So today was the day I decided to remove the 1950s wall to wall carpeting in the kitchen. Why would anyone carpet a kitchen floor?

The floor underneath appears to be oak; however, the black adhesive must be remnants of the dinosaurs and stuff found in the La Brea tar pits.

Any ideas on how to remove it? The circa 1909 wood floor looks worthy of restoration.

http://s430.photobucket.com/user/tacflight/library/

You can try to dissolve the black glue or you can try to remove it with chisel, scraper or coarse sandpaper and a machine.
Every method is messy and time consuming. An old floor has beauty that a new floor lacks.
I have tried all the methods. I think scraping most of the glue off then sanding with a coarse sandpaper, 12 or 16 grit for a start is the best method.