Time: 347 A.D. Oil wells are drilled in China up to 800 feet deep using bits attached to bamboo poles. 1858     First oil well in North America is drilled in Ontario, Canada. It took over 1400 years to realise the commercial potential of the oil to use as fuel for mass consumption.

Arab world did not realise the existence of oil till 1933 when the Saudi Arabian government signed a concessionary agreement with Standard Oil of California (Socal), allowing the company to explore Saudi Arabia for oil.  Today, its yearly production of only crude oil neared 3.4 billion barrels (540,000,000 m3) and it managed over 100 oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabia totaling at least 264 billion barrels (4.20×1010 m3) of oil reserves and 253 quadrillion  scf of gas reserves.

History lesson: Are we missing something ? Oil that existed for millions of years in some part of the world was discovered first in 347 AD and continued to be discovered till now for mass use. Coal was the bedrock of the industrial revolution in Europe and North America. But it has now has little role to play even though it is available in abundance.

Is there alternative fuel around us that we don't realise it exists. Conventional knowledge shows the alternative fuels are Wind power, Solar power, Tidal power, Geothermal power, Hydropower, Biomass, Ethanol fuel, Hydrogen, Compressed Natural Gas, Bio Fuel and Nuclear.

The fuels drilled from the earth have been economical and suitable for masses. So the question is whether we have to drill the earth deeper to find a better alternative. Or wait for another 1400 years to know the answer.

Discovery of Oil - You will like this video