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Edwin Drake

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Inventor

The Resume

    (March 29, 1819-November 9, 1880)
    Born in Greenville, New York
    Former train conductor
    Hired by Seneca Oil Co.
    Built the first commercial oil well in the US at Titusville, Pennsylvania
    Struck oil at a depth of 69.5 feet (August 27, 1859)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was hired by Seneca partly because he had a pass to travel the rails for free.
    He had no military experience, but the company gave him the title of 'Colonel' to impress the locals he dealt with.
    His original well only produced 12-20 barrels of oil a day; when prices dropped during the production boom he inspired, the well quickly became unprofitable.
    He failed to patent his drilling innovations.
    He lost his savings speculating in oil company stocks.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Although there had been previous oil wells, they had been drilled for salt brine, with the petroleum being an accidental byproduct.
    He came up with the innovation of lining the borehole with pipe to keep it from collapsing before the drill reached solid bedrock.
    When his financial backers gave up hope that the well would ever produce oil, he took out a $500 personal loan to keep the drilling going (April, 1859).
    The state of Pennsylvania awarded him an annuity of $1,500 per year in gratitude (1872).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 32 Votes: 50.0% Annoying