- Inflation-adjusted price: $2.85 (#23 most expensive year in 84-year span)
The United States was now a player in World War II, which meant the introduction of gas rationing. Gas rationing had little to do with a shortage; what the United States armed forces needed was rubber, so nonessential rubber usage (like car tires) had to go. In order to stop people from wearing out their tires and needing rubber that could have gone to military efforts, the U.S. decided to ration gas, limiting the number of gallons various driver classes could purchase per week. Everett Historical // Shutterstock
1943
- Inflation-adjusted price: $2.84 (#26 most expensive year in 84-year span)
The operator of a major pipeline system that transports fuel across the East Coast says it's been victimized by a ransomware attack and has halted all pipeline operations to deal with the threat.