I stumbled across an article on Slate that discusses the idea that oil really doesn't come in barrels anymore and the different modes for measuring oil...and it was pretty interesting.

However, the real gem in the Slate article was a link to a website that lays out the history of the oil industry.

There's not much discussion of Peak Oil...but I found that interesting in and of itself. Peaking was never (and perhaps I should use the present tense?) the concern. Oil, in most of these pioneers' mindsets, was an infinite resource, and they regarded it as such. No thoughts of conservation, no thoughts of measured growth or sustainable development. At all.

Here's a link: Welcome to OilHistory.com