1949

Events

   * January 11 - Los Angeles, California receives its first recorded snowfall.
   * January 25 - The first Emmy Awards are presented at the Hollywood
     Athletic Club.
   * January 25 - In the first Israeli election, David Ben-Gurion becomes
     Prime Minister.
   * January 26 - Australian Citizenship comes into being.
   * February 8 - Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary is sentenced for treason.
   * February 14 - The Knesset (Israeli parliament) first convenes.
   * February 19 - Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry
     by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
   * March 2 - The B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II lands in Fort Worth,
     Texas after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane
     flight.
   * March 3 - The Tucker automobile Corporation folds.
   * March 28 - United States Secretary of Defense James Forrestal resigns
     suddenly.
   * April 1 - Newfoundland joins Canada.
   * April 1 - Sothern Ireland leaves the Commonwealth and becomes the
     Republic of Ireland
   * April 4 - NATO is formed.
   * June - EDSAC, the first stored-program computer, begins operation at
     Cambridge University.
   * May 9 - Rainier III of Monaco becomes Prince of Monaco.
   * May 11 - Siam changes its name to Thailand.
   * May 12 - Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its Blockade of Berlin.
   * May 20 - The AFSA (predecessor of the NSA) is established.
   * May 22 - After two months in Bethesda Naval Hospital, James Forrestal
     commits suicide, under circumstances that seem suspicious to many.
   * May 23 - The Federal Republic of Germany is established.
   * August 5 - In Ecuador an earthquake destroys 50 towns and kills more
     than 6000.
   * August 8 - Bhutan becomes independent
   * August 29 - Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb.
   * September 6 - Allied military authorities relinquish control of former
     Nazi Germany assets back to German control.
   * September 29 - First Plenary Session of the National People's Congress
     approves design for the Flag of the People's Republic of China.
   * October 1 - Birth of the People's Republic of China.
   * December 27 - Queen Juliana of the Netherlands grants Indonesia
     sovereignty.
   * Fourth Geneva Convention is signed.

Art, Culture & Fashion

   * 1949 in film
        o February 10 - Death of a Salesman opens (Morosco Theatre in New
          York City).
        o All the King's Men
        o Twelve O'Clock High
        o Sands of Iwo Jima starring John Wayne
   * 1949 in sports
        o March 1 - World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis announces
          his retirement from boxing.
        o A form of drag racing, using a hand-held stop watch for timing,
          begins on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
        o Red Byron won the inaugural NASCAR Championship.



   * 1949 in television
        o January 3 - Colgate Theatre premieres on NBC.
        o January 11 - A 2 hour special on all networks celebrates the
          linking of the eastern and midwestern networks via coaxial cable
        o January 17 - The Goldbergs, the first sitcom on American
          television, airs.
        o January 31 - The first Emmy Awards are presented and broadcasted
          on television from Los Angeles
        o May - The first telethon, benefitting the Damon Runyon Cancer
          Fund, is hosted by Milton Berle and lasts for 24 hours
        o August 25 - RCA announces the development of a compatible color TV
          system.
        o December 29 - KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut becomes the first
          Ultra high frequency (UHF) television station to operate a daily
          schedule.

Births

   * January 8 - Wolfgang Puck, celebrity chef
   * January 10 - George Foreman, boxer
   * January 10 - James Lapine, stage director
   * January 10 - Linda Lovelace, pornographic film actress (+ 2002)
   * January 12 - Wayne Wang, director
   * January 13 - Brandon Tartikoff, television executive (+ 1997)
   * January 14 - Lawrence Kasdan, director, screenwriter
   * January 17 - Andy Kaufman, comedian (+ 1984)
   * January 18 - Philippe Starck, French designer
   * January 19 - Robert Palmer, singer, guitarist
   * January 20 - Gšran Persson, prime minister of Sweden.
   * January 24 - John Belushi, actor (+ 1982)
   * February 11 - Charlie Hargrett, rock guitarist.
   * February 18 - Gary Ridgway, accused of being the Green River Killer
   * February 19 - Dan Bunten, software developer (+ 1998)
   * February 22 - Niki Lauda, Formula One driver
   * March 2 - Eddie Money, singer
   * March 13 - Julia Migenes, soprano
   * March 16 - Erik Estrada, actor
   * March 17 - Patrick Duffy, actor
   * March 22 - Fanny Ardant, actress
   * March 23 - Ric Ocasek, musician ("The Cars")
   * March 24 - Nick Lowe, musician
   * March 26 - Patrick SŸskind, writer (The Perfume)
   * March 30 - Lene Lovich, singer
   * April 1 - Gil Scott-Heron, musician, composer
   * April 3 - Richard Thompson, musician, songwriter
   * April 7 - John Oates, musician ("Hall and Oates")
   * May 9 - Billy Joel, American musician
   * May 18 - Rick Wakeman, musician ("Yes"), composer
   * May 18 - Bill Wallace, musician The Guess Who, Winnipeg
   * May 26 - Philip Michael Thomas, actor
   * May 26 - Hank Williams Jr., singer
   * May 31 - Tom Berenger, actor.
   * July 15 - Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden.
   * August 12 - Mark Knopfler, musician
   * August 15 - Richard Deacon, sculptor
   * August 25 - Martin Amis, novelist
   * September 7 - Gloria Gaynor, singer
   * September 23 - Bruce Springsteen, singer, songwriter
   * October 1 - Isaac Bonewits, author, occultist.
   * November 6 - Arturo Sandoval, Jazz preformer
   * November 24 - Nicholas Richard Ainger, British politician
   * December 3 - John Akii-Bua Ugandan hurdler
   * December 4 - Jeff Bridges, actor
   * December 4 - Pamela Stephenson, Comedienne, actress and singer
   * December 7 - Tom Waits, singer, composer, actor
   * December 22 - Maurice Gibb, musician (The Bee Gees) (+ 2003)
   * December 22 - Robin Gibb, musician (The Bee Gees)
   * Judi Bari, activist (+ 1997)
   * Toma? Pisanski, mathematician

Deaths

   * January 6 - Victor Fleming, director
   * January 28 - Jean-Pierre Wimille, race car driver
   * May 9 - Louis II of Monaco
   * May 22 - James Forrestal, US secretary of Navy, Defense
   * July 12 - Douglas Hyde, first President of Ireland
   * October 27 - Marcel Cerdan, World Champion Boxer
   * December 16 - Sidney Olcott, pioneer film director
   * Bhattacharya, Dr K C
   * Sigrid Undset, Norwegian author

Nobel Prizes

   * Physics - Hideki Yukawa
   * Chemistry - William Francis Giauque
   * Medicine - Walter Rudolf Hess, Antonio Caetano De Abreu Freire Egas
     Moniz
   * Literature - William Faulkner
   * Peace - Lord John Boyd Orr of Brechin

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