Re: What came first - petrol or the petrol engine ?

Petrol (or gasoline as we call it in the States) was originally a by-product of 
kerosene, which was used for lighting (and incidentally replaced whale oil). 
After the invention of the electric light bulb, the bottom dropped out of the 
petroleum market until the invention of the internal combustion engine.

A timeline may be found here.

                                               Dan Berger
                                               MadSci Administrator