1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,599 Speaker 1: Hey y'all, Eve's here. We're doubling up today with two 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: events in history, one from me and one from former 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: host Tracy V. Wilson. One with the show Welcome to 4 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: this Day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: com and from the desk of Stuff You Missed in 6 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: History Class. It's the show where we explore the past 7 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: one day at a time with a quick look at 8 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 1: what happened today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 9 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: It's December two. The Monroe Doctrine was issued on this 10 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: day in eighteen twenty three. That makes it sound like 11 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: somebody published a document that said the Monroe Doctrine up 12 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: at the top, and it was a published piece of writing. Really, 13 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: it was that President James Monroe gave his annual address 14 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: to Congress, and in that address he described some foreign 15 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: policy decisions, and that came to be called the Monroe Doctrine. 16 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: These policy decisions were also heavily in lunced by Secretary 17 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: of State John Quincy Adams, who advocated not only for 18 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 1: what these policies said, but also for them to exist 19 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: at all. This whole thing grew out of Europe's colonization 20 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: of the Americas, which is where the United States came from. 21 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: A lot of these American colonies had then become independent 22 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: from Europe, so the United States was independent from Britain. 23 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: A whole collection of Latin American colonies had become independent 24 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: from Spain. In the years leading up to this, France 25 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: had sold a lot of its North American territory to 26 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: the United States and so on. At the time, the 27 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:43,479 Speaker 1: Russian Empire still controlled what's now Alaska, and there were 28 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: worries that Russia would try to take over more territory 29 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: outside what it already controlled. So the United States was 30 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: concerned concerned about Russia, concerned about European nations recolonizing the 31 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: America's Britain actually had a lot of the aim worries 32 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: as the United States did about Russia, Spain, and France, 33 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: and initially Britain had proposed that Britain in the United 34 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: States issue a joint statement, and that's one of the 35 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: ways that John Quincy Adams played a part in all 36 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: of this. He thought that a joint statement would make 37 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 1: the United States look like a hanger on, with Great 38 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: Britain being the one doing all the work and making 39 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: all the decisions, and the United States just going along 40 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: with whatever it was. So in this address before Congress, 41 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: James Monroe articulated three main ideas. The first was that 42 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: the world had two spears of influence. The America's were 43 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: their own sphere outside of the European sphere of influence. 44 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: The America's were also not up for further colonization by 45 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: European powers, and the United States would not interfere in 46 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: the internal matters of other nations, including maintaining neutrality when 47 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: it came to wars in Europe. The Monroe doctrine did not, though, 48 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: include anything to deter the United States westward expansion through 49 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: North America. When Monroe made this speech, though, the United 50 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:12,119 Speaker 1: States didn't really have the military might to enforce what 51 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: the Monroe Doctrine was saying, and while other nations didn't 52 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: really try to test it, the response from some of 53 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,679 Speaker 1: the world's other leaders was somewhere between dismissive and annoyed 54 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: because the United States was basically saying you're not welcome 55 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 1: here without actually having the means to keep other people out. 56 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: The points articulated in this address became known as the 57 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: Monroe doctrine by the eighteen fifties and They continued to 58 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: influence American foreign policy for decades after that. President Theodore 59 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: Roosevelt further built on the Monroe Doctrine and his annual 60 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: messages to Congress in nineteen o four and nineteen o five, 61 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: saying that it wasn't just that the America's were not 62 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: open to colonization by Europe, but that also the United 63 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: States had a responsive ability to defend those nations of 64 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: the Western Hemisphere. Thanks to eve's Jeff Cote for her 65 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: research work on today's show, and the Casey Pigram and 66 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: Chandler Maize for their audio work, you can subscribe to 67 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: The Day in History Class on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, 68 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, and wherever else you get 69 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:22,719 Speaker 1: your podcasts. Tune in tomorrow for a trial that some 70 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: places describe as political but others describe as criminal. Depends 71 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: on who you ask. Hey, y'all, I'm Eves and you're 72 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: listening to This Day in History Class, a podcast for 73 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: people interested in the big and small moments in history. 74 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: The day was December second, night, four Late at night. 