COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 1311

Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

102companies1853–2002founding years93still active9no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedKvaerner ASA
1853
1859
TechnologyDrake's well at Titusville launches the oil industry.
FoundedSunoco, Inc.
1890
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedDuke Energy Corporation
1905
FoundedMaxus Energy Corporation
1910
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedOccidental Petroleum Corporation
1920
FoundedTexaco Inc.
1926
FoundedHusky Energy Inc.
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedMitchell Energy and Development Corporation
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedNational Iranian Oil Company
1951
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedPreussag AG
1959
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedNational Oil Corporation
1970
FoundedArctic Slope Regional Corporation
1972
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedSasol Limited
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedRange Resources Corporation
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedUnit Corporation
1986
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedXTO Energy Inc.
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedOAO Surgutneftegaz
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedPioneer Natural Resources Company
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Kvaerner ASA →
Active · founded 1853 · England
Long known as the largest shipbuilder in Europe, Anglo-Norwegian Kvaerner ASA is redefining itself around three core…
Imperial Oil Limited →
Active · founded 1880 · Canada
Imperial Oil Limited is Canada's largest producer of crude oil and a leading producer of natural gas.
Exxon Mobil Corporation →
Active · founded 1882
Exxon Mobil Corporation is the second largest integrated oil company in the world, trailing only BP p.l.c.
BHP Billiton →
Active · founded 1885 · Australia
BHP Billiton was formed through the 2001 merger of Australia's mining and oil giant BHP and U.K.-based mining group…
Amoco Corporation →
Active · founded 1889
Amoco Corporation is active in three main fields within the petroleum, natural gas, and chemical industries:…
Sunoco, Inc. →
Active · founded 1890
Sunoco, Inc.
Unocal Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1890
Unocal Corporation ranks as one of the world's largest independent energy exploration and production companies.
Nippon Oil Corporation →
Active · founded 1893 · Japan
Nippon Oil Corporation is Japan's largest importer and distributor of petroleum products, controlling about 25 percent…
RWE AG →
Active · founded 1898 · Germany
RWE AG is the holding company for the dominant electricity producer in Germany: RWE Group.
USX Corporation →
Active · founded 1901
USX Corporation is an international diversified energy and steel-manufacturing company.
Deutsche BP Aktiengesellschaft →
Active · founded 1904 · Germany
Deutsche BP Aktiengesellschaft is one of the top suppliers of petroleum products in the competitively fragmented German…
Duke Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1905
The largest publicly owned gas and electric utility in the United States, Duke Energy Corporation serves roughly two…
Norsk Hydro ASA →
Active · founded 1905
Norsk Hydro ASA is the largest public industrial company in Norway, with operations in three core areas: oil and…
ChevronTexaco Corporation →
Active · founded 1906
ChevronTexaco Corporation is the creation of the 2001 merger of California-based Chevron Corporation, one of the many…
ONEOK Inc. →
Active · founded 1906
ONEOK Inc.
St. Mary Land & Exploration Company →
Active · founded 1908
Operating out of Denver, Colorado, St.
The British Petroleum Company plc →
Active · founded 1909 · England
One of the five largest oil companies in the world, The British Petroleum Company plc (BP) is the United Kingdom's…
Maxus Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1910
Maxus Energy Corporation is an independent crude oil and natural gas exploration and production company based in…
British-Borneo Oil & Gas PLC →
Active · founded 1912 · United Kingdom
Formerly known as The British-Borneo Petroleum Syndicate, British-Borneo Oil & Gas PLC is one of the United Kingdom's…
Forest Oil Corporation →
Active · founded 1916
A producer of oil and natural gas in the United States, Forest Oil Corporation is credited with developing and…
Comstock Resources, Inc. →
Active · founded 1919
Comstock Resources, Inc.
Amerada Hess Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
Amerada Hess Corporation operates as a leading integrated oil and gas concern involved in exploration, production,…
Occidental Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
Occidental Petroleum Corporation, an oil and gas and chemicals company, conducts its business through two major…
PetroFina S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1920 · Belgium
PetroFina S.A., Belgium's largest corporation, is the 15th largest publicly traded integrated oil and gas company in…
Shell Oil Company →
Active · founded 1922
One of North America's leading producers of oil, gas, and petrochemicals, Shell Oil Company has distinguished itself…
Quantum Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Quantum Chemical Corporation (prior to 1988, the National Distillers and Chemical Corporation) is one of the largest…
Total Fina Elf S.A. →
Active · founded 1924 · France
1954/55:Trademark "Total" is created and registered.
Talisman Energy Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1925 · Canada
Talisman Energy Inc.
