The 1979 Oil Crisis was an energy crisis characterized by a precipitous drop in oil production for the second time in the 1970s (the first being in 1973). In the wake of the Iranian Revolution, 37,000 Iranian oil refinery employees went on strike in 1978, causing Iran's oil refineries to go from producing 6 million barrels per day to 1.5 million barrels per day. The global oil supply decreased by 7 percent, causing a surge in oil pricing and within 12 months oil markets had doubled to $39.50 per barrel. This surge caused major gas shortages, long gas lines, and panic buying. In the United States, the Jimmy Carter administration began a phased deregulation of oil prices on April 5, 1979, which allowed U.S. oil output to rise sharply from the Prudhoe Bay fields in Alaska, while oil imports fell sharply. It wasn't until the mid-1980s that oil prices returned to pre-crisis levels. Photograph caption dated May 13, 1979 reads, "Bill Chaffin, right, and Jesse Perry of Aurora have set up an impromptu carwash service for motorists inching through gas lines. The wash costs from $1 to $2, depending on the size of the car, and few are turning the partners down. They also sell coffee anad [sic] doughnuts, and say they hope to pick up some spending money between their carpentry jobs. Yesterday's profits totaled only $2.75 because they had to buy all their supplies. The hope to turn a better profit tomorrow with tomorrow's lineup." Location unidentified.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print : b&w ; 32 x 19 cm. Photographic prints
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