Pioneers
Edwin Drake
Also Known As Colonel Drake The title was honorary, conferred by his backers to impress the Titusville locals; Drake held no military rank.
United States
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The American driller whose well at Titusville, Pennsylvania, struck oil on 27 August 1859, the conventional birth of the modern petroleum industry. His innovation of driving an iron pipe down the borehole made drilling through loose ground practical, and it was imitated everywhere, though he patented nothing and died poor on a pension from the state of Pennsylvania.
Facts
Defining ContributionThe first commercial oil well, Titusville, Pennsylvania, 1859 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationEdwin Drake, openingQuote, Edwin Drake, opening
Edwin Laurentine Drake (March 29, 1819-November 9, 1880), also known as Colonel Drake, was an American businessman and the first American to successfully drill for oil.
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