January 10

Big oil begins to form, the oil rush starts and a Wild West entertainer dies.

Thu, Jan 10 2013 at 6:00 AM

Jan. 10, 1870: John D. Rockefeller incorporates the Standard Oil Company — the predecessor of modern-day Exxon-Mobil — in Cleveland, Ohio. Rockefeller soon dominates the trade from the oilfields of western Pennsylvania.

Jan. 10, 1901: An oil "gusher" at the Spindletop field near Beaumont, Texas, kicks off a frantic oil rush, changing the state, and the world, forever. The Gulf and Chevron oil companies both trace their origins to the Spindletop strike.

Jan. 10, 1917: William "Buffalo Bill" Cody dies in Denver at age 70. While his nickname originally came from his job as a purveyor of bison meat to U.S. troops, Cody became a legendary bison hunter, showman, and ultimately a symbol of the near-extermination of the American bison.

Jan. 10, 1984: Assistant U.S. EPA administrator Rita Lavelle is sentenced to six months imprisonment for lying to Congress. Lavelle was in charge of administering EPA’s "Superfund" toxic waste cleanup program, and admitted to a whistleblower’s charges that she mishandled federal funds.

Jan. 10, 2007: The European Union agrees to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020.

Photo: roy.luck/Flickr

This feature is compiled by Peter Dykstra, an MNN contributor and publisher of Environmental Health News and The Daily Climate.

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

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