Pennsylvania Oil

was the first oil well that was dug in the US (Pennsylvania) the discovery of oil for the world,?

Or were we already using it? had Europe or the mid-east already dug it up?
Thanks

Oil has been around for thousands of years. It wasn't until people found that you could refine oil, get kerosene, and replace whale oil, that it found a niche in the 1800s. Shortly thereafter another by-product of oil (gasoline) was found to be pretty handy at powering the newly created automobile. Diesel followed shortly thereafter.

In any case, the demand for oil is only about 150/years old. Back in the Middle Ages and beyond, oil was used to pave streets and build walls.

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