Oil Power

Oil power is best represented by the internal combustion engine using oils as fuels.   The IC engine revolutionized transportation in general and the design of motor vehicles in particular.   Cars and trucks could move in areas that trains, ships, and boats could not, so loading and unloading from one mode of transportation to another was reduced.   Workers could live farther away from work to relieve the population congestion around factories, thus improving sanitation and health.   Large factories could be located outside the main population centers, which reduced smog and smoke concentrations, which are unhealthy and unclean.   The IC engine enabled the invention of the airplane because it provided more power per unit engine weight, and it brought about the demise of steam locomotives and steamships.