New Zealand's Founding: The Treaty of [Deep Dive] - February 6th, 2026

[00:00] Adriana Costa: Welcome to Deep Dive. I am Adriana Costa. [00:03] Thomas Keane: And I'm Thomas Keene. Today is February 6th, and you know, it's a day that really highlights how much a single piece of paper can change the entire course of history, [00:13] Thomas Keane: whether it is forming a new nation or securing a war for independence. [00:17] Adriana Costa: Right. When we look at the maps of the world today, we often forget the specific moments when those lines were first drawn. [00:25] Adriana Costa: And in New Zealand, Thomas, that moment happened in 1840 at the Bay of Islands with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. [00:34] Thomas Keane: It is a fascinating piece of diplomatic infrastructure. [00:38] Thomas Keane: On this day, over 40 Maori chiefs met with representatives of the British Crown. [00:43] Thomas Keane: Eventually, more than 500 chiefs signed it. [00:46] Thomas Keane: It established British sovereignty, but the core of the agreement was a guarantee that the Maori would retain possession of their lands and properties. [00:54] Adriana Costa: Mm-hmm. [00:55] Adriana Costa: This was such a high-stakes moment for the young American colonies. [00:59] Adriana Costa: Before this, they were essentially rebels. [01:03] Adriana Costa: But with these treaties, France became the first foreign power [01:06] Adriana Costa: to officially recognize the United States as a sovereign nation. [01:10] Thomas Keane: From an infrastructure and logistics standpoint, Adriana, [01:14] Thomas Keane: the military alliance was the real game changer. [01:16] Thomas Keane: It brought in the French Navy and supplies that were absolutely critical [01:20] Thomas Keane: to the eventual American victory in the Revolutionary War. [01:24] Thomas Keane: Without that French recognition on February 6th, [01:27] Thomas Keane: The United States might have looked very different today. [01:31] Adriana Costa: It is incredible to think about the diplomacy happening in Paris while the war was raging across the Atlantic. [01:38] Adriana Costa: It really proves that battles are won both on the field and at the negotiation table. [01:44] Thomas Keane: That's remarkable. [01:45] Thomas Keane: While we are seeing these massive shifts in national borders and alliances, [01:50] Thomas Keane: the people born on this day have reshaped our culture in ways that are just as lasting. [01:55] Adriana Costa: You are right, Thomas. [01:57] Adriana Costa: We have three heavy weights to talk about today. [02:00] Adriana Costa: Let's start with a voice that defined a movement. [02:03] Adriana Costa: Bob Marley was born on this day in 1945. [02:06] Thomas Keane: Marley is much more than just a musician. [02:10] Thomas Keane: He became a global cultural icon. [02:13] Thomas Keane: Through reggae, he brought themes of social justice and peace to the mainstream, with songs [02:21] Thomas Keane: like One Love and No Woman, No Cry. [02:24] Adriana Costa: Yep, his influence is truly global. [02:28] Adriana Costa: I remember seeing murals of him in small villages across different continents. [02:33] Adriana Costa: He really bridged personal struggles with a universal message. [02:37] Adriana Costa: But shifting from the stage to the baseball diamond, we also have to talk about George Herman Ruth, known to the world as Babe Ruth, born in 1895. [02:51] Thomas Keane: The Bam Bino. He didn't just play baseball, he transformed it. [02:56] Thomas Keane: He moved the game away from the low-scoring, strategic style of the early 20th century [03:02] Thomas Keane: into the high-power, home-run-driven spectacle we know today. [03:06] Thomas Keane: He remains the standard by which all other legends are measured. [03:10] Adriana Costa: He was a larger-than-life character in American culture. [03:14] Adriana Costa: And that brings us to our third birthday, Thomas, a man who also understood the power of a large [03:22] Adriana Costa: persona, but on the political stage. [03:25] Adriana Costa: Ronald Reagan was born on this day in 1911. [03:29] Thomas Keane: Reagan's path was unique, moving from Hollywood actor to governor of California and eventually [03:36] Thomas Keane: becoming the 40th president of the United States. [03:39] Thomas Keane: His economic policies, often called Reaganomics, and his firm stance against the Soviet Union were defining features of the late 20th century. [03:49] Adriana Costa: His ability to communicate was his greatest tool. [03:52] Adriana Costa: Regardless of one's political view, it is hard to deny his role in the closing chapters of the Cold War. [03:59] Adriana Costa: It's fascinating that on one single calendar day, we have the birth of a president, a sports hero, and a musical prophet. [04:08] Thomas Keane: Indeed, it really shows the breadth of human achievement. [04:11] Thomas Keane: From the legal frameworks of the Treaty of Waitangi and the French-American Alliance, [04:16] Thomas Keane: to the cultural shifts led by Marley, Ruth, and Reagan, February 6th is a day about building something new. [04:23] Adriana Costa: Whether it is a nation or a legacy, it all starts with a single step or a single signature. [04:30] Adriana Costa: It has been a pleasure diving into these stories with you today, Thomas. [04:33] Thomas Keane: Likewise, Adirana. [04:35] Thomas Keane: That is all for today's look at the foundations of our world. [04:38] Thomas Keane: I'm Thomas Keene. [04:39] Adriana Costa: And I am Adriana Costa. [04:42] Adriana Costa: Thank you for joining us on Deep Dive. [04:44] Adriana Costa: Explore more at deepdive.neuralnewscast.com. [04:49] Adriana Costa: DeepDive is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [04:54] Adriana Costa: Explore history every day on Neural Newscast.