Under a buck a gallon, 1986
The Columbus Dispatch - March 04, 2011 08:17 AM
RAY OWENS / DISPATCH At the T&M Sunoco gas station on Westerville Road, March 26, 1986. (Note the pay phone at the upper left, almost a thing of the past, just like these prices.)
On the front page of The Dispatch on March 27, 1986, we reported that motorists were filling up their gasoline tanks and getting change back from a $5 bill.
The price of crude oil had dropped, and a radio promotion was offering $1,000 to the gas station that kept its price lowest for 24 hours.
While most central Ohio station owners maintained their normal gasoline prices, which averaged 69.9 to 74.9 cents a gallon for self-serve unleaded, prices at one area service station dropped to 19.9 cents for a gallon of unleaded.
WXGT (92X) radio, which sponsored the contest, planned to call a truce and name the winner a day early, we reported. Adam Cook, station program director, said he was concerned that someone would get hurt at the stations.
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Here are some resources for learning why the price of gas is so high now:
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has a primer on gasoline that is easy to understand.