75 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: A gas leak accident at the Union Carbide Pesticide plant 76 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 1: in boo All, India caused what was considered the worst 77 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: industrial disaster in history. The Union Carbide plant at Bopaul 78 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:10,159 Speaker 1: was built for the manufacture of seven S E V 79 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: I N, a commonly used pesticide. In nineteen eighty four, 80 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: the plant was manufacturing seven at a reduced production capacity 81 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:22,480 Speaker 1: because demand for pesticides was low. The plant was slated 82 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: to be shut down in nineteen eighty four, but until 83 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,680 Speaker 1: then it continued to operate with safety equipment and procedures 84 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: that were below standard. Around eleven PM on December two, 85 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: a couple of employees at the plant noticed the pressure 86 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: increasing inside a storage tank, but they didn't think much 87 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: of it. The instruments often malfunctioned, so they assumed the 88 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,279 Speaker 1: readings were inaccurate. But soon workers found a leak of 89 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: methyl isocyanate and began to feel its effects. Methyl Isocyanate 90 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 1: is a highly flammable liquid used in the production of 91 00:05:55,640 --> 00:06:00,559 Speaker 1: pesticides that evaporates quickly when exposed to air. It's highly 92 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: toxic to humans with short term exposure. They reported the 93 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 1: leak to a methyl isocyanate supervisor, but he said that 94 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: he would address the issue. After t Nobody looked into 95 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:14,919 Speaker 1: the league until about twelve forty a m On December three. 96 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 1: By that point, the pressure and temperature in the tank 97 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: had increased to dangerous levels, and a number of safety 98 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: measures were out of commission. The vet gas scrubber that 99 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: was designed to neutralize toxic discharge from the system was deactivated. 100 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 1: A faulty valve allowed warder to enter the tank and 101 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:37,040 Speaker 1: mixed with methyl isocyanate, and a refrigeration unit that cooled 102 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 1: storage tanks containing methyl isocyanate had been disconnected. Among other 103 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 1: safety issues, the Beau Paul plant did not have a 104 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:49,279 Speaker 1: computer system to monitor operations and alert staff to leaks 105 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,920 Speaker 1: like other operations did. Management relied on worker senses and 106 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,920 Speaker 1: physical reactions to determine that there was a methyl isocyanate leak. 107 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: Around one am m a safety valve gave out instead 108 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,919 Speaker 1: a plume of methyl isocyanate gas into the air. The 109 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: gas spread through the air across the city of Beau Paul. 110 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty four, around eight hundred thousand people lived 111 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: in Beau Paul. The plant was very close to the 112 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: bau Paul of Railway station and close to two large hospitals. 113 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: It was surrounded by densely populated towns people woke up 114 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: to symptoms of exposure like coughing, stomach pain, vomiting, and 115 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: eye irritation. Pulmonary edema was the cause of death in 116 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: many cases. People also died from choking. There is no 117 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: antidote for methyl isocyanate, but sodium thiosulfate was given to 118 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 1: people and the mistaken belief that hydrogen cyanide was poisoning people. 119 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: The exact number of deaths in the immediate aftermath of 120 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 1: the disaster is hard to pin down, but it was 121 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: likely somewhere between hundred and eight thousand deaths and an 122 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: estimate of fifteen thousand people died over the years. Many 123 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 1: people developed permanent disabilities and chronic respiratory conditions. Short term 124 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: and long term effects of exposure included anorexia, impaired memory 125 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:14,880 Speaker 1: and reasoning, increased chromosomal abnormalities, decreased lung function, and increased 126 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: pregnancy loss and infant mortality. Hundreds of thousands of people 127 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: were injured by exposure to methyl isocyanate. Investigations after the 128 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: disaster also found that staff at the plant had been cut, 129 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: tank alarms were not functioning, and operators had limited knowledge 130 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: of equipment and the plant and Tank six ten, the 131 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: one that leaked, held forty two tons of methyl isocyanate, 132 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:43,439 Speaker 1: which was above the recommended capacity. Union Carbide agreed to 133 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: a settlement of four hundred and seventy million dollars, but 134 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 1: little money was given to the victims of the disaster. 135 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 1: Union Carbide maintained that the disaster was the result of 136 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 1: an act of sabotage. The company shut down operations at 137 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: the plant after the disaster, but chemicals that were at 138 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 1: the plant have leaked into and contaminated local water supplies. 139 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: The water is still affected by contamination. Today. I'm each 140 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: decote and hopefully you know a little more about history 141 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you have any insight 142 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: on an accident or pronunciation spoken in the show today, 143 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: feel free to send us a kind note on social 144 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: media at t D I h C podcast. Our email 145 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: address is this day at I heart media dot com. 146 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll be back tomorrow.