The greatest sports drought in history is now over in what was arguably one of the greatest games in baseball history.
One hundred and eight. As many stitches as there are on a baseball. Quicker than Aroldis Chapman’s fastball and likely equal with Nolan Ryan’s. EIA has provided some perspective on how much U.S. oil and gas has changed since then.
In 1908, the last time the Cubs won the World Series, the United States produced less than half a million barrels per day of oil, with crude oil production having only started approximately 50 years earlier. At that time, crude oil was mainly refined to produce kerosene for use in lamps. The first Ford Model T automobile was produced in 1908, kicking off a shift in demand for petroleum products from kerosene for lamps to gasoline for automobiles.
The last time the Chicago Cubs made a World Series appearance, in 1945, the United States was producing 4.6 MMBOPD of crude oil. Production had been steadily increasing in the decades prior, as the economy grew and industry expanded following the Great Depression.
The last time the Cleveland Indians won the World Series, in 1948, the United States produced 5.5 MMBOPD of crude oil. Crude oil production had been steadily increasing since declines in the 1930s and would continue to increase until production declines in the 1970s. More recently, in 1997, the last time the Cleveland Indians appeared in the World Series, the United States produced 6.4 MMBOPD of oil, falling to the production levels of the 1950s.
Consumption of energy in the United States has also changed significantly over the past hundred years. In 1908, the country consumed just 15 quadrillion British thermal units, of which three-quarters was coal. By the time the Cubs made their last World Series appearance, total energy consumption in the country had doubled. Coal was still the main fuel, but petroleum had also become a large source of energy consumption.0
Despite the changes in fuel sources, fossil fuels have continued to make up a large percentage of U.S. energy consumption. In 1908, fossil fuels accounted for 85% of total consumption. When the Cleveland Indians won the World Series in 1948, that share had increased to 91%, as petroleum and natural gas had begun to account for increasing amounts of energy consumption. Fossil fuel consumption has fallen in recent years, accounting for 81% of total consumption in 2015.
