Thursday, Feburary 7, 1924. De la Huerta retreats and the M1911A1 is born.

Adolfo de la Huerta and his staff withdrew by boat to Mérida, Yucatán, after federal troops recaptured Veracruz.

Crowd going to the National Cathedral, under construction, where President Wilson had been laid to rest.

Italy recognized the Soviet Union.

Around this time, Colt began to ship what is called the "Colt Transition Model 1911", which were actually the first of the M1911A1s.

The Colt M1911 is a John Browning designed semi-automatic pistol that can legitimately be regarded s the greatest handgun ever made, although there are, or perhaps more accurately were, a few other contenders.  Other than the mostly John Browning Designed Hi Power, none of the other contenders remain in service somewhere however and the M1911 has by far the longest period of service.

Adopted by the U.S. on March 29, 1911, in 1923 the handgun received some minor modifications, the most significant of which is a curved spring housing which changed the profile of the grip.  The trigger was also shortened.  In 1924 the modified design started to ship, this month, from Colt.  The M1911A1 designation came in 1926.  

Large quantities of M1911s were made in World War One, and even larger quantities of M1911A1s were made during World War Two. So many were in fact made that no new orders were placed for M1911s through the rest of its primary service life, up to when the M9 Beretta 9mm handgun was ordered to replace it.

MEU(SOC) pistol.

The M9 actually failed to completely replace the M1911A1, although it nearly did so.  Some small quantities of M1911A1s that had been issued to officers remained in ongoing use.  In addition, the pistol never ceased being used by special troops, who favored it over the 9mm M9 due to its larger .45ACP cartridge.  The Marines nearly immediately resisted the change and adopted a reworked and custom-built M1911, with flat spring housing, as the MEU(SOC) pistol for close combat, taking in quantities of M9s at the same time.

Female Marine firing M45A1.

During the war in Afghanistan, the M1911 started to reappear in force, being rebuilt by service armorers and with some small numbers being once again purchased for special forces.  In 2012 the Marine Corps began to acquire modernized M1911s, with the flat spring housing, which were ultimately adopted as the Marine Corps service pistol with the designation M45. Theoretically, these passed out of service in 2022, but it's frankly unlikely that they fully did.  The pistol almost certain remains in use to some degree by the US.

The pistol, given all of this, has an incredibly long service life, likely the longest of any US weapon.  And the M1911 itself has rebounded in popularity and is as popular as a civilian handgun as ever, perhaps more popular than ever.  As a police weapon, it was used by the FBI for decades, and also in various cartridge chamberings by law enforcement agencies.  No handgun rivals it.

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Monday, December 31, 1923. New Years Eve

The Seine overflowed its banks in Paris, and the Neva in Petrograd.

The news of the last day of the year was grim:

Aircraft designer Fokker appeared on the cover of Time:

Sunday, December 30, 1923. The Arms Trade.

 

Saturday, December 29, 1923. The dawn of television.

Russian-born engineer Vladimir K. Zworykin filed for a patent on his Television System, which would evolve into television.  He was employed by Westinghouse at the time, having immigrated to the U.S. during the Russian Civil War.  He died in 1982, living to an undetermined age in his early 90s.

Television advertisement from 1939.

Zworykin wasn't the only individual working on televised images, and his system wasn't the only one that was around.  A system by a rival inventor,  John Logie Baird, would be the first one on the market, coming at an amazingly early 1928, with the first television station, WRGB, then W2XB, broadcasting from the General Electric facility in Schenectady, NY.  For various reason, however, television didn't really take off until after World War Two, with the 1950s really seeing an explosion in its use.  Even at that, however, many households did not have televisions until the 1960s.  I can recall the first television our family had, which must have been acquired in the mid 1960s.  My mother bought it as a gift for my father, but had as an additional motive the hope that he'd spend more evenings at home rather than stop by to visit his mother, who lived a couple of blocks away.  Indeed, my father took to television (my mother never did), and her hopes were realized.