Texaco Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Texaco is one of the world's largest oil companies, with exploratory, manufacturing, and marketing operations across…
The Columbia Gas System, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
The Columbia Gas System, Inc., is one of the largest integrated natural gas systems in the United States.
The Louisiana Land and Exploration Company →
Active · founded 1926
The Louisiana Land and Exploration Company (LL&E) is one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration companies…
Compañia Española de Petróleos S.A. (Cepsa) →
Active · founded 1929 · Spain
Compañia Española de Petróleos S.A.
Kerr-McGee Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1932
From its beginning as a small drilling company during the Great Depression, Kerr-McGee Corporation has grown to become…
Hunt Consolidated, Inc. →
Active · founded 1934
Hunt Consolidated, Inc.
Husky Energy Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1938 · Canada
Husky Energy Inc.
Black Hills Corporation →
Active · founded 1941
A public utility holding company, Black Hills Corporation is involved in three principal businesses: electric utility…
Consolidated Natural Gas Company →
Active · founded 1942
Consolidated Natural Gas Company (CNG) is one of the nation's few integrated natural gas systems, and one of its…
Koch Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1942
Koch Industries, Inc., a diversified petrochemical company, is the second-largest privately held firm in the United…
Pertamina →
Active · founded 1945 · Indonesia
Pertamina operates as a state-owned company that controls the oil and natural gas industry in Indonesia.
Mitchell Energy and Development Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
Mitchell Energy & Development Corporation is one of the Houston-Galveston area's leading real estate developers and one…
Petrobras Energia Participaciones S.A. →
Active · founded 1947 · Argentina
Petrobras Energia Participaciones S.A.
Harbert Corporation →
Active · founded 1949
After a long and successful history primarily in the construction and mining fields, Harbert Corporation has evolved…
Callon Petroleum Company →
Active · founded 1950
Callon Petroleum Company has been searching the Gulf Coast for oil since 1950.
Murphy Oil Corporation →
Active · founded 1950
Murphy Oil Corporation is one of the smallest of the U.S.-based integrated oil companies.
Denbury Resources, Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Denbury Resources, Inc.
National Iranian Oil Company →
Active · founded 1951 · Iran
The second largest producer of oil among Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) companies in 2003,…
ENI S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1953 · Italy
ENI S.p.A., the former Italian state-owned Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi, is one of the world's top ten oil and natural…
Apache Corporation →
Active · founded 1954
Apache Corporation is one of the leading independent crude oil and natural gas producers in the United States.
Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1956 · Egypt
The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) operates as a state-owned concern overseeing the petroleum industry…
FINA, Inc. →
Active · founded 1956
FINA, Inc.
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1959
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation is the largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company in the…
Preussag AG →
Active · founded 1959 · Germany
Preussag AG is the holding company for an international group of firms operating in five major business areas: the…
Sonatrach →
Active · founded 1963 · Algeria
Sonatrach, formerly Entreprise Nationale Sonatrach, is the Algerian state-owned oil and gas company.
Montedison S.p.A. →
Defunct · founded 1966 · Italy
Montedison S.p.A.
Devon Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
With its headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, publicly traded Devon Energy Corporation is the largest independent…
Noble Affiliates, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
One of the leading independent energy companies in the United States, Noble Affiliates, Inc.
National Oil Corporation →
Active · founded 1970 · Libya
The National Oil Corporation of Libya (NOC) is a state-owned company that controls Libya's oil and gas production.
Pogo Producing Company →
Active · founded 1970
Pogo Producing Company is engaged in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas both domestically and…
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company →
Active · founded 1971 · United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is one of the ten largest oil companies in the world.
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1971 · Nigeria
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is the holding company that oversees the Nigerian state's interests…
Oryx Energy Company →
Active · founded 1971
Oryx Energy Company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is one of the world's largest independent oil and natural gas…
Tom Brown, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
Tom Brown, Inc., is one of the leading independent oil and gas firms in the United States.
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation →
Active · founded 1972
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) was established following the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement…
Statoil ASA →
Active · founded 1972 · Norway
Formerly known as Den Norske Stats Oljeselskap AS, Statoil ASA is Norway's oil and gas powerhouse.
Seagull Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1973
Seagull Energy Corporation is an energy company with operations in the southwestern United States, Alaska, and Canada.
Wascana Energy Inc. →
Active · founded 1973 · Canada
Wascana Energy Inc.
Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) →
Active · founded 1974 · Malaysia
Petroliam Nasional Bhd, or Petronas, operates as a state-owned entity controlling Malaysia's oil and gas resources.
