ABSTRACT
Hydraulic fracturing is one of the most important and enduring technologies ever developed by the oil industry. In the decades since its introduction in the late 1940s, the role of this technology in improving production and increasing recoverable reserves is probably second only to rotary drilling. Hydraulic fracturing is today the primary means of increasing and maintaining well productivity. With the 65th anniversary of hydraulic fracturing just recently behind us, this chapter is intended to give a brief history of the technology.
