If you are an Oil & Gas person you know the significance of Red and Blue color. Those, who don't know, can check out the color of coveralls blue collar job holder wear in fields.
In same light I came across an interesting fact and felt like sharing with everyone. hence this short piece but great incidence.
In 1890's Marcus Samuel was trying to get his piece of Oil war waged by John (John who? 😉). He saw prospects in Caucasus (1890), where he observed a primitive bulk tanker and saw that bulk tankers would be much more efficient in transporting Liquid from black sea to Mediterranean sea..to red sea.. to Indian sea to...sea...sea....sea.....to current Asian tigers. Next a story to be covered in another short piece. Because Long=Boring and none has time. Fast Forward July 1892 he managed to float first tanker Murex.
So the tankers were started floating and the liquid was traded. So what about Red and Blue?
Samuel was expecting that once the big ships will ship the kerosene (Kerosene? what about the oil? yes kerosene was the stage holder for a long time, initially), locals will hold the Blue can supplied by Standard Oil to take the fluid. However these blue can's were culture and used to construct everything from roofing to birdcages to opium cups, hibachis, tea strainers, and egg beaters. Local hesitated to use the cans for cheap useless kerosene. The whole scheme of Samuel was now threatened—not by the machinations of 26 Broadway (?) or by the politics of the Suez Canal, but by the habits and predilections of the peoples of Asia.
At this point Samuel started sending tin plates in bulk to manufacture the cans. Nobody knows what kind of cans need to make? what kind of handle? in which facility?. However the business was saved and the cans were made and delivered to store useless product. However the last questions from Singapore agent is interesting - "What color do you suggest?". The answer came " red!!!"
Post more then a century I still see Red competing with Blue.
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