23 January 1912

The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague.

The International Opium Convention, also known as the Hague Convention or the International Opium Act, was the first international drug control treaty. It was signed on January 23, 1912, during the International Opium Conference held in The Hague, Netherlands. The primary goal of the convention was to address the global issue of the opium trade and its associated problems, such as addiction and illicit trafficking.

The major provisions of the convention included:

Controlled Opium Production: The convention aimed to regulate the production of opium for medicinal and scientific purposes. Participating countries agreed to establish a system to license and control the cultivation of opium poppies.

Limited Opium Exports: The treaty sought to reduce the international trade in opium. It established limitations on the export and import of opium, as well as other derivatives like morphine and heroin.

Criminalization of Non-Medical Uses: The convention criminalized the non-medical use of opium, morphine, and cocaine. It encouraged participating nations to pass domestic laws to regulate and control the distribution of these substances.

The International Opium Convention laid the groundwork for subsequent international drug control efforts. It was followed by other treaties, such as the 1925 Geneva Convention and the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, which further strengthened and expanded the framework for global drug control. These agreements formed the basis for the modern international drug control system.

6 January 1912

German geophysicist Alfred Wegener first presents his theory of continental drift.

Alfred Wegener was a German meteorologist, polar researcher, and geophysicist who proposed the theory of continental drift in the early 20th century. His groundbreaking ideas challenged the prevailing scientific views of his time and laid the foundation for the modern theory of plate tectonics. Wegener’s work was instrumental in shaping our understanding of Earth’s dynamic geology.

Wegener’s theory of continental drift, first presented in 1912, suggested that the continents were not fixed in their positions but rather had drifted over time. He proposed that all continents were once part of a single supercontinent, which he named Pangaea, and that they had gradually drifted apart to their current positions.

Wegener supported his continental drift hypothesis with several lines of evidence:

Fit of the Continents: Wegener noticed that the coastlines of continents such as South America and Africa seemed to fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. This suggested that these continents were once connected.

Fossil Evidence: Similar fossilized plants and animals were found on continents that are now widely separated by oceans. For example, fossils of the extinct reptile Mesosaurus were found in both South America and Africa, indicating that these continents were once connected.

Rock Formations and Mountain Ranges: Wegener observed similarities in rock formations and mountain ranges across continents, such as the Appalachian Mountains in North America aligning with the Caledonian Mountains in Scotland and Scandinavia. This suggested a geological connection between these regions.

Paleoclimatic Evidence: Wegener also pointed out the presence of glacial deposits and evidence of past climates that were inconsistent with the current positions of the continents. For instance, he argued that coal beds found in Antarctica indicated that the continent was once situated in a much warmer climate.

Despite the compelling evidence, Wegener faced skepticism from the scientific community. One major challenge was the lack of a plausible mechanism explaining how continents could move across the Earth’s surface. Wegener suggested that the continents plowed through the ocean floor, but this idea was not well-received.

It wasn’t until the mid-20th century, with the development of plate tectonics theory, that Wegener’s ideas gained widespread acceptance. Plate tectonics provided a mechanism for the movement of continents by proposing that the Earth’s lithosphere is divided into rigid plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them. The movement of these plates explained the observed phenomena associated with continental drift.

4 January 1912

The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by royal charter.

The Scout Association, commonly known as the Scouts, is a global movement that aims to develop the character and skills of young people through outdoor activities, education, and community service. The organization was founded by Sir Robert Baden-Powell, a British Army officer, in 1907.

The history of the Scout movement began with Baden-Powell’s experiences during the Boer War in South Africa (1899–1902). He became interested in the outdoor skills and resourcefulness of the local boys, who could track, ride, and survive in the wilderness. Baden-Powell applied his military knowledge to create a training program for young boys, emphasizing self-reliance, teamwork, and outdoor skills.

The first official Scout camp took place on Brownsea Island in England in 1907, where Baden-Powell tested his ideas and methods with a group of boys from different social backgrounds. The success of the camp laid the foundation for the establishment of the Boy Scouts, which was formally launched in 1908. The program quickly gained popularity in the United Kingdom and beyond.

In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was founded, adapting Baden-Powell’s principles to the American context. The Scouting movement continued to spread globally, with national Scout organizations forming in various countries. The movement was based on the Scout Law and Scout Oath, promoting values such as loyalty, kindness, and bravery.

The Scout Association, based in the United Kingdom, was officially formed in 1912. It became one of the world’s first Scouting organizations, and its program expanded to include a variety of outdoor activities, community service projects, and leadership development opportunities for young people.

Over the years, the Scout Association and other Scouting organizations around the world have evolved to meet the changing needs of young people. The movement has adapted to cultural and societal changes while maintaining its core values. Today, the Scout Association is part of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), which coordinates and supports Scouting worldwide. Scouting continues to be a global youth movement that empowers young people to develop into responsible and engaged citizens.

8 May 1912

Paramount Pictures is founded.

Paramount Pictures Corporation also known simply as Paramount is an American film studio based in Hollywood, California, that has been a subsidiary of the American media conglomerate Viacom since 1994. Paramount is the fifth oldest surviving film studio in the world, the second oldest in the United States, and the sole member of the “Big Six” film studios still located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood.

In 1916, film producer Adolph Zukor put 22 actors and actresses under contract and honored each with a star on the logo. These fortunate few would become the first “movie stars.” In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only. The company’s headquarters and studios are located at 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, California, United States.

Paramount is the fifth oldest surviving film studio in the world after the French studios Gaumont Film Company and Pathé, followed by the Nordisk Film company, and Universal Studios. It is the last major film studio still headquartered in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles.

Paramount Pictures dates its existence from the 1912 founding date of the Famous Players Film Company. Hungarian-born founder Adolph Zukor, who had been an early investor in nickelodeons, saw that movies appealed mainly to working-class immigrants. With partners Daniel Frohman and Charles Frohman he planned to offer feature-length films that would appeal to the middle class by featuring the leading theatrical players of the time leading to the slogan “Famous Players in Famous Plays”. By mid-1913, Famous Players had completed five films, and Zukor was on his way to success. Its first film was Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth, which starred Sarah Bernhardt.

That same year, another aspiring producer, Jesse L. Lasky, opened his Lasky Feature Play Company with money borrowed from his brother-in-law, Samuel Goldfish, later known as Samuel Goldwyn. The Lasky company hired as their first employee a stage director with virtually no film experience, Cecil B. DeMille, who would find a suitable site in Hollywood, near Los Angeles, for his first feature film, The Squaw Man.

Paramount Pictures’ first logo, based on a design by its founder William Wadsworth Hodkinson, used from 1917 to 1967. Starting in 1914, both Lasky and Famous Players released their films through a start-up company, Paramount Pictures Corporation, organized early that year by a Utah theatre owner, W. W. Hodkinson, who had bought and merged several smaller firms. Hodkinson and actor, director, producer Hobart Bosworth had started production of a series of Jack London movies. Paramount was the first successful nationwide distributor; until this time, films were sold on a statewide or regional basis which had proved costly to film producers. Also, Famous Players and Lasky were privately owned while Paramount was a corporation.