Historical Events
- 15th Orange Bowl: Texas beats #8 Georgia, 41-28
- 15th Sugar Bowl: #5 Oklahoma beats #3 North Carolina, 14-6
- 35th Rose Bowl: #7 Northwestern beats #4 California, 20-14
Knighthood
Arguably cricket's greatest ever batsman, ex-Australian captain Don Bradman is knighted; first time a cricketer is bestowed with the honour solely for his contribution to the game
- KPRC TV channel 2 in Houston, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting
- KTTV TV channel 11 in Los Angeles, CA (MET) begins broadcasting
- Tokelau (Union) Islands formally becomes part of New Zealand
Famous Birthdays
- Daniel E Gawthrop, American composer
- Nikolai Tikhonovich Moskalenko, Russian cosmonaut
- Peter Dormer, arts writer (d. 1996)
Famous Deaths
- William H. Lewis, American College football center and coach (first African-American selected as an All-American; Harvard), dies of heart failure at 80
About January 1, 1949
Day of the Week: Saturday
How Long Ago? 74 years and 5 months
Leap Year: No
Generation: Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Rat
Star Sign: Capricorn
