How Did the World's Oil Producers Change?

History · Published

How Did the World's Oil Producers Change? · 2:13 · Intellect Plus

In short: From Drake's 1859 well to the 2025 production figures, this film follows how control of crude oil production moved from American companies to foreign concessions in the Middle East, then to producer governments, and on to a shale-driven United States.

A 2:13 short film in the series “How Did…?”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.

Sources used in this film: Library of Congress (Research Guides, Chronicling America), “Research Guides: Standard Oil's Monopoly: Topics in Chronicling America: Introduction”; Legal Information Institute (LII), Cornell Law School (Wex Definitions Team), “Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States (1911) | Legal Information Institute”; Encyclopedia.com (entry by Mary Ann Tétreault), “Red Line Agreement | Encyclopedia.com”; Encyclopaedia Britannica (Britannica Money), “OPEC | Membership, Oil, Organization, History, Headquarters, & Facts | Britannica Money”; U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (National Register of Historic Places Inventory–Nomination Form for the Drake Oil Well, prepared by Cecil McKithan, Historian, Historic Sites Su…, “efcd4a55-444b-45b2-b543-9a72d34555f2”; Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, “Drake Well Museum”; Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey (Pennsylvania Geology, Vol. 29, No. 1, Spring 1998; article 'Why the Drake Well?' by John A. H…, “E:\SPRING98\SP98C1.QXD (Page 1)”; U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior (Circular 11, Review of the Petroleum Industry in the United States, April 1934, compiled by Hale B. Soyster), “report.pdf”; Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State (Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXXVI, Energy Crisis, 1969–1974, Document 148: State Department memorandum of conversation…, “Historical Documents - Office of the Historian”; Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State (Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–4, Document 311: CIA Intelligence Memorandum, June 1972), “Historical Documents - Office of the Historian”; Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State (Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXXVI, Energy Crisis, 1969–1974, Document 147), “Historical Documents - Office of the Historian”; Office of the Historian, Bureau of Administration, United States Department of State (Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Volume XII, Document 90), “Historical Documents - Office of the Historian”; U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian (Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Volume IV), “Historical Documents - Office of the Historian”; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. Department of Energy (Today in Energy, in-brief analysis, July 9, 2026; data source: EIA International Energy Statistics), “The United States produced more crude oil than any other country in 2025 - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)”.

Sources used in this film

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