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Trivia Tidbit of the Day: Part 3 -- Oil Prices.
Today's trivia tidbit:
In the 1850s, a gallon of whale oil reached $2.50, when $5.00 was a good wage for an entire week of skilled labor.
-From page 169 of An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power, by John Steele Gordon.
Kind of puts today's "high gas prices" in perspective.
Whale oil was the fuel of choice, pre-electricity, and before rock oil (petroleum), for lighting homes artificially at night.
Previous trivia tidbits:
Part 1.
Part 2.
Posted by Will Franklin · 1 April 2005 01:37 PM