Edwin Laurentine Drake, also known as Colonel Drake, was an American businessman and the first American to successfully drill for oil.
A 19th century illustration of Drake
Drake with the nation's first oil refinery in Titusville, Pennsylvania
The Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania, home where Drake lived the last seven years of his life, from 1873 until 1880
Drake's grave and memorial in Titusville, Pennsylvania
Petroleum or crude oil, also referred to as simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name petroleum covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude oil and petroleum products that consist of refined crude oil.
A sample of petroleum
Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
An oil refinery in Ahmadi Governorate in Kuwait
A fractional distillation apparatus