The most far-reaching revolutions have begun with a technical invention. The unknown monk who first mixed charcoal with sulphur and saltpetre razed feudal castles and created the great modern States. And he who balanced a magnetized needle on its pivot was the real founder of colonial empires.
We are just entering upon an economic period which will turn the whole world upside-down—the Revolution in Fuel, with its far-reaching consequences.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] "The famous petroleum wells of Baku ... yield crude naphtha, from which the petroleum or kerosene is distilled; while the heavier residue (mazut) is used as lubricating oil and for fuel."—Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., vol. iii, p. 230.—Translator's Note.
[2] "Herr Ballin committed suicide, foreseeing that unrestricted submarine warfare, which had then been decided upon, would be the downfall of Germany."—Revue des Deux Mondes: Contre-Admiral Degouy, "Oil and the Navy."
[3] Since 1920 the world tonnage of oil-burning steamers has exceeded that of steamers built to burn coal.
[4] At the battle of Jutland, only the oil-burning ships realized their trial speed.