Crude oil, otherwise known as unrefined petroleum, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid made up of hydrocarbons found beneath the Earth’s surface. The date at which oil was first discovered is disputed, with some claiming it was first found around 600BC, while others say the earliest oil wells were drilled closer to 347AD. However, historians agree that oil was first discovered in China. Crude oil was found by drilling bits attached to bamboo poles into the ground, sourcing oil up to 800 feet deep. This was over 5 times shallower than where we currently find our oil – an average of 5,964 feet deep in 2013. This oil was then transported in pipelines made from hollow bamboo, used due to its high tensile strength and wide availability in China. Unrefined oil sourced from these pipelines was then burned to evaporate brine (a high concentration solution of salt) to produce salt. This was an important trading commodity in ancient China, as it allowed food to be preserved and helped control food fermentation, both of which are essential for expanding empires. By the 10th century there were vast bamboo pipelines connected to salt springs and oil wells in China, with oil also being used for heating and lighting.
Since its discovery, the use of crude oil has become widespread across the world. Baghdad’s first streets were paved with tar derived from petroleum, and oil wells in 18th century Russia provided oil for lamps to be used by churches and monasteries. The modern history of oil began in the 1800s when paraffin became refined from crude oil, creating large advancements in the production and use of oil. The Scottish chemist James Young noticed a natural petroleum leakage in 1847 and had success in distilling it into a lighter oil for lighting lamps and a thicker oil to lubricate machinery. After this experiment, he succeeded in distilling multiple useful products from crude oil, including ‘paraffine oil’ which was later sold by his company ‘Young’s Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil Co. Ltd’ across the UK. Two years later in Canada the geologist Abraham Gesner refined kerosene from coal, bitumen, and oil shale. This was a large development at the time as this product of crude oil was much cheaper to produce and buy than whale oil. The first modern oil well was drilled in 1848 in Asia, with vastly different methods to that of ancient China’s bamboo system.Instead, a drilling rig would bore a hole through multiple layers of rock and dirt until it reached an oil reservoir. Piping above the drill would pump mud into the well to keep a constant pressure below ground and collect debris. After the well had finished drilling it would be completed and cased, with concrete poured between the pipe and borehole to ensure stability. After the casing was secured and complete, the top of the well was fixed with a production tree which controlled the flow of oil out of the well.
The Age of Oil began in the 1800s and oil use quickly spread around the globe due to crude oil being much less expensive than whale oil to obtain – allowing it to be accessed by a wider variety of social classes. The rise in oil production helped to create an era of economic prosperity for countries which were oil rich, such as the USA. However, it also ushered in a new era of mega corporations. John D. Rockefeller became the world’s first oil baron when he created the “Standard Oil Company” in 1865. By 1879 his business controlled 90% of America’s refining capacity, as well as the majority of its distribution systems. This rise of oil barons shifted the class system of the time, as these men became more influential and wealthier than the traditional elite of society such as nobility. This signified a shift from the conventional social class system based on birth to a more modern structure based on monetary wealth. As well as disrupting national power dynamics the Oil Age also transformed global politics. The Middle East is home to over half of the world’s proven oil reserves, and its export of oil to other countries has made countries in the region very wealthy. Saudi Arabia is the largest petroleum exporter in the world, and in 2019 had a GDP of $779 billion. Oil makes up 90% of Saudi Arabia’s export earnings and 42% of its GDP, demonstrating the economic power of oil extraction. The country’s reserves make them an attractive ally to other nations who want to ensure a steady oil supply. Due to the USA’s desire for oil, it is a strategic ally to Saudi Arabia, with which it has joined together to oppose communism and ensure stability in oil prices. This shows the large influence oil has on global politics; without the incentive of oil to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia, the USA would benefit less from being allies. They would probably come into conflict with the country more often due to their disagreements over the state of Israel and Saudi Arabia’s dismal human rights record.
However, we are fast entering a new digital age where cars produced are increasingly electric, and the environmental impact of oil drilling is becoming a larger concern to the public and governments. Oil drilling is considered harmful for the environment as it disrupts natural ecosystems, the pipes, roads and other infrastructure required for production can also compromise fragile habitats. In addition to this, refined products of crude oil such as fuel oil release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burned which contributes to the enhanced greenhouse effect, increasing the rate of climate change. Due to this many are asking if oil will soon become obsolete. The COVID-19 pandemic has sunk demand for oil, and though prices skyrocketed to over $100 a barrel in 2020, many think in the future the world will require a much smaller scale oil industry than we currently possess. As well as the rise of electric automobiles, bioplastics are fast becoming more widespread as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic which is made from crude oil. However, oil is still in high demand worldwide, and it is likely that in 50 years oil will still be a part of everyday life. This being said, as demand for oil falls the prominence of oil rich countries on a global scale will likely fall too, unless they diversify their workforce from being almost solely oil based so they can capitalise on the most profitable industries of the future.
Bibliography
https://www.astm.org/COMMIT/D02/to1899_index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_petroleum_industry
