Spindletop is an oil field located in the southern portion of Beaumont, Texas, in the United States. The Spindletop dome was derived from the Louann Salt evaporite layer of the Jurassic geologic period. On January 10, 1901, a well at Spindletop struck oil. The Spindletop gusher blew for 9 days at a rate estimated at 100,000 barrels (16,000 m3) of oil per day. Gulf Oil and Texaco, now part of Chevron Corporation, were formed to develop production at Spindletop. The Spindletop discovery led the United States into the oil age. Prior to Spindletop, oil was primarily used for lighting and as a lubricant. Because of the quantity of oil discovered, burning petroleum as a fuel for mass consumption suddenly became economically feasible.
Bryan Christopher Williams, better known by his stage names Birdman or Baby, is an American rapper and record executive. He is the public face of the record label Cash Money Records, which he co-founded with his older brother Ronald "Slim" Williams in 1991. Birdman released his eponymous debut studio album in 2002, and released three follow up albums—Fast Money (2005), 5 * Stunna (2007), and Priceless (2009)—to moderate commercial success and mixed critical reception; in 2020, he announced the latter as his final. Along with his solo career, he is a member of the hip hop duo Big Tymers with producer Mannie Fresh, as well as the supergroup Cash Money Millionaires.
Preston Stratton Foster, was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist.
Wayne Morris was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many films, including Paths of Glory (1957), The Bushwackers (1952), and the title role of Kid Galahad (1937).
Dorothy Patrick was a Canadian-American film actress and a John Robert Powers model.
A blowout is the uncontrolled release of crude oil and/or natural gas from an oil well or gas well after pressure control systems have failed. Modern wells have blowout preventers intended to prevent such an occurrence. An accidental spark during a blowout can lead to a catastrophic oil or gas fire.
The Lakeview Gusher was an eruption of hydrocarbons from a pressurized oil well in the Midway-Sunset Oil Field in Kern County, California, in 1910. Caused by a blowout, it created the largest accidental oil spill in history, lasting 18 months and releasing an estimated 9 million barrels of crude oil.
Oil Springs is a village in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada, located along Former Provincial Highway 21 south of Oil City. The village, an enclave within Enniskillen Township, is the site of North America's first commercial oil well. It is home to the Oil Museum of Canada.
Evalyn Knapp was an American film actress of the late 1920s, 1930s and into the 1940s. She was a leading B-movie serial actress in the 1930s. She was the younger sister of the orchestra leader Orville Knapp.
The Midway-Sunset Oil Field is a large oil field in Kern County, San Joaquin Valley, California in the United States. It is the largest known oilfield in California and the third largest in the United States.
Hugh Roy Cullen was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Cullen was heavily involved in the petroleum industry having struck oil near Texas in 1928. He was a large supporter of multiple educational institutions in and around Houston, in one of which, the University of Houston, he became a longtime chairman of the board of regents. He is considered one of the most important figures in Texas during the "oil boom" era.
The Gusher Marathon is an annual spring marathon held in Beaumont, Texas. It was founded in 2010 by the local nonprofit organization Sports Society for American Health and sponsored by Exygon Gym and Baptist Hospitals. The Gusher in Gusher Marathon refers to the 1901 discovery of oil at the spindletop salt dome in Beaumont. The course is a flat, fast USATF Sanctioned and Certified, Boston Qualifier. The course begins at the Montagne Center of Lamar University and tours much of Downtown Beaumont before returning to Lamar University. The Gusher also offers 5K and half marathon distances in addition to the full marathon. The 2011 marathon was moved to mid March to take advantage of cooler weather.
The Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum is located in Beaumont, Texas, to commemorate the discovery of oil at the Spindletop Hill salt dome in Beaumont on Jan. 10, 1901. The discovery sparked an oil boom in Texas that continues today. Along with a gift shop with commemorative gifts, the museum features historical, period reenactments by area performers. A replica of the wooden oil derricks that once dotted the landscape of Spindletop Hill in the early 1900s has been erected near the museum. For special occasions and anniversaries, the museum staff “blows the gusher” with a plume of water and provides a historical narrative and sound effects to simulate the discovery of oil at Spindletop.
Get Rich Quick Porky is a 1937 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on August 28, 1937, and stars Porky Pig.
Valley of the Giants is a 1938 American Technicolor adventure film directed by William Keighley, written by Seton I. Miller and Michael Fessier, and starring Wayne Morris, Claire Trevor, Frank McHugh, Alan Hale Sr., Donald Crisp, and Charles Bickford. It is based on the novel The Valley of the Giants by Peter B. Kyne. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 17, 1938.
Land Beyond the Law is a 1937 American Western film directed by B. Reeves Eason and written by Luci Ward and Joseph K. Watson. The film stars Dick Foran, Linda Perry, Wayne Morris, Harry Woods, Irene Franklin and Frank Orth. It was released by Warner Bros. on March 13, 1937.
The Man Who Dared is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and written by Dudley Nichols and Lamar Trotti. The film stars Preston Foster, Zita Johann, Joan Marsh, Phillip Trent, and June Lang. The film was released on June 30, 1933, by Fox Film Corporation. Jan Novak is based on Anton Cermak, the Chicago mayor killed in an assassination attempt on Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.
The Round Up is a 1941 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Harold Shumate. The film stars Richard Dix, Patricia Morison, Preston Foster, Don Wilson, Ruth Donnelly, Jerome Cowan and Douglass Dumbrille. The film was released on April 4, 1941, by Paramount Pictures.
The Tougher They Come is a 1950 American lumberjack drama film directed by Ray Nazarro and written by George Bricker. The film stars Wayne Morris, Preston Foster, Kay Buckley, William Bishop, Frank McHugh and Gloria Henry. The film was released on November 16, 1950, by Columbia Pictures.
