COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 1381

Drilling Oil and Gas Wells

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

34companies1870–2001founding years33still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedAtlantic Richfield Company
1870
FoundedLayne Christensen Company
1882
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedTotal Fina Elf S.A.
1924
FoundedSmith International, Inc.
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedGlobalSantaFe Corporation
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedTransocean Sedco Forex Inc.
1953
FoundedSchlumberger Limited
1956
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSonatrach
1963
FoundedNational Oil Corporation
1970
FoundedNigerian National Petroleum CorporationFoundedTom Brown, Inc.
1971
FoundedStatoil ASA
1972
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedENSCO International Incorporated
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedPTT Public Company Ltd.
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedBaker Hughes Incorporated
1987
FoundedSaudi Arabian Oil Company
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedOAO Tatneft
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedE.On AG
2000
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

Atlantic Richfield Company →
Active · founded 1870
Atlantic Richfield Company, better known as ARCO, is the seventh-largest U.S.
Layne Christensen Company →
Active · founded 1882
Layne Christensen Company is the leading water well drilling, well repair and maintenance, mineral exploration, and…
Maxus Energy Corporation →
Active · founded 1910
Maxus Energy Corporation is an independent crude oil and natural gas exploration and production company based in…
Total Fina Elf S.A. →
Active · founded 1924 · France
1954/55:Trademark "Total" is created and registered.
Helmerich & Payne, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Helmerich & Payne, Inc.
Smith International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1937
Smith International, Inc.
Western Company of North America →
Active · founded 1939
The Western Company of North America is one of the most prominent and innovative companies in the oil and gas services…
GlobalSantaFe Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
GlobalSantaFe Corporation (GSF) is the world's second largest offshore drilling contractor.
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,…
Transocean Sedco Forex Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
Transocean Sedco Forex Inc.
Parker Drilling Company →
Active · founded 1954
Parker Drilling Company is a leading provider of contract drilling and drilling-related services--including land,…
Schlumberger Limited →
Active · founded 1956
As oil is explored for and developed all around the world, so is Schlumberger Limited providing a range of oilfield…
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1959
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation is the largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company in the…
Sonatrach →
Active · founded 1963 · Algeria
Sonatrach, formerly Entreprise Nationale Sonatrach, is the Algerian state-owned oil and gas company.
Loews Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
Loews Corporation is a holding company with diversified interests in insurance, tobacco, offshore drilling, hotels, and…
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.
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…
Tom Brown, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
Tom Brown, Inc., is one of the leading independent oil and gas firms in the United States.
VECO International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
VECO International, Inc.
Statoil ASA →
Active · founded 1972 · Norway
Formerly known as Den Norske Stats Oljeselskap AS, Statoil ASA is Norway's oil and gas powerhouse.
Wascana Energy Inc. →
Active · founded 1973 · Canada
Wascana Energy Inc.
ENSCO International Incorporated →
Active · founded 1975
ENSCO International Incorporated, based in Dallas, Texas, is one of the world's leading offshore drilling contractors,…
Nabors Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Nabors Industries, Inc., is the largest land drilling contractor in the United States and one of the largest…
PTT Public Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1978 · Thailand
PTT Public Company Ltd., formerly the state-owned Petroleum Authority of Thailand before its privatization and public…
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Operating out of Snyder, Texas, Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc.
Baker Hughes Incorporated →
Active · founded 1987
Baker Hughes Incorporated is the product of the 1987 merger of two oilfield-services companies with surprisingly…
Chiles Offshore Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
Chiles Offshore Corporation is an international provider of offshore contract drilling and well workover services for…
Saudi Arabian Oil Company →
Active · founded 1988 · Saudi Arabia
With production capacity of about ten million barrels of crude oil per day, the state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Company…
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 Tatneft →
Active · founded 1994 · Russia
OAO Tatneft produces approximately 8 percent of all oil extracted in Russia, with an annual production of approximately…
Weatherford International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1998
Houston-based Weatherford International, Inc.
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.
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