Chapter 24 historical notes

When history and fiction collide, it is usually history that makes the sacrifice.The same is true of this book, except that the subject of this book is oil, and when oil is involved, the novel may change history, but it is hardly likely to exceed it. The seemingly improbable plots in this book are actually events that actually happened. I've followed history closely, save for some minor date shifts.My account of the oil boom on Signal Mountain is based on eyewitness accounts.My oil discovery in East Texas is also based on fact, it is almost as real as if it was copied from the drilling log of Ed Rust, who successfully dug oil in this oil well.

On Signal Mountain, the oil spew was as sudden and abundant as described in the book.Barbershops have literally been converted into oil wells.The dead buried in cemeteries are truly a gold mine for the living.In East Texas, it's only going to be crazier if that's possible.After the first discovery of oil, local towns grew ten or even fifteen times in size.The rigs are so densely built that their legs are staggered.So flooded with oil—so complete was the breakdown of order—that the government could only impose martial law and enforce it with the military and police. In Persia, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's beginnings were similarly close to reality, except that its land rights were never split in two between the two companies.For those pioneers engaged in the oil industry in Persia, Allen's experience in the Zagros Mountains is too familiar. The only difference is that Allen's success is relatively faster and easier.

Not only are the events and backgrounds of this book drawn from history, but many of the minor characters are also real historical figures (for example: Knox Darcy, Mr. Charles Greenaway, and Cordell Hull).Many incidental details are taken directly from real events.Early Persian pioneers did utilize watermelons to cool trucks.There was indeed a driller who begged for a cigarette after falling from an eighty-foot drilling rig.Even Tom's way of making money in Wyoming was real. But most importantly, the book has two important characters who are loosely based on real people.The first was Titch Harrelson, who was based on Columbus Joyner.Like Harrelson, Joyner was a visionary and a con man, an oilman and a gambler.After making the most important oil discovery in American history, he finds himself in danger of being taken to court.Like Harrelson, Joyner sold his leases short—some as many as eleven times.It didn't matter when the leases were worthless, but it mattered a lot when oil was discovered.Joyner was lucky to escape prison.He has been drilling private oil wells until the end of his life, never digging oil, almost penniless.

Likewise, the book's George Reynolds draws on the real-life George Reynolds, who was Knox Darcy's operative from 1901 until the discovery of oil in 1908 and beyond.The real-life George Reynolds displayed a remarkable drive and tenacity without which no oil discoveries would have been made.This partly shows that he is very talented, so he discovered oil for the first time in the Middle East in 1904 and dug his first important oil well in 1908.For comparison, the first oil was drilled in Iraq in 1927, and the first oil in the Gulf was in Bahrain in 1932.My George Reynolds was lucky enough not only to have a good relationship with his boss, but also to own part of the Allen Towne Oil Company.The real-life George Reynolds wasn't so lucky—although he might have been pleased to learn that the British Persian Petroleum Company would grow into a $200 billion company (later renamed BP) by the end of the 20th century.

But my reference to history goes even deeper.In a sense, the history of oil is the history of the twentieth century. Oil had already shown its importance during World War I.When the British army went to war, it didn't actually have any mechanized equipment.By the end of the war, the Allies had put 200,000 vehicles on the battlefield.They also built tens of thousands of aircraft; fought and won the first tank battle in history.When Lord Curzon declared that "the Allied Powers sailed to victory on the wave of oil", he was hardly exaggerating. During the two decades between the two wars, oil continued to grow in importance.By the time of World War II, oil had undoubtedly become the most important commodity in the world.Germany's failure to reach the oil fields of North Africa and the Caucasus, Japan's failure to bomb the oil storage depots at Pearl Harbor, and Britain's ability to use pure octane fuel in the Battle of Britain were events of immense strategic importance.As for "Pluto" - the undersea pipeline - the fact that the world's first undersea pipeline was put into place within hours of the largest ever sea landing campaign is jaw-dropping.While the technology had some early budding issues, it eventually provided Allied forces in Europe with a million gallons of oil a day—and gave them a strategic advantage that was lacking The oil of the German army has not been able to surpass.

In the end, anyone who writes about the two world wars will feel that they should be deeply grateful to all the soldiers who fought in the war.This book tries to grasp the scale better, entertain readers on the one hand, and follow the real events that happened on the other hand.Hopefully this book strikes that balance.From George Reynolds to the infantry at the Battle of the Somme, from Knox D'Arcy to the pilots at the Battle of Britain, from Columbus "Papa" Joyner in East Texas to the mounted tribesmen in the oil fields of Persia , this book aims to pay homage to all of them.