“Rod wax” was a byproduct of oil drilling that workers used to heal wounds and burns. Noticing its benefits, chemist Robert Chesebrough refined and purified the “rod wax,” and in 1872 he marketed it as Vaseline.

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Do Fossil Fuels Really Come from Fossils?

Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum (oil), natural gas, oil shales, bitumens, and tar sands and heavy oils. For modern life, these energy sources rival food and water in importance. Without fossil fuels, most automobiles are stranded, most of the lights go out, and our homes become hotter in