The 100th Birthday of the Modern Gas Station

Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the modern gas station.  On December 1, 1913, the Gulf Refinery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania opened up the first store designed specifically to sell gasoline.  Prior to the advent of the gas station, gasoline was sold in containers by general purpose stores.

If you think gas is expensive these days, it was even worse back then.  100 years ago, a gallon of gasoline sold for 27 cents.  That sounds cheap, but it was a lot in those days.  27 cents in today's economy would work out to just over $6 a gallon.  On the bright side, the first gas station did give away free maps.