Good morning! It's Sunday, Sept. 14. On this day in 1847, US Gen. Winfield Scott captured Mexico City, concluding the military phase of the two-year North American conflict. We took a look at this lesser-known war and its causes, impact, and legacy.
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Dear Readers—Our Sunday edition delivers deep dives into interesting and relevant topics, helping you explore new ideas and feeding your curiosity.
Instead of the news—which we cover Monday through Saturday—today we’ll bring you deeply researched overviews and the human-curated articles, podcasts, videos, and more that most fascinated us this week. |
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Mexican-American War, 101
The Mexican-American War was a conflict between 1846 and 1848 sparked by territorial disputes following the US annexation of Texas. The war—America’s first fought mainly on foreign soil—involved around 150,000 troops fighting across present-day Texas, California, New Mexico, and deep into central Mexico (listen to an overview here).
After gaining independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico endured decades of internal upheaval. American settlers poured into Texas under Mexican land grants, eventually outnumbering locals and rebelling to form the Republic of Texas in 1836—which the US annexed in 1845, to Mexico's chagrin.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, ended the war and transferred over 500,000 square miles of land (55% of Mexico’s total territory) to the United States—including present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, and more—in exchange for $15M (roughly $600M today).
... Read our full deep dive on the conflict here.
Also, check out ...
> "Manifest destiny" played a big part in prompting the war with Mexico. (More)
> Thoreau's famous "Civil Disobedience" was partly a protest of the war. (More)
> The Mexican-American War gave birth to the Associated Press. (More) |
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What is OPEC?
OPEC—the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries—was founded in Iraq in 1960 to coordinate oil policy among major exporters. Initially a reaction to Western dominance of global oil markets, it evolved into a powerful bloc capable of reshaping global energy prices, geopolitics, and development.
OPEC works by setting production quotas for each member country. By coordinating supply cuts or increases, the group can tighten or loosen global oil supply, pushing prices up or down.
Today, OPEC has 12 member countries spanning the Middle East, Africa, and South America—Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela—and works closely with nonmember oil-producing allies in the wider OPEC+ group.
... Read our full explainer on the group here.
Also, check out ...
> How OPEC first used oil as a geopolitical weapon in 1967. (More)
> Trace the rise of oil from early drilling to global power. (More)
> How does the broader OPEC+ group work? (More) |
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'Defence of Fort M'Henry' |
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What is the national anthem of the US?
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States. The song is based on a poem written by Francis Scott Key 211 years ago, on Sept. 14, 1814, during the War of 1812, while watching American troops hold off British forces at the Battle of Baltimore. Written in the battle’s immediate aftermath, the original poem borrowed a melody from a popular British song of the time.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” grew popular with Americans. In 1931, President Herbert Hoover approved a bill that finally designated it the national anthem. Soon after, other sports leagues made its performance a regular feature before games.
It’s become an American tradition for artists to put their spin on the anthem when performing it (see Whitney Houston's iconic 1991 Super Bowl rendition).
The song is still popular some 200 years later, with Americans overwhelmingly saying they would not prefer a change.
... Read our full overview on the anthem here.
Also, check out ...
> How printers eventually changed the name of the national anthem. (More)
> The 1918 origins of performing the anthem at sporting events in the US. (More)
> Roughly 60% of Americans prefer to keep the existing national anthem. (More) |
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In partnership with NativePath |
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Have you checked out our lineup of weekly 1440 Topics newsletters? You can sign up for any (or all) that pique your interest, always 100% free. Here's what's on deck this week:
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Historybook: President William McKinley dies of gunshot wounds (1901); Early Moscow time, Soviet probe Luna 2 becomes the first human-made object to reach the moon (1959); Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is founded (1960); Actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly dies (1982); Singer Amy Winehouse born (1983). |
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"Brave Rifles! Veterans! You have been baptized in fire and blood and have come out steel!" |
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