Energen Corporation →
Active · founded 1979
Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Energen Corporation is a diversified holding company in natural gas distribution,…
Sasol Limited →
Active · founded 1979 · Republic of South Africa
Sasol Limited was formed in 1979 to hold the assets of the South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation (Sasol) and its…
Suncor Energy Inc. →
Active · founded 1979 · Canada
Suncor Energy Inc.
Swift Energy Company →
Active · founded 1979
Swift Energy Company is a Houston-based independent oil and natural gas company with a dual geographical focus: the…
Ultra Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1979
With its headquarters in Houston, Texas, Ultra Petroleum Corporation is an independent oil and gas company focusing on…
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1980 · Kuwait
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) operates as a state-owned integrated oil and gas concern.
Range Resources Corporation →
Active · founded 1980
Range Resources Corporation is a Fort Worth, Texas, oil and gas company, primarily focused on the drilling of…
Union Texas Petroleum Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
Union Texas Petroleum Holdings, Inc.
Edge Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Edge Petroleum Corporation is a Houston, Texas-based, publicly traded, independent energy company.
Enterprise Oil PLC →
Defunct · founded 1983 · United Kingdom
Enterprise Oil PLC is the largest independent oil exploration and production company in the United Kingdom, competing…
Questar Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Questar Corporation is an integrated natural gas company whose major subsidiaries search for, produce, and market oil…
Berry Petroleum Company →
Active · founded 1985
Berry Petroleum Company is a small independent oil producer whose reserves are mostly located in the California…
Unit Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
Unit Corporation is a publicly traded Tulsa, Oklahoma, energy company with two complementary business segments.
CMS Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
CMS Energy Corporation is a diversified energy company with businesses engaged in electric and gas utility operations.
Repsol S.A. →
Active · founded 1987 · Spain
Repsol S.A.
Benton Oil and Gas Company →
Active · founded 1988
Benton Oil and Gas Company is engaged in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas properties,…
Burlington Resources Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Burlington Resources Inc., the nation's largest independent natural gas exploration and production company, functioned…
Newfield Exploration Company →
Active · founded 1988
Newfield Exploration Company, based in Houston, Texas, is one of the most successful independent crude oil and natural…
XTO Energy Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
XTO Energy Inc., formerly known as Cross Timbers Oil Company, is a large independent Fort Worth, Texas, oil company…
OAO LUKOIL →
Active · founded 1991 · Russia
OAO LUKOIL is one of Russia's most successful efforts at capitalism following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Westport Resources Corporation →
Active · founded 1991
Westport Resources Corporation is one of the 20 largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in…
MOL Rt →
Active · founded 1992 · Hungary
Hungary's largest company, MOL Rt (formerly MOL Magyar Olaj- es Gazipari Rt) is also the leading integrated oil company…
OAO NK YUKOS →
Active · founded 1993 · Russia
OAO NK YUKOS is the second largest of Russia's integrated oil companies, with an estimated 11.8 billion barrels of oil…
OAO Surgutneftegaz →
Active · founded 1993 · Russia
OAO Surgutneftegaz is one of the top three integrated oil companies in Russia, with an estimated 2.5 billion metric…
Vastar Resources, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993 · Houston, Texas 77079
Vastar Resources, Inc.
OAO Siberian Oil Company (Sibneft) →
Active · founded 1995 · Russia
Moscow-based OAO Siberian Oil Company, known as Sibneft, is one of Russia's top vertically integrated oil concerns.
Belco Oil & Gas Corp. →
Active · founded 1996
Belco Oil & Gas Corp.
Patina Oil & Gas Corporation →
Active · founded 1996
A company looking to grow through acquisitions, Patina Oil & Gas Corporation is an independent energy company engaged…
Spinnaker Exploration Company →
Active · founded 1996
Spinnaker Exploration Company is a Houston, Texas-based natural gas and oil exploration company operating in the Gulf…
Pioneer Natural Resources Company →
Active · founded 1997
Pioneer Natural Resources Company is a gas and oil exploration, development, and production company, with onshore and…
BP p.l.c. →
Defunct · founded 1998 · United Kingdom
Formed by the 1998 merger of British Petroleum Company and Amoco Corporation, BP p.l.c.
Fortum Corporation →
Active · founded 1998 · Finland
Fortum Corporation is an international energy group formed from the 1998 merger of two state-owned Finnish firms: Neste…
E.On AG →
Active · founded 2000 · Germany
E.On AG is the largest listed power generation company in Europe.
ConocoPhillips →
Active · founded 2001
ConocoPhillips is the third largest U.S.
Bill Barrett Corporation →
Active · founded 2002
Bill Barrett Corporation is a publicly traded, independent oil and gas exploration and development company,…
Build It Today

Starting a crude petroleum and natural gas company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.