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rbowman

wrote:

I also bet Kerosene was pretty expensive in 19th or early 20th century
dollars.
That is how the Rockefellers got so rich.

Kerosene was cheaper than whale oil, which had become too expensive for many
people, and the price continued to drop. Rockefeller had the business ethics
of a shark, but the growth of Standard Oil wasn't necessarily bad for the
consumer, particularly in the middle of a price war. Even Ida Tarbell wasn't
upset size and efficiency of Standard Oil, just the predatory tactics used
by Rockefeller.