Discovery of Petroleum in Titusville

Date: August 27, 1859 • Location: Titusville, United States

Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania, leading to the world's first commercially successful oil well.

Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a natural resource that appears as a yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting primarily of hydrocarbons. The term petroleum refers to both naturally occurring unprocessed crude oil, as well as to petroleum products that consist of refined crude oil.