1875: Continental Oil and Transportation Company is founded in Utah, an early predecessor of Conoco.

1885: Standard Oil acquires Continental Oil; the business operates within the Standard Oil system.

1911: Following the breakup of Standard Oil, Continental Oil continues as an independent entity.

1929: Marland Oil Company acquires Continental Oil and adopts the name Continental Oil Company (Conoco), establishing the modern Conoco corporate identity.

1940s–1950s: Conoco expands refining/marketing and upstream activity in North America, building a broader integrated oil footprint.

1955: Conoco is acquired by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont), providing capital backing and stability for expansion.

1960s–1970s: Conoco grows upstream and downstream operations amid industry-wide globalization and geopolitical supply shifts.

1981: Conoco Canada becomes the first company to produce oil from the Canadian oil sands on a commercial scale.

1980s: Conoco continues international upstream development and large-project execution; industry focus increasingly shifts to larger-scale E&P opportunities.

1990s: Conoco increases emphasis on upstream opportunities while managing cyclical oil markets and portfolio complexity.

1998: Phillips Petroleum spins off its chemicals operations into a separate company, Phillips 66 (then as a chemicals-focused spin), marking a strategic separation of downstream/chemicals assets from other operations.

2001: DuPont completes the divestiture of Conoco, and Conoco becomes an independent publicly traded company again.

2002: Conoco and Phillips Petroleum merge to form ConocoPhillips, combining assets and capabilities into one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies at the time.

2000s: ConocoPhillips expands international upstream positions and participates in large-scale oil and gas developments, including LNG-linked projects and conventional resource plays.

2006: ConocoPhillips acquires Burlington Resources, substantially expanding natural gas and upstream resources, particularly in North America.

Late 2000s: Following the global financial crisis and commodity volatility, the company increases emphasis on capital discipline and portfolio high-grading.

2012: ConocoPhillips spins off its downstream businesses (refining, marketing, midstream and chemicals) into a separate publicly traded company, Phillips 66.

2013–2016: The company executes broad portfolio reshaping: divesting non-core assets, simplifying the organization, and prioritizing returns on capital employed.

2017: ConocoPhillips acquires San Juan Basin assets from Anadarko, strengthening U.S. Lower 48 exposure.

2018: ConocoPhillips acquires additional U.S. unconventionals through the purchase of assets from Anadarko in the Permian and elsewhere.

2017–2019: The company advances a strategy centered on:

A shift toward lower-cost shale scale, simpler portfolios, and capital-return discipline.

2020: During the COVID-19 demand shock and price collapse, ConocoPhillips cuts capital spending, preserves liquidity, and reinforces a returns-based investment framework.

2021: ConocoPhillips acquires Concho Resources, significantly expanding its Permian Basin scale and inventory depth.

2022: ConocoPhillips acquires Shell’s Permian assets, further consolidating high-quality U.S. unconventional acreage and production.

2023: The company continues emphasizing a balanced global portfolio: U.S. unconventionals, Alaska, Canada, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and LNG-linked positions.

2024: ConocoPhillips announces the acquisition of Marathon Oil, aimed at adding U.S. Lower 48 scale and inventory (transaction subject to customary approvals/closing conditions).

Ongoing (2020s): ConocoPhillips operates as a global independent E&P company, with strategy typically characterized by: