Tony Talks History
When America Ran Out of Gas: The 1973 Oil Crisis
In the winter of 1973, the richest country on Earth ran out of gas. Drivers queued for miles, gas stations flew red flags, the President asked everyone to turn the heating down, the Dutch banned cars on Sundays and the US government printed 4.8 billion ration coupons it never used. The shortage was about one barrel in ten. So why were the lines five miles long? And why does a cave full of salt in Texas matter to the price you paid for gas this September?
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Chapters
- 0:00How Do You Run Out of Gas?
- 1:50Cheap Gas and Giant Cars
- 2:52October 1973
- 4:11The Embargo
- 4:31Turn Your Heating Down
- 5:36No Cars on Sunday
- 6:31The Price Nearly Quadruples
- 7:05Five Mile Queues
- 7:52Odd Days, Even Days and Flags
- 8:23Why the Lines Were So Long
- 8:575 Billion Coupons Nobody Used
- 9:53How It Ended
- 10:49What Changed
- 11:50The Oil Hidden in Salt
- 12:552026: Opening the Reserve
