The U.S. changed after huge amounts of oil were discovered in Texas in 1901 because the price was considerably cheaper. Instead of paying to import it from overseas or from distant places, we now had a practically limitless supply of oil for our country and were even one of the top oil exporters in the world. Our economy did considerably better because we were making a huge profit off of the huge oil field. Whales were becoming extinct from the continued killing of them for their oil. With the new reserves, whales were no longer necessary to kill. This event still shapes our lives today because oil companies are making oil prices more expensive for profit. If we had to import that much more oil, our nation's debt would be that much greater than it already is.