1970's Oil Crisis the 1973 Term Paper

Throughout the United States, schools and offices often closed down to save on heating oil, and factories were forced to cut production and lay off workers (1973 pp).

A national speed limit of 55 miles per hour was imposed to help reduce consumption, a law that was not completely reversed until 1995 (1973 pp). Year-round Daylight Saving Time was implemented, and at 2:00AM local time on January 6, '974, clocks were advanced one hour across the nation (1973 pp). However, this move sparked much criticism because it forced many children to commute to school before sunrise (1973 pp). Thus, the clocks were turned back on the last Sunday in October as originally scheduled, and in 1975 clocks were set forward one hour at 2:00 AM on February 23 to accommodate the children (1973 pp). The pre-existing daylight-saving rules, calling for the clocks to be advanced one hour on the last Sunday in April, were restored in 1976, and changed again in 1987 to the first Sunday in April (1973 pp).

The crisis also prompted a call for individuals and businesses to conserve energy, the most notably a sophisticated campaign by the Advertising Council which used the tag line "Don't Be Fuelish" (1973 pp). Moreover, newspapers throughout the country, carried full-page advertisements that featured cut-outs that could be attached to light switches that bore the slogan, "Last Out, Lights Out: Don't Be Fuelish" (1973 pp).

The 1979 Iranian Revolution caused serious disruptions in oil supplies that resulted in another energy crisis with consumers paying higher prices at the pump (Century pp).Customers became intolerant of the price hikes and began demanding fuel-efficient cars, and as carmakers responded, the demand for gas plummeted, taking with it significant volume at the station level (Century pp). In an effort to regain lost revenues, gasoline marketers began looking at alternative revenue streams, resulting in a new marketing mix, the gasoline and convenience-store marketing (Century pp). This concept, which started in the United States, began spreading throughout the world, and before long, convenience store chains were installing their own self-serve pumps (Century pp). By the end of the 1980s, the increase in multi-pump facilities quickly began replacing the small, conventional c-stores and….....