Milestones: January 10, 2024

January 10, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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GEYSER OF OIL — BEAUMONT, TEXAS BECAME A GOLDEN BOOMTOWN AFTER A GUSHER OF OIL ERUPTED ON JAN. 10, 1901, after drilling began three months prior. Spewing upward was a mixture of mud, oil and natural gas. Named Lucas Geyser, it was the largest gusher worldwide at 150 feet and took nine days to cap. The oil from that geyser filled thousands of barrels, according to an article in the Texas Almanac online. As word of the gusher spread, the coastal town, about 85 miles northeast of Houston, was filled with prospectors, workers, investors and swindlers, which led to its nickname as “Swindletop.” Within the next year, more than 285 active wells had been staked and hundreds of oil and land companies had been established. Some of these companies are still in operation, although under different corporate names. An oil company originally named Humble Oil (for a town by the name Humble) was later acquired by Standard Oil.

Crude oil became the world’s first trillion-dollar industry. It is a natural mix of hundreds of different hydrocarbon compounds trapped in underground rock. It is also considered a fossil fuel, referring to the organic sediment from aquatic life that was pressurized and transformed into petroleum.

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LEAGUE OF NATIONS CONVENES — THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS WAS FORMALLY ESTABLISHED ON JAN. 10, 1920. Forty-two nations ratified in 1919 following the armistice that ended World War I. Even before the war ended, prominent leaders in the United States and Great Britain were pushing for a permanent international organization to maintain peace and resolve conflicts together. A vocal exponent of this idea, President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 drafted his 14 Points, providing an outline of his vision for the League of Nations. The Treaty of Versailles and the Covenant of the League of Nations were ultimately approved by the European nations involved in the drafting. However, in the U.S. they needed Senate approval for ratification, and President Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke before he could persuade Congress of the League of Nations’ importance.

Because Congress declined to ratify the League, the United States never joined, even though one of the drafters was its own president. The League of Nations was often disregarded and proved powerless to stop Hitler’s rise to power during the 1930s. In 1946, the League of Nations was officially dissolved with the establishment of the United Nations, which was given the structure and authority necessary to succeed.

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UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S DEBUT — IRONICALLY, THE SUCCESSOR TO THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS ALSO HAD ITS FIRST OFFICIAL MEETING ON JAN. 10. The General Assembly of the United Nations convened for its first time on Jan. 10, 1946, at the Methodist Central Hall in London. Paul-Henri Spaak of Belgium was elected the first president of the General Assembly in a 28–23 vote, prevailing over Trygve Lie (who would later become the UN’s first Secretary General). According to the “First Meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations” in the American Journal of International Law, which was published online by Cambridge University Press, 17 of the 18 U.N. members were elected on the first ballot. In addition to the Great Powers (United Kingdom, United States, Russia, France and China), they represented North America, Latin America, the Arab League, Eastern and Western Europe, Southern Europe and the British Dominion.

The General Assembly next convened in October 1946 in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, in Queens County, and New York City was ultimately chosen as the U.N. headquarters. Construction on the U.N. complex that stands today along Manhattan’s East River was begun in September 1948 and completed in October 1952.

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SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT — A WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT WAS INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS ON JAN. 10, 1878, by Sen. A.A. (Aaron Augustus) Sargent of California, a close friend of Susan B. Anthony. Originally born in Massachusetts, Sargent left home at age 13 to stake out his fortune, first as a gold seeker — which brought him to California — and then later as a newspaper publisher, and attorney, joining the newly-formed California Republican Party. His wife, Ellen Sargent was a prominent suffragist and friend to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and her influence led Senator Sargent to introduce the amendment.

However, it would take four decades for Congress to finally approve the women’s suffrage amendment. On Aug. 26, 1920, Congress was ratified in 1920 as the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.

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RENEWED DIPLOMACY WITH VATICAN — THE UNITED STATES AND THE VATICAN FORMALLY REESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS ON JAN. 10, 1984, AFTER 117 YEARS. The Vatican, although located in Rome, is an independent sovereign state. Throughout much of the 19th century, the U.S. had enjoyed diplomatic relations with the Holy See, until the unified Kingdom of Italy conquered Rome in 1870. However, the rift with the United States dates back to 1867, flamed by suspicions that Catholics Mary Surratt, son John Surratt, and others had conspired with John Wilkes Booth in the April 14, 1865 assassination of President Abraham Lincoln (which had fallen on that year’s Good Friday). Congress passed legislation in February 1867 prohibiting future funding of United States diplomatic missions to the Holy See, amid mounting anti-Catholic sentiment.

During much of the 20th century, successive U.S. Presidents sent a personal representative to the Holy See to maintain humanitarian aid and deal with international political issues. President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II agreed to the establishment of diplomatic relations on January 10. Three months later, on April 9, 1984, the United States established an embassy to the Holy See.

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PRODUCED MASTERPIECES — THE PUBLIC BROADCASTING SYSTEM’S “MASTERPIECE THEATRE” MADE ITS TV PREMIERE ON JAN. 10, 1971. This long-running series, whose programs have won numerous Emmy and Peabody Awards, presented critically acclaimed original and adapted dramatizations, starting with its debut production of “The First Churchills.” Over the past five decades, Masterpiece Theatre has also presented “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” and “Elizabeth R” (1972); “The Forsythe Saga” and “Upstairs, Downstairs” (1974-1977), “The Jewel in the Crown” (1984) and, of course, “Downton Abbey” (2011-2016). The series’ name was shortened to “Masterpiece” in 2008.

The series opened with a majestic tune that was chosen for “sounding British,” although its composer was French. The show’s prelude is John Joseph Mouret’s Suite in D. The composer lived from 1682-1738 during the French Baroque period.

See previous milestones, here.