Historically, petroleum was already being produced on an industrial scale in the United Kingdom and the United States by dry distillation of cannel coal or oil shale in the first half of the 19th Century.
Povijesno, petrolej je već bio proizveden na industrijskoj skali u Velikoj Britaniji i SAD-u pomoću suhe destilacije kanel-ugljena ili naftnog škriljevca u prvoj polovici 19. stoljeća.