Test pattern from when local television stations quit broadcasting at night, and reappeared in the morning, with this image.  I can recall this appearing on our television early in the morning when my father first turned it on.

That experience really shows one of the frankly negative aspects of what would prove to be a groundbreaking technology.  Prior to television, while radio had arrived, there was still a great deal of "make your own entertainment" and the visiting of friends and relatives in the evenings.  Television helped end all that, which proved to be a radical shift in long held societal patterns.  Interestingly, television itself has never portrayed that change, and continues to depict life in large part as it had been before its arrival.  You don't see television programs in which people sit around and watch television.

As we've noted here before, early television was all locally broadcast, from locally owned stations.  Indeed, the FCC strictly regulated this latter aspect of television, which of course broadcast over the public airways.  Cable made major inroads, however, not television and a near deregulation of the industry has mean that it now broadcasts over multiple channels, in multiple ways, 24 hours a day, with local ownership often not existing.

Televisions ultimately became so common that by the early 2000s, most American households contained three of them.  The number is now down to 2.5, reflecting the advance of computers, which has cut into television use.  

All in all, while undoubtedly there are other opinions, television has been enormously corrosive and detrimental to society.

Germany agreed to pay France's and Belgium's expenses for occupying the Ruhr.  The UK objected to the French collecting taxes on a British owned mined in the region.

The SS Mutlah disappeared in the Mediterranean with all of its 40 hands lost.

The Mexican Federal Army was advancing towards Vera Cruz, the rebels having been routed. . . and industrial school girls were on the warpath.

The Saturday magazines were out.

Friday, December 28, 1923. Plays, No Picketing, and Radio.

 Premiered on this day.

And in Casper, the City Council banned picketing, while people looked forward to a radio station commencing operations.

Wednesday, December 26, 1923. Acknowledging disaster.

The Dixmude was lost, there was no doubt, but the French were making that known.

Totally unrelated, France ran a budget surplus of 568 million francs, determined as of this date.

Dietrich Eckart, German writer and Nazi, and a major influence on Adolf Hitler, died of a heart attack at Berchtesgaden at age 55, too early to see the horror that Nazi ideas would bring upon the world and Germany.

Monday, December 24, 1923. The National Christmas Tree.

The first National Christmas Tree event was held in Washington, D.C., featuring a 100-member choir from the city's First Congregational Church at the South Portico of the White House and President Calvin Coolidge pushing a button to illuminate 2,500 electric bulbs adorning the tree.

More on this event:

1923 National Christmas Tree

On the same day, Mrs. Coolidge visited a Salvation Army location.

Calvin Coolidge Jr. went riding with a Dr. Boone:

Carolers visited the White House.

Saturday, December 22, 1923. Reversal at Puebla.

It was a Saturday, so the Saturday news magazines were out, featuring Christmas themes, as to be expected.

The news did not have the Holiday Spirit.

The news reported the Rebel failure to take Puebla.

Georg Luger, inventor of the iconic handgun, died on this day.  He was an Austrian by birth, but had spent much of his early life in Italy.   Multi talented, he was trained as an accountant.

Friday, December 21, 1923. Tabasco Rebels.

The Mexican Revolution was showing, once again, just how brutal it could be.  Peubla was taken back by the Federal Government.

The French airship Dixmude exploded in a thunderstorm over the Mediterranean.  

The British and Nepalese government signed the Nepal-Britain Treaty.  The treaty, which recognized Nepal's status as an independent nation, stated:

1) Nepal and Britain will forever maintain peace and mutual friendship and respect each other's internal and external independence.

2) All previous treaties, agreements and engagements, since and including the Sugauli Treaty of 1815, which have been concluded between the two Government are hereby cancelled, except so far as they may be altered by the present Treaty.

