The Discovery of Propane

Though man had used oil and gas for medical and heating purposes as far back as 2000 BC, the LP-gas industry did not emerge until the early 20th Century. 

In the early 1900's, gasoline used for automobiles would quickly evaporate while it was in storage.  This caused concern for consumers who returned home with a fraction of what they paid for.

So in 1910, Dr. O. Walter Snelling directed a series of experiments for the U.S. Bureau of Mines and discovered that several of these evaporated gases could be condensed and stored as a liquid at moderate temperatures and pressures. 

By 1911, Dr. Snelling isolated and discovered the evaporating gases to be propane, butane and other hydrocarbons.  He then developed a way to bottle the liquid gas and a year later, the propane industry began its use in heating homes, cooling, providing light and cutting metal. By 1912, the first residential gas range had been developed and the first automobile powered by LP-gas was invented in 1913.

As a result of these discoveries, D. Snelling is often called the "father of the LP-gas industry."