
The globe-spanning story of the oil industry from the first strikes of the 19th century through the Gulf War. The industry's colorful characters and oil's key role in…
Series • 1992 • 1 season
S1 E1 - Our Plan
The discovery of petroleum gives rise to a new global industry. John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil grows into a monopoly. Muckraking journalist Ida Tarbell pulls back the curtain and reveals inconvenient truths about the robber baron.
Nov 1, 1992 • 52m
S1 E2 - Empires of Oil
Oil is struck in Sumatra. Henri Deterding of Royal Dutch Petroleum and Marcus Samuel of Shell join forces and compete against Standard Oil. Oil is struck in Texas. Winston Churchill recognizes the strategic value of oil on the eve of World War I.
Nov 8, 1992 • 52m
S1 E3 - The Black Giant
Standard Oil's Walter 'The Boss' Teagle squares off against Calouste 'Mr. Five Percent' Gulbenkian, gatekeeper to Mideast oil. C.M. 'Dad' Joiner and Doc Lloyd strike oil in east Texas, sparking a boom that brings government regulation to the industry.
Nov 15, 1992 • 53m
S1 E4 - War and Oil
The key but often overlooked role that oil played in World War II is examined and discussed by war veterans and military historians.
Nov 22, 1992 • 53m
S1 E5 - Crude Diplomacy
Mideast oil is declared the greatest prize in history, but a prize not easily won. Participants and historians discuss the wooing of Saudi Arabia's Ibn Saud, the creation of Aramco, and the postwar reality that petroleum is political.
Nov 29, 1992 • 52m
S1 E6 - Power to the Producers
The story of oil in the 1950s and '60s. Italy's Enrico Mattei challenges the 'Seven Sisters.' Oil diplomacy in an increasingly volatile Middle East. The creation of OPEC in 1960. Cheap oil fuels America's car culture and suburban sprawl.
Dec 6, 1992 • 52m
S1 E7 - The Tinderbox
The tumultuous years 1971 through 1991 saw shifting power in the oil industry as OPEC commandeered the driver's seat, sparking a global search for new oil sources. 'Oil as a weapon' results in the gas shortages of 1973 and '79.
Dec 13, 1992 • 52m
S1 E8 - The New Order of Oil
Is oil a 'sunset industry'? A galvanized environmentalist movement and government regulation pose challenges to the oil industry. The oil industry presses ahead trusting in its customers' continuing love affair with their automobiles.
Dec 20, 1992 • 52m
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The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power
The globe-spanning story of the oil industry from the first strikes of the 19th century through the Gulf War. The industry's colorful characters and oil's key role in 20th century history are brought to life by participants and historians.
TV Series • 1992