Marcus Samuel Shell Oil Company 

 In 1833, shopkeeper Marcus Samuel decided to expand his London business. He already sold antiques, but decided to try selling oriental shells, aiming to capitalise on the fashion for using them in interior design. Such was the demand that Samuel quickly began importing shells from the Far East, laying the foundations for an import-export business that would eventually become one of the world's leading energy companies.

Gas stations developed only after Henry Ford's affordable automobiles increased the number of motorcars on the road. More cars and greater demand for cars meant a greater demand for convenient stations for filling gasoline. Prior to this, the first places to sell gasoline were actually pharmacies. Motorists would purchase cans of gasoline and fill up their tanks themselves.

Gas stations have evolved a lot from their humble roots. ... The first drive-in service station opened in Pennsylvania on this day in 1913. American motorists had been able to pump their own gas at filling stations since 1905, but those were little more than a pump at the curbside.

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