3) As the preservation of peace and friendly relations with the neighbouring States whose territories adjoin their common frontiers is to the mutual interests of both the High Contracting Parties, they hereby agree to inform each other of any rupture such friendly relations, and each to exert its good offices as far as may be possible to remove such friction and misunderstanding.

4) Each of the High Contracting Parties will use all such measure as it may deem practicable to prevent its territories being used for purpose inimical to the security of the other.

5) In view of the longstanding friendship that has subsisted between the British Government and the Government of Nepal and for the sake of cordial neighbourly relations between them, the British Government agrees that the Nepal Government shall be free to import from or through British India into Nepal whatever arms, ammunition, machinery, warlike material or stores may be required or desired for the strength and welfare of Nepal, and that this arrangement shall hold good for all times as long as the British Government is satisfied that the intentions of the Nepal Government are friendly and that there is no immediate danger to India from such importations. The Nepal such arms, ammunition, etc., across the frontier of Nepal either by the Nepal Government or by private individuals. If, however, any convention for the regulation of the Arms Traffic, to which the British Government may be a party, shall come into force, the right of importation of arms and ammunition by the Nepal Government shall be subject to the proviso that the Nepal Government shall first become a party to that Convention, and that such importation shall only be made in accordance with the provisions of that Convention.

6) No Customs duty shall be levied at British Indian ports on goods imported on behalf of the Nepal Government of immediate transport to that country provided that a certificate from such authority as may from time to time be determined by the two governments shall be presented at the time of importation to the Chief Customs Officer at the port of import setting forth that the goods are the property of the Nepal Government, are required for the public services of the Nepal Government are not for the purpose of any State monopoly or State trade, and are being to Nepal under orders of the Nepal Government, The British Government also agrees to the grant in respect of all trade goods, imported at British Indian ports for immediate transmission to Kathmandu without breaking bulk en route, of a rebate of the full duty paid, provided that in accordance with arrangements already agreed to, between the two Governments, such goods may break bulk for repacking at the port of entry under Customs supervision in accordance with such rules as may from time to time be laid down in this behalf. The rebate may be claimed on the authority of a certificate signed by the said authority that the goods have arrive at Kathmandu with Customs seals unbroken and otherwise untampered with.

7) This Treaty signed in the part of the British Government by Lieutenant-Colonel W.F.T. O'Connor, C.I.E., C.V.O., British Envoy at the Court of Nepal and on the part of Nepal Government by General His Highness Maharaja Sir Chandra Shumsher Junga Bahadur Rana, G.C.B, G.C.S.I., G.D.M.G., G.C.V.O., D.C.I., Thong-lin Pimma Kokang- Wang-Syan, Prime Minister and Marshal of Nepal, shall be ratified and the ratification shall be exchanged at the Kathmandu as soon as practicable.

 

Thursday, December 20, 1923. Setback in Mexico.

 Mexican revolutionaries were suffering a set back.

And Congress went on vacation.

The German arms manufacturing company, which also manufactured other things, started finding workers who refused to work a ten-hour day.

The Dixmude, a war prize German Zeppelin in French service, exploded in midair, with all hands lost.

Wednesday, December 19, 1923. Spreading revolution.

 The fastest expression of Revolution in Mexico was continuing on.

The newly elected Greek government wanted the royals of that country to leave, and on this day they did.  King George II and Queen Consort Elisabeth left Greece for Romania, where the Queen Consort was from.

They'd ultimately come back, both to the country, and their offices.

Marie Curie was granted an annual pension by France in the amount of 40,000 Francs.

The Soviet Union executed six prisoners at Solovki Prison Camp for protesting conditions on the Solovetsky Islands.

China executed Sun Meiyao, age 25, the bandit who masterminded the Lincheng Outrage.

Tuesday, December 18, 1923. Liking Prohibition.

Some news that read like news of the decade prior, and some that was truly horrific.

A murder simply over a man staying at a hotel.

Farmer James D. Cummings and draftsman J. Earl McLeod of Washington, Kansas, filed the patent application for the bulldozer.

