In this article http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_150.html written in 1989, Cecil says that when adjusted for inflation, gas prices at the time of his writing were the same as they had been in the early 70s.
What about now?
Where can I find an inflation-adjusted history of gas prices?
-Kris
Well, I found this: http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/images/charts/Oil/Gasoline_inflation_chart.htm
-Kris
It’s easy to see that gasoline costs more in nominal dollars while a gallon of fuel is more or less fungible. What’s actually happened is wage-earners relative income has declined in constant dollars. .30c a gallon sounds wonderful till you discover that was the prevailing wage rate too, beer was .15c, etc. Interesting - remember how diesel owners years ago used to be the smug sort - knowing full well diesel has more BTUs than a gallon of gasoline and cheaper to boot, not anymore, it’s consistently more expensive in recent years. Market forces drove that “inequity” out - even though it is presumably cheaper to refine and market…