Last week, a pipeline burst in Alabama, causing a shortage of gasoline in the south and up the east coast. This shortage was causing gas stations to shut down or limit the amount of gas a person could buy at the pump. It also caused people to go into quite a frenzy trying to get gas to last them. Luckily, trucks were being sent out to carry oil on alternate routes, and the pipeline was expected to be repaired by this coming week. Colonial Pipeline, the company affiliated with this pipeline, said that their employees had been working around the clock, and that tests were going to be ran on the pipeline Wednesday.
As I spoke to my dad on the phone last week, reassuring him that I had enough gas and money to support myself, he told me that this was nothing compared to the oil shortage in 1973 when he was 19. My first reaction was surprise at hearing that there was a gas shortage that happened when he was my age, and that he described it as being way worse. It really interested me, because I had told people that our current situation could be much worse. My dad said that in 1973 people were storing large amounts of oil at their houses, and that people were even getting violent about their oil.
After my dad told me this, I decided to do a little research myself to learn exactly what happened in '73.
The 1973 Oil Shortage Crisis happened from October 1973 to March of 1974. The reason behind this shortage was an oil embargo that the Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries placed an embargo on oil. This was in response to the U.S. supposedly having interactions with Israel and supplying them with weapons after the Yom Kippur War.
OPEC raised prices to $5.11 for a barrel of oil. Also, gas at this time was around 38 cents a gallon, but it was raised to about 55 cents a gallon. If only that was the price of gas now! Also in response, Nixon asked gas stations to close on weekends, and America, along with other affected countries, stockpiled oil.
Looking at our current situation, although it does suck that we have a shortage of gas, and prices have risen, this is nothing compared to the oil shortage in 1973. This minor setback will be forgotten, and we will move on. Pipelines are expected to be restored soon, and we will hopefully be back to normalcy when it comes to gas.
If my dad made it through the 1973 Oil Shortage Crisis, I promise you, we can make it through this.
