What if the first oil wells had gone differently?

Drilled petroleum turns a curiosity into the cheapest dense energy ever tapped.

If it had gone differently: The world runs on coal and whale oil; there is no cheap liquid fuel waiting for the engine that needs it.

The real history on Wikipedia ↗

Later turning points that leaned on the first oil wells. Change it in the game and the ripples reach all of these.

1. 1870The first globalisation. Without it, The world economy stays a patchwork of regions; no belle-époque boom, and no 1914 shock when it unwinds.
2. 1876The internal combustion engine. Without it, Transport stays horse-drawn or rail-bound; there is no car, no truck, no aircraft engine, no 20th-century sprawl.
3. 1913The moving assembly line. Without it, Cars, appliances and machines stay hand-built and expensive; there is no mass consumer economy.