Summary Of A Thirst For OilÐ'... Man's Search For Petroleum" By R. Williams

In the essay, "A thirst for oilÐ'... Man's search for petroleum" by R. Williams, he states that oil has a big influence on why and what man does. At first oil was used for liniment, medicine, and cementing walls. All over the world there are natural places you can recover oil and gas, such as the U.S. and Canada, but the Middle East was the biggest supplier for U.S. oil after World War II.

Petroleum first uses included sealants, lubricants and medicinal purposes. A product of petroleum, kerosene, was used as fuel for light and heating. The major current use for petroleum came with the invention of the automobile. Petroleum is not just use for fuel; oil is also used in plastics, fertilizers, and cosmetics.

Early on searching for oil and gas was more difficult, found only near natural oil and gas seeps. Later on, geochemistry helped in finding that deposits under the earth's surface. Technology is aided in the search for oil, but instead of just a guessing game it became an actual science with satellites, drilling, and saline injections helping to uncover what is beneath the surface of the earth.

Relying on oil has influenced world politics greatly. Some of the historical events that impacted the petroleum industry were the invention of the first motor car, World War I, the start of the great depression, the oil discovery in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, World War II, the beginning of OPEC, Exxon Valdez spill, Iraq invades Kuwait, UN embargo on Iraq, Soviet union collapses, 50 years moratorium on mining and oil explorations in Antarctica approval, U.S. sanctions against Libya lifted, September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States of America, construction started on Bosphorus bypass pipeline bringing oil from Baku to Mediterranean, just to name a few. Oil is the front runner in global politics with wars and alliances to prove it.

Transportation has changed greatly, what was once thought to be unimaginable

...