The word "tank" as a container for fuel dates at least back to 1902: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=tank http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=tan

The word "tank" as a container for fuel dates at least back to 1902: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=tank http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=tank And "tanks" had been used for things other than fuel for centuries, such as water, that would have "run dry."