Petroleum history dates back thousands of years, with evidence of its use in ancient civilizations like the Sumerians and Babylonians, who utilized natural bitumen for construction and waterproofing. The modern petroleum industry began in the mid-19th century, marked by the drilling of the first commercial oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859 by Edwin Drake. This event sparked the global oil boom. As demand for oil grew, innovations in drilling and refining emerged, leading to the establishment of major companies like Standard Oil in the late 1800s. The discovery of oil fields in places like Texas and the Middle East further transformed economies and geopolitics, making petroleum a crucial energy source worldwide.