“A century ago, petroleum - what we call oil - was just an obscure commodity; today it is almost as vital to human existence as water.” HumansTodayWaterExistenceCenturyOilCommodityObscureHuman ExistencePetroleum Author:James Buchan
“Of all the failed technologies that litter the onward march of science - steam carriages, zeppelins, armoured trains - none has been so catastrophic to prosperity as the last century's attempt to generate electricity from nuclear fission.” Has BeensLastsTechnologyCenturyTrainProsperityNuclearMarchElectricitySteamCarriagesZeppelinsFissionNuclear Fission Author:James Buchan
“Suicidal violence is not the exclusive property of the Muslim world. Suicide bombings were a tactic of nationalist struggles in 19th-century Europe and Russia, the far east during the second world war and the Vietnam war, and in modern Sri Lanka.” WorldWarStruggleViolenceModernCenturyEuropeSuicidePropertyEastRussiaWar Of The WorldsVietnamSuicidalTacticsExclusiveVietnam War19th CenturyBombingSecond World WarMuslim WorldSri Lanka Author:James Buchan
“The use of refined petroleum as fuel, which began in the 1850s, freed hundreds of millions of people from the toil of centuries, gave hundreds of millions more a life of ease and plenty, and, by allowing great cities to feed themselves from every corner of the world, multiplied the population of the earth fivefold.” PeopleWorldUseEarthCitiesMillionsCenturyPopulationCornersPlentyEaseFuelAllowingToilRefinedGreat CitiesPetroleumCorners Of The World Author:James Buchan
“There are signs that the age of petroleum has passed its zenith. Adjusted for inflation, a barrel of crude oil now sells for three times its long-run average. The large western oil companies, which cartellised the industry for much of the 20th century, are now selling more oil than they find, and are thus in the throes of liquidation.” LongRunningAgeThreeCompanyCenturyIndustrySellsWesternAverageOilSellingBirthdayLong Runs20th CenturyThree TimesInflationCrudeBarrels60th BirthdayOil CompaniesPetroleumZenithCrude OilSelling More Author:James Buchan
“To make a love story, you need a couple of young people, but to reflect on the nature of love, you're better off with old ones. That is a fact of life and literature - and of the novel ever since it fell in love with love in the 18th century.” PeopleNeedsFactsStoriesYoungLiteratureNovelCenturyLove YouCoupleLove StoryBetter OffFacts Of Life18th Century Author:James Buchan
