Gasoline Timeline of Events

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Gasoline

Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain ethanol as an alternative fuel...

Timeline of Events

1886

1.29.1886

Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.

1891

9.20.1891

The first gasoline-powered car debuts in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.

1919

2.25.1919

Oregon places a 1 cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.

1942

7.22.1942

The United States government begins compulsory civilian gasoline rationing due to the wartime demands.

1963

6.11.1963

Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burns himself with gasoline in a busy Saigon intersection to protest the lack of religious freedom in South Vietnam.

1974

1.2.1974

President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo

2000

7.10.2000

A leaking southern Nigerian petroleum pipeline explodes, killing about 250 villagers scavenging gasoline.