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1949 History Events: What Happened in 1949

1949 was another year in Truman’s presidency, sandwiched between the 1940s and the 1950s. At the start of this year, world leaders presided over a population of just over 2.5 billion people. Parents who wanted to add to that number frequently chose the names James and Linda for their children. George Foreman, Billy Joel, Alan Menken, Richard Gear, Sigourney Weaver, and Pablo Escobar were among those born in 1949. Victor Fleming, the director of the Wizard of Oz, Francis Dodd, the great artist, Francis Dodd; Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone with the Wind; and Maurice Maeterlinck, the philosopher, all died.

People in bookstores struggled to put down 1984, The Martian Chronicles, and Pulitzer Prize-winning Death of a Salesman from 1939. On the other hand, the box office saw the success of films like Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Third Men, and Samson and Delilah. The word “Orwellian” was coined during this period, which also saw a revolution in daytime television and the development of a popular Christmas song. Continue reading to learn how 1949 influenced the course of history.

This period is sometimes referred to as the fair deal because it was the title of the Truman administration and a period of progress for US welfare projects. The first network detective series, the first female US treasurer, the first women to graduate from Harvard, and the first Israeli election all happened within these 365 days. The instant cake mix, radio carbon dating, the crash test dummy, and the Zamboni are just a few of the important inventions of these twelve months. While the ratification of NATO brought peace to one half of the globe, it did not bring peace to the other.
The Red Army of China marched on to Nanjing. Mao Zedong declared his country a people’s republic after declaring victory. China was not the only country to alter its name; Siam was renamed Thailand in 1949. This year saw the inaugural transmission of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which will be appreciated by all Christmas fans.

Continue reading to discover more about the events of 1949.

Event

(January 10, 1949)
George Foreman, an American boxer, was born in Marshall, Texas, and became the world's oldest heavyweight champion in 1994. photo source: wikimedia.org

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(January 11, 1949)
KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania becomes the first "networked" television station, connecting east coast and mid-west programming. photo source: wikimedia.org

(January 25, 1949)
The first Emmy Awards were given out; there were only six categories and nominated shows could only be from the Los Angeles area.

(April 20, 1949)
Jessica Lange, an American actress known for her variety and insightful performances, was born.

(June 14, 1949)
Albert II, a rhesus monkey, rides a V-2 rocket to a height of 134 kilometres (83 miles), making him the first mammal and monkey in space.

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(August 29, 1949)
The Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb, known as Joe-1 in the West; it was an exact replica of the Fat Man bomb used by the United States on Nagasaki during World War II.

(October 01, 1949)
People's Republic of China National Day.

(December 27, 1949)
On this day in 1949, the Dutch officially handed over authority over Indonesia to the United States of Indonesia, four years after nationalist revolutionary leader Sukarno declared Indonesia independent. photo source: wikimedia.org

Written by James

James has always been intrigued by dinosaurs, the universe, technology, and animals. With a Bachelor of Computer Science and years of writing expertise, he joined World Amazing Facts in 2021 as a staff writer.

Our team at World Amazing Facts is committed to verifying the accuracy of our content. It's possible that we'll get something wrong, or that our knowledge may become obsolete. Please let us know if you see any errors in the information provided.

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1948 History Events: What Happened in 1948

1950 History Events: What Happened in 1950