Final answer:
Pennsylvania was the state with the first commercial oil well, drilled in Titusville in 1859, leading to the rise of the American oil industry and significant technological advances.
Step-by-step explanation:
The state with the first oil well in Titusville in 1859 is Pennsylvania. This event marked the beginning of the commercial oil industry in the United States and set off an oil boom comparable to the California Gold Rush. The Drake Well, as it was known, was drilled by Edwin L. Drake, and it ushered in a new era for the industrialization of the country using resources such as natural gas, petroleum, and coal.
The birth of the oil industry in Pennsylvania also coincided with early innovations in technology, such as the internal combustion engine and the gasoline-powered automobile, which would later revolutionize transportation and industry.
Moreover, figures like John D. Rockefeller capitalized on this burgeoning industry, investing in oil refining and eventually forming the Standard Oil Company, an iconic name in the history of crude oil and kerosene production.