Under the leadership of William Knox D'Arcy (1849 -- 1917) -- a lawyer, industrialist, and Australian-British mining mogul -- a group of surveyors began searching for oil in 1901 in what is now Iran. About ready to quit in 1908, the surveyors uncovered the biggest find then known. The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) set up shop, and has made its presence known in the area ever since.
In 1914, the British government, led by Winston Churchill, purchased shares of the company to establish a future Navy oil supply. The forward-thinking Churchill realized oil's popularity during wartime was on the rise.
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