Archival Anecdotes: Fuel for the fire

The discovery kerosene dates back to 1846 when British physician Abraham Gesner devised a method for distilling coal. The clear fluid that resulted became known as kerosene and proved to be an indispensable fuel source in the century ahead.

Kerosene lamps had yet to make an appearance until 1853 when Polish inventor Ignacy Łukasiewicz and American Robert Edwin Dietz each designed a suitable...