It’s Good to Know: Oil by the Barrel

Oil, or petroleum, hasn’t been stored in barrels for more than a hundred years. So why is it still measured in barrels? Tradition. The original oilmen of the mid-1800s used 42-gallon whisky barrels to store their oil. That measurement is still used today, although the oil is now stored in large tankers and trucks.

(Source: Mental Floss)

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