It's amazing to think that bulldozers did not exist before that time.

The Tangier Protocol was signed between France, Spain and the United Kingdom, creating the Tangier International Zone in Morocco.  It governed the international zone of the city, and would exist until 1956 when Morocco became independent.

Andrew Volstead of Volstead Act fame told a law enforcement conference that the American public was working around towards supporting prohibition.

Monday, December 17, 1923. Closing in on Mexico City.

The revolution in Mexico looked as if it was about to topple the government.

Subhi Bey Barakat was elected President of the Syrian Federation, a French mandate. He'd be its only president as the state would be succeeded by the State of Syria, also a French mandate, which he'd also be the chief executive of.

Thailand adopted the metric system.

An agreement was reached on the formation of the Imperial Air Transport Company, which soon became Imperial Airways.

Sunday, December 16, 1923 Pardons for Christmas.

In Mexico, rebels took Cuautla, Morelos as the revolution of Adolfo de la Huerta spread.

Saturday December 17, 1923. Headlines obsolete and current.

 

Sometimes, the headlines are rather similar to what we read today.  Aliens smuggled into U.S. "wholesale".  Mass shooting.  Others are thankfully firmly cemented in the past.

And some are just weird.

And then things stay the same in other ways:

Fascists Black Shirt Commandant General of the Blackshirts, Cpt. Cesare Maria De Vecchi, arrived in Mogadishu to take office as the colonial governor of Italian Somaliland, which would require military expeditions into its more remote regions.

He had started out in life as a lawyer before his fascist role.  After the Italian surrender in 1943, he had allowed German troops into areas under his command, but nonetheless was condemned to death by the Social Republic.  He went into hiding and died of natural causes in 1959, having been briefly involved in the post war neo fascist movement.

William Butler Yeats delivered his Nobel address.

Turkey and Hungary entered into a treaty of friendship.

A patent was applied for in the UK for the pioneering Celestion electric speaker for radios.

Friday, December 14, 1923. Obregón takes the field.

Obregón, who had risen to prominence as a general, now took the field in defense of his administration.

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake killed over 300 people in Columbia and Ecuador.

Congressional pages took advantage of a Washingon D.C. snowfall.

Thursday, December 13, 1923. Mexican Federals Mobilize

Ruth Muskrat presented Gustavus Elmer Emmanuel Lindquist′s book The Red Man In The United States to President Calvin Coolidge.  Highly educated, the Oklahoma native had a Cherokee father and an Irish/English American mother.  A pioneer in many ways in both societies, she was a professional educator and died in 1982 at age 84.

The Federal Government was mobilizing in Mexico. 

And booze was flowing south.

Lord Alfred Douglas was sentenced to six months in prison for libeling Winston Churchill.  He had printed a newspaper article claiming that Churchill had been paid to release a false report about the Battle of Jutland in order to cause stocks to decrease in value so that a group of Jewish investors could take advantage of it, all of which was false, as well as racist.

Lawrence Sperry, age 30, inventor of the autopilot and the artificial horizon, died in an airplane accident over the English Channel. Taking off in fog, his airplane simply disappeared.

Tuesday, December 11, 1923. De la Huerta's supporters take Puebla.

 Mexican rebels took Puebla, Mexico's fourth-largest city

In Casper, in contrast to today (it's 34F right now), it was really cold.

Calvin Coolidge gave a press conference, in which he stated:

No decision has yet been made about the sending or releasing of General Butler for service at Philadelphia.

