1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Welcome back everyone. I'm Eves and you're listening 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: to This Day in History Class, a show where we 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: peel back a new layer of history every day. Today 5 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: is March. The day was March third, ninety eight. A 6 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: group of oil prospectors working for an American company discovered 7 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: a commercially viable source of petroleum near Da Mom in 8 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: Saudi Arabia. Since then, Saudi Arabia has consistently been one 9 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: of the world's top oil producers. The Kingdom of Saudi 10 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: Arabia was established in nineteen thirty two, when even So 11 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: combined four regions into one state through conquest. Even So 12 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: called for searches for oil, a resource that had demand 13 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: and would be a big source of income for a 14 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: country that needed a boost in its economy. In nineteen 15 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: thirty three, Saudi Arabia signed a contract with the Standard 16 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: Oil Company of California, also known as SoCal. SoCal was 17 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: granted the right to prospect for oil and Saudi Arabia's 18 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: eastern provinces side note SoCal is now Chevron. In September 19 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: of that year, American geologists arrived in Saudi Arabia to 20 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: begin surveys of the land by car and airplane. A 21 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: couple of months later, the California Arabian Standard Oil Company 22 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: our CASSOCK was formed. Kassak's name was later changed to 23 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: Arabian American Oil Company or ARAMCO. Geologists began serving an 24 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: area around a geological formation near the city of Damm 25 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: on the east coast of the country. Drilling on the 26 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: first whale began in April of nineteen thirty five, and 27 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: drilling of the second will started in February of nineteen 28 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: thirty six. Soon more wells were authorized in the area. 29 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: Those wells did produce some oil, but most of them 30 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: eventually produced more water than oil. The mom Oil will 31 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: number seven at first seemed like it would also be fruitless. 32 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: The well reached more than three thousand feet beneath the 33 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: earth and no water or oil had been found. But 34 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: chief geologist Max stein a Key thought that they would 35 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: find oil in the well, and he told the company 36 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: to keep drilling. They did, and on March third, nineteen 37 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: thirty eight, they struck a significant amount of oil. Within 38 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: three weeks, the well had produced over one hundred thousand 39 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: barrels of oil in the beginning, the oil was sent 40 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: to Bahrain by barge for export, but in nineteen thirty 41 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: nine the first tanker load of oil was shipped overseas. 42 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: Now that Kassak had found oil, it continued mapping and 43 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: exploring Saudi Arabia looking for more. By nineteen forty nine, Kassak, 44 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: now a Romco, had reached a production of five hundred 45 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: thousand barrels per day. By nineteen fifty, the train It's 46 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: Arabian pipeline had begun operations. Aramco already paid Saudi Arabia 47 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: a fee and other benefits, but that year ARAMCO began 48 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: to split its profits with the Saudi government. In nineteen 49 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: seventy three, the Saudi government purchased of ARAMKO. By the 50 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: next year, it increased its stake to six and in 51 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty all of Aramco's oil rights, production apparatus, and 52 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: facilities came under government control. By this time, the mom 53 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: oil will Number seven alone had produced more than twenty 54 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: seven million barrels. Eight years later, the company became Saudi Aramco. 55 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: Over the next few decades, the company continued to expand 56 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: its operations and production, fueling Saudi Arabia's economy of course, 57 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: oil production in Saudi Arabia has been an issue closely 58 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: tied to economics, politics, and the environment. Today, Saudi Arabia 59 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: is the world's second largest crude oil producer. I'm Eave, 60 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: Jeff Coote, and hopefully you know a little more about 61 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. Feel free to share 62 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: your thoughts or your innermost feelings with us and with 63 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: other listeners on social media at t d i h 64 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: C Podcast, and you can email us at this Day 65 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: at I heart media dot com. Thank you for listening 66 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: to today's episode. We'll see you again tomorrow with another one. 67 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 68 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 69 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: favorite show.