| Over 70,000 years ago, prehistoric man | | | | when more elaborate lamps were being produced. |
| discovered that oils can burn brightly for long | | | | They featured animals, people, foods and even |
| periods of time. This discovery was probably | | | | gods. |
| made when people cooked animals over the fire | | | | Oil was also used to create flaming torches to |
| and noticed that the dripping animal fat soaked | | | | light hallways and large rooms. Torches were |
| the wood and made it burn longer. They learned | | | | mounted in sconces on walls. They were usually |
| to place moss, wood and other organic fibers into | | | | bundles of sticks dipped in pitch, or tar. They |
| a stone with a hollowed out place to hold the oils. | | | | were actually only used for special events or |
| They used animal fats, fish oil, whale oil, beeswax | | | | dinners. Usually people used oil lamps. |
| or vegetable oils pressed from sesame seeds, | | | | In the 1780's, the Argand lamp was invented by |
| nuts and olives. They soon discovered that fires | | | | Aime Argand. He realized that you could make a |
| would burn even longer if they burned fibers with | | | | lamp burn at least ten times brighter than a |
| one end dipped in the oil, much like a wick. It didn't | | | | candle. He accomplished this by placing the wick in |
| take long for them to discover that they could | | | | the center of the lamp and covering it with a |
| easily use petroleum which they could gather | | | | glass chimney to control air flow. It turned out to |
| from oil seeps or pools on top of the ground. | | | | be a very clean burning alternative to all other |
| Early Egyptians are credited with creating the first | | | | lamps produced up to this date, and soon |
| stone bowl lamps. They laid a wick over the lip | | | | revolutionized home life by brightly lighting houses |
| and could burn oils from within the bowl. These | | | | at night for the first time in history. The Argand |
| bowls were hand-carved from rock and | | | | lamp burned whale oil until the production of |
| extremely rare. Later, a little over 2,000 years | | | | kerosene from petroleum came about seventy |
| ago, they discovered how to make bowls from | | | | years after the Argand lamp's invention. Refining |
| pottery and lamps could be widely produced. | | | | oil into kerosene changed everything and led to |
| They also started pinching the edges together to | | | | the beginning of the oil age. It quickly replaced |
| make a neck which could hold the wick in place. | | | | whale oil as the main source of fuel in North |
| Later the Greeks would improve the design by | | | | America and Europe. Companies like Western |
| creating a lid to place over the bowl. They left a | | | | Pipeline Corporation still drill today to provide us |
| small hole for the oil and a spout for the wick. | | | | with an endless list of products derived from oil. |
| The lid helped to prevent spills and also helped | | | | Make-up, plastics, carpet fibers, clothes dyes, ink |
| control the flow of air into the lamp. This made | | | | and lightweight eyeglasses are all derived from oil. |
| the oil last much longer. By Roman times, virtually | | | | So, the next time you take an aspirin, wear tennis |
| every household utilized oil lamps. Most were | | | | shoes or dye your hair, you can thank prehistoric |
| made of clay or bronze by this time. A few were | | | | man for inspiring it all over 70,000 years ago in his |
| made of glass, gold or silver. Around this time is | | | | quest for light. |