An inquiry about the Mexican treaty. That has been sent, I think, by my office to the Senate. It came over here a day or two ago. I think it would have been submitted last week had it not been for the recess. I am not certain whether it has been carried up yet. I think it has been. Of course, that would be released up there immediately on its appearance. I signed it here and sent it out, and it is just a question of when the messenger goes up. I suppose he has already gone. I do not think he could have gone up yesterday. I imagine he went up this morning at 12:00 o’clock. There isn’t anything or comment that I can make on treaties that are sent to the Senate, other than the usual statement that comes to me from the Secretary of State. They are, as you know, secret in a way, and the injunction of secrecy can only be removed by a vote of the Senate. I think it is the custom to give out a synopsis by the Secretary of State, which the press has already received.

An inquiry about the requested assistance of the administration to prevent unnecessary and vexatious disturbances and interference with nominal radio broadcasting. That is referred to in my message where I said there ought to be more laws governing that. Any of you that have had experience with the radio, of course know that is so. It is as yet an undeveloped field, but one that our experience will very soon show the way in which it should be dealt with legally. I imagine it can’t be dealt with so much by the hard and fast rules that would be made by statutory enactment, as by leaving it to the Department of Commerce or some other administrative body to formulate rules which could be changed from time to time as the experience showed was necessary and desirable.

The visit of Governor Lowden, General Dawes and William P. Jackson, the Committeeman from Maryland, was for the purpose of paying their respects to this office.

No decision has been made in the matter of appointing a judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. I should have made those appointments during the recess, except for the opinion of the Attorney General that, as they did not occur during the recess, they could not be filled. It is necessary for me to confer with Senators in relation to these appointments, and members of the House, because it is to quite a degree the source of my information. There is another matter that I think the press might stress somewhat, and that is my desire to appoint men of the highest character and most marked ability for service on the Federal bench. I am willing to have come to me – I welcome the suggestions from political committees and from those who are known to be in political life or holding political office about appointments to the bench. In other cases, suggestions of that kind might be almost entirely determined by them. But in the case of the bench I should look for something more than that. I have to have the assurance of the approbation of the bar, the assurance of the approbation of the general community as to the standing, character, ability and learning of men that are to be appointed to the bench. So that political recommendations, while they are helpful and will be given due consideration, cannot be entirely the determining factor in making appointments to the United States bench. It is of signal importance that those places be filled by men about which there can’t be any controversy. I don’t mean by that that I should permit a man that from all the evidence I could secure was perfectly well qualified to be disqualified because he happened to have some enemies that might be willing to resort to tactics that I could not agree with or didn’t seem to be supported by facts. But it is very important to put on the bench men about whom there can’t be any question, and I shall try, in my selections, to be guided by that principle.

Whether any decision has been reached regarding food aid to Germany by the United States. The general decision that I have already indicated, which is that we want that done as a business proposition if possible, and investigations are now being made and proposals are being considered, and negotiations are in process for the purpose of making a loan to the German Government, as I understand it, the proceeds of which would be spent in this country by the loans made, part here and part, I think , in Great Britain, for the purpose of buying food stuffs for Germany, if that is accomplished. I have great hopes it may be. I do not think it may be so necessary to resort to charity. Now don’t say anything in the paper that would result in drying up the private charity that is being encouraged. I am speaking now of Government charity. It is very desirable that the private charity that is being organized should go on. It is under the direction of such men as Mr. Allen and I believe General Dawes, who is the Director of it in his region, and other men of like calibre, and of course we are very much desirous that it should go on.

Mr. President, is there any word from France as to her attitude on a loan |for this food?

No, not that I know of.

I have here several inquiries that I will answer by reading a statement, so I that there may be no misunderstanding.

