Our trucks, cars and planes all use petroleum and it also heat buildings and generate electricity. Petroleum products are also used to make plastics, medicines, paint, soaps and more. It is estimated that, worldwide, currently known resources of oil will last only for another 70 years. New oil resources remain to be discovered however, and further development of technology may result in additional resources being available. It wasn't discovered until 1912 when people were trying to find a way to store gasoline.
Propane comes from natural gas and petroleum wells.
A government scientist named Dr. Walter Snelling found that some gases could be changed into liquid and stored under pressure, taking up less space. A one-gallon tank can hold 270 gallons of propane gas. Soon after his discovery, propane was heating American homes. Propane appliances include ranges, ovens, space heaters, furnaces and air conditioners. Millions of backyard cooks use barbecue grills powered by propane gas.