what was oil first used for and what did they use for an alternate source
Drake employed William Smith, an expert salt driller, to supervise drilling operations and on August 27, 1859, they struck oil at a depth of sixty-nine feet. So far as is known, this was the first time that oil was tapped at its source, using a drill.
Replacing Oil: Alternative Fuels and Technologies. Most experts look to alternative fuels and technologies as promising complements to petroleum in the near term and likely substitutes in the long term. Currently, 98 percent of the U.S. transport sector runs on petroleum. The reasons for this dominance are simple.