The Groovy 70s
This Event Caused by Arab oil embargo led to the first major gas lines in the U.S.
What is the OPEC Oil Embargo?
In 2020, this global health crisis caused travel to stop and gas prices to plunge to decade-lows.
What is COVID-19?
This term describes the "nominal" price of gas vs. the price adjusted for the purchasing power of the dollar.
What is Real vs. Nominal price?
This car company, led by Elon Musk, sparked the shift away from gas-powered vehicles.
What is Tesla?
Before digital signs, gas station employees had to use a long pole to change these manually.
What are Price Tiles (or Letter Boards)?
To save fuel, the U.S. government established this national speed limit in 1974.
What is 55 miles per hour?
This 2005 hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast, causing the first major spike above $3.00 for many.
What is Hurricane Katrina?
If gas was $0.36 in 1970, it would be roughly this much in today's money (Hint: it’s over $2.50).
What is $3.00?
Many modern gas pumps now feature these small screens that play news and weather while you wait.
What is Gas Station TV
In the 1950s, this "Service" meant an attendant washed your windows and checked your oil for free.
What is Full Service?
Due to shortages, many states used this "color" system or license plate numbers to determine who could buy gas on which day.
What is the Odd-Even Rationing system?
In 2022, the invasion of this country caused global oil markets to panic and prices to hit record highs.
What is Ukraine?
This "tax" is added to every gallon by the federal government; it hasn't been raised since 1993.
What is the Federal Gas Tax?
This is the average number of miles per gallon (MPG) for a new vehicle today, compared to just 13 MPG in 1975.
What is 25-30 MPG?
This iconic brand used a "Flying Red Horse" as its logo for decades.
What is Mobil?
This President created the Department of Energy in 1977 to address the ongoing fuel crisis.
Who is Jimmy Carter?
This international organization of 13 oil-exporting nations often meets to decide whether to cut or increase production.
What is OPEC?
This economic concept explains why prices drop when there is too much oil and not enough drivers.
What is Supply and Demand?
In 2021, this major U.S. fuel pipeline was "hacked," causing panic buying and shortages on the East Coast.
What is the Colonial Pipeline?
These colorful "stamps" (like S&H) were given out at gas stations and could be traded in for household appliances.
What are Green Stamps?
The 1979 revolution in this Middle Eastern country caused the decade's second major "Oil Shock."
What is Iran?
In April 2020, the price for a barrel of oil briefly fell to this impossible-sounding dollar amount.
What is negative $37?
This is the specific name for the "basket of goods" used to measure inflation, which heavily includes energy costs.
What is the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?
This "California" law aims to ban the sale of new gas-only powered cars by this specific year.
What is 2035?
This state is currently the only one where it remains illegal for customers to pump their own gas in all counties.
What is New Jersey?