On This Day

What Happened in 1949

Historical Events

  • Apr 4 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty signed in Washington, D.C.
  • May 2 Arthur Miller wins Pulitzer Prize for "Death of a Salesman"
  • May 23 Federal Republic of [West] Germany created out of the American, British and French occupation zones
  • Jul 8 South Africa's Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act commences, prohibiting marriage or a sexual relationship between White people and people of other races [1]
  • Jul 29 Moscow ends the blockade of West Berlin
  • Aug 29 USSR performs its first nuclear test at Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR
  • Sep 14 India's Constituent Assembly adopts Hindi as an official language. Celebrated today as Hindi Day.
  • Sep 21 Chinese Communist leaders proclaim the People's Republic of China
  • Oct 6 US President Harry Truman signs Mutual Defense Assistance Act (for NATO)
  • Nov 2 The Netherlands recognizes its former colony Indonesia as a sovereign state
  • Dec 27 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands grants independence to Indonesia
  • More Historical Events

1949 in Film & TV

  • Jan 31 1st daytime soap on TV "These Are My Children" (NBC in Chicago)
  • Sep 2 "The Third Man", directed by Carol Reed, starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli and Orson Welles, is released in the United Kingdom (Academy Awards Best Cinematography 1950)
  • Sep 15 "Lone Ranger" premieres on ABC-TV. Hi-yo, Silver! Away!

1949 in Music

  • Feb 11 "Lovesick Blues" single released by Hank Williams (Cashbox "Best Hillbilly Record of the Year", Billboard Song of the Year 1949)

1949 in Sport

  • Mar 5 Bradman plays his last innings in 1st-class cricket, gets 30
  • Aug 3 Basketball Association of America (BAA) & National Basketball League (NBL) merge to form National Basketball Association (NBA), Maurice Podoloff elected head of new league

Famous People Born in 1949

More Famous Birthdays

Famous People in 1949

World Leaders in 1949

Would You Believe?

Snowfall 1st recorded in Los Angeles

On January 11, 1949

Famous Weddings

  • Jan 18 South African Rev Andries Treurnicht marries Engela Dreyer
  • Jan 28 NFL coach Tom Landry (24) weds Alicia Wiggs at St John the Divine Church in Houston, Texas
  • Feb 6 Diplomat Henry Kissinger (25) weds Ann Fleisher (23) in Washington Heights, Manhattan

Famous Divorces

  • May 31 American singer and actress Doris Day (27) divorces American saxophonist George Weidler (23) after 3 years of marriage
  • Jun 8 Actor Burgess Meredith (41) divorces actress Paulette Goddard (39) after 5 years of marriage
  • Sep 7 Actress Janet Leigh (22) divorces Stanley Reames after 4 years of marriage

More Weddings & Divorces

Famous People Who Died in 1949

More Famous Deaths

Articles and Photos



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