This Government has been informed that the Reparations Commission is considering the establishment of two expert Committees. One to consider the means of I balancing the budget of Germany and the measures to be taken to stabilize her currency. The other to take up the question of the capital which has been removed from Germany. (That is the property of Germany that is said to have been removed and which is now located in other countries). The inquiry of the first Committee would comprehend all the conditions to be realized and the measures to be taken to accomplish the results desired. All the representatives of the Governments, members of ‘the Commission, have expressed a desire to have American experts on the two Committees. It is understood that the Government of the United States is not in a position to be represented on these Committees, and that the invitation to the American experts will be extended directly by the Reparations Commission. (That wants to be made plain – that the Government of the United States does not participate, but that experts, economic experts, to participate by the direct invitation of the Reparations Commission). This Government believes that the proposed inquiry will be of great value and in view of its direct interest as a creditor, (you may recall that I developed that somewhat in my message, speaking of the European debt that is due us and also the debt that is due us from Germany. The German debt in and of itself will amount to about three-quarters of a billion dollars – about $750,000,000. We can’t tell yet just what the Mixed Claims Commission may find is the amount due, but it is of such a sum as joined to the bill of $255,000,000 that is due for the Army of Occupation will amount to about $750,000,000. So that we have an interest there as a direct creditor and an indirect interest as a creditor of the other nations there), and of the importance of the economic recuperation of Europe, it would view with favor the acceptance by American experts of such an invitation. (We have the interest of our debt and our interest in the economic recovery of Europe). The immediate proposal before the Reparation Commission has been made by the French delegate and President of the Commission, and has the support, it is understood, of all the allied Governments. (The French delegate is the President of the Commission, and he is the one who has made the immediate proposal). The British Government has informed this Government of its desire that American experts should participate in the inquiry. (That takes care of all the allied Governments.)

(Now, this is a very important addition). The German Government has also brought the matter to the attention of this Government, stating that it would be much appreciated if an American expert were to participate in the work of the first Committee, as above proposed, as it is believed that in this way important progress could made toward the solution of the problems underlying economic recovery.

(You see, that makes the entire approval of the allied Governments and joined to that is the request that comes from the German Government. I think that is very important, of course, and a very significant development. There has been abroad many times some criticism of our Government, of our people, and our ways, but that has demonstrated, I think, that when they are in real trouble and real difficulty over there, they turn to us as a nation that will be fair with them, – one in whose judgment and in whose character they can rely; and notwithstanding differences that have seemed to exist, they are willing to abide by the faith that they have in us, and I think it is a very substantial accomplishment).

Mr. President, is this the carrying out of the New Haven speech?

Not exactly, but it is along that line. This little statement I will have set up on the typewriter and it will be ready for distribution for you in fifteen or twenty minutes.

Mr. President, would it be proper to ask, in view of our interest in the $750,000,000, why we do not participate officially and directly?

Well, that is a matter that hasn’t yet been adjusted. The Mixed Claims Commission is working on that, the mixed claims part . Then we have some adjustment of the bill for the Army of Occupation. I am speaking of that for the purpose of indicating our direct interest in the situation .

Monday, December 10, 1923. Mexican rebels and cheese empires advance.

The Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution, which has not been ratified, was first introduced in Congress.

At the time, many suffragettes opposed it out of fear that it would eliminate statutory protection of female laborers, which it likely would have.

Rebels were advancing on Mexico City.

Coolidge was encouraging commercial aviation, and running for reelection.

The National Dairy Products Corporation was founded by a merger of Thomas H. McInerney's Hydrox Corporation and Edward E. Rieck's Rieck—McJunkin Dairy Company. In 1930, it would acquire Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company, and then rebrand itself in 1969 as Kraftco Corporation and then Kraft, Inc.

It is now Kraft Heinz as of this very year.

Kraft cheese is, in my opinion, hideous.

The U.S. Supreme Court held in Rooker v. Fidelity Trust Co. that only it, in appropriate Federal questions, could review state supreme court decisions.

The Italian parliament was prorogued, i.e., dissolved, by King Victor Emmanuel III at the request of Benito Mussolini.

Turkey and Albania signed a treat of friendship.

Sunday, December 9, 1923. Fighting over and amongst oil.

 

Bill Donovan, age 47, a former major league baseball player, was killed in a train accident in New York.

The Convention and Statute on the International Régime of Maritime Ports is a 1923 was signed in Geneva providing for open ports.  It's still in effect.