Esso Can with Fob

Illustration of a blue, red, and white Esso motor oil can on a white background

In 1859, Colonel Edwin Drake and Uncle Billy Smith drilled the first oil well in Pennsylvania, a monumental feat that lead to an “oil boom” across the country. In nearby Ohio, the Standard Oil Company formed in 1870 and, by 1882, the company had offices in New Jersey and New York as well. By 1885, Standard Oil was used everywhere, from engine oils that powered generators and motors to kerosene for lamps. By the turn of the century, Standard Oil "rubbed elbows" with important figures and inventors of the day; Thomas Edison used Standard Oil for his first generating system and the Wright Brothers used Standard Oil and lubricants for their pivotal first flight.

The idea to use cans to store petroleum is also a product of the early 20th century. Though the first tin-plated cans were patented in 1810 for food use, it wasn’t until 1900 that cans were used to store petroleum-based products. In 1926, Standard Oil brought out new types of fuel under the trade name “Esso,” so-named after the phonetic pronunciation of the initials “S” and “O” in Standard Oil, housed in tin-plated canisters such as can be seen with this button.