1978 Shell 'Answer Man' commercial The Shell Answer Man commercials of the 1970s featured actor Vince Bruni as a friendly, blue-collar expert who explained car and engine basics in plain English. Dressed in a work jacket and tie, he answered common driver questions about oil, gasoline, and vehicle maintenance, reinforcing Shell’s image as helpful and trustworthy. The ads were educational rather than flashy, reflecting a 1970s emphasis on practicality during an era of gas shortages and rising fue

The Black Oil Company History Deliberately Erased in 1917 In 1917, four Black entrepreneurs—Wilson Newman, J.C. Pratt, S.M. Holland, and Heston Welborn—founded the Ardmore Lubricating Oil Company in Oklahoma during the height of Jim Crow segregation. Operating from the "wrong side" of East 2nd Street in Oklahoma City, they purchased a 100-acre oil lease in the Healdton oilfield and struck high-grade lubricating oil worth five times the market price. These pioneers sold shares to the Black commun