middle East, in 1908.

The Anglo-Persian Oil Company, founded in 1908, was the first oil company to operate in the Middle East.

The Iranian Revolution, which began in 1978, led to the nationalization of the oil industry in Iran.

The Arab Oil Embargo, imposed in 1973, was a response to the United States' support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War.

Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of oil in the world today.

OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, is the organization that regulates the global oil market.

Solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, and nuclear energy are all seen as potential replacements for oil.

Oil production and consumption can lead to air pollution, water pollution, land pollution, and climate change.