18. Standard Oil branched out beyond home lighting products
Standard Oil, throughout the 1870s, developed over 300 petroleum based products for consumers, driven by Rockefeller’s deep=set contempt for wasting anything, anywhere. Chewing gum became a product line. Oil based paints were developed and sold directly to consumers, as well as a base for paint manufacturers. Petroleum jelly, used for a wide variety of purposes, was developed and marketed by Standard Oil. Paraffin wax, less expensive than beeswax, was marketed and though the earliest paraffin candles were noted for being both smoky and odoriferous, they were soon dominating the market as being less expensive. By the end of the 1870s, 90% of the crude oil refined in the United States was produced by Standard Oil, with new markets for petroleum about to explode on the scene.