On This Day

December 1949 in History

Events in History

  • Dec 4 Duncan Stewart, 2nd British Governor of Sarawak is fatally stabbed in the streets of Sibu by Malay student Rosli Dhoby with help from Morshidi Sidek with the goal of helping neighbouring Indonesia to take over British Sarawak

Event of Interest

Dec 7 Chiang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan

Chiang Kai-shek
Chinese Military and Political Leader Chiang Kai-shek
  • Dec 8 Chinese Nationalist government moves from Chinese mainland to Formosa
  • Dec 9 Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts Indonesian sovereignty
  • Dec 12 AL votes 7-1 rejecting legalizing the spitball
  • Dec 13 AL votes down proposal to revive spitball
  • Dec 13 Knesset votes to transfer Israel's capital to Jerusalem

Theater Premiere

Dec 15 Albert Camus' play "The Just Assassins (Les Justes)" premieres in Paris

Albert Camus
Author Albert Camus
  • Dec 16 Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, later knows as SAAB, is founded in Sweden.
  • Dec 17 Burma recognizes People's Republic of China
  • Dec 19 Luxury passenger ship Aquitania demolished in Gareloch, Scotland
  • Dec 21 Dutch 1st Chamber accept sovereignty of Indonesia
  • Dec 27 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands grants independence to Indonesia
  • Dec 29 Hungary nationalized its industries
  • Dec 30 India recognizes People's Republic of China
  • Dec 31 18 countries recognize Republic Indonesia

Birthdays in History

Pablo EscobarPablo Escobar (1949-1993)

Dec 1 Colombian drug lord, born in Rionegro, Colombia

Pablo Escobar

Sebastián PiñeraSebastián Piñera (73 years old)

Dec 1 Chilean businessman and politician, President of Chile (2010-14, 2018-), born in Santiago, Chile

Sebastián Piñera
  • Dec 3 Christopher John Seward, aid worker
  • Dec 5 Bruce E Melnick, American Cmdr USCG/astronaut (STS 41, STS 49), born in NYC, New York
  • Dec 5 Ray Comfort, New Zealand evangelist, born in Christchurch, New Zealand
  • Dec 6 Doug Marlette, American editorial cartoonist (Kudzu), born in Greensboro, North Carolina (d. 2007)
  • Dec 8 Mary Gordon, American author (The Company of Women), born in Far Rockaway, New York
  • Dec 8 Robert Sternberg, Proposed the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
  • Dec 9 Nando Parrado, Uruguayan survivor of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 (crashed in the Andes mountains on 13 October 1972), born in Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Dec 13 R. A. MacAvoy, American sci-fi author (Damiano's Lute, Raphael), born in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Dec 15 Ton Sijbrands, Dutch world checkers champion, born in Amsterdam
  • Dec 20 Soumaïla Cissé, Malian politician, born in Timbuktu, Mali
  • Dec 21 Nikolaos Sifounakis, Greek politician, born in Rethymno, Greece
  • Dec 21 Thomas Sankara, Burkinabé revolutionary and politician, President of Burkina Faso (1983-87), born in Yako, Upper Volta (d. 1987)
  • Dec 22 Ray Guy, American College-Pro Football HOF punter (Southern Miss; Super Bowl 1976, 80, 84; 6 × First-team All-Pro; 7 × Pro Bowl; Oakland/LA Raiders), born in Swainsboro, Georgia (d. 2022)
  • Dec 24 Randy Neugebauer, American politician, born in St. Louis, Missouri
  • Dec 25 Mustafa Cengiz, Turkish businessman and sports administrator (president Galatasaray S.K. 2018-21), born in Nizip, Turkey (d. 2021)

Nawaz SharifNawaz Sharif (73 years old)

Dec 25 Pakistani politician, Prime Minister (1990-93, 1997-99, 2013-17), born in Lahore, Pakistan

Nawaz Sharif
  • Dec 26 José Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor, Nobel laureate
  • Dec 30 Jim Flaherty, Canadian politician, Minister of Finance (2006-2014), born in Lachine, Quebec (d. 2014)
  • Dec 31 Ellen Datlow, American editor, born in NYC, New York
  • Dec 31 Susan Shwartz, American author, born in Youngstown, Ohio

Weddings in History

Noam Chomsky

Dec 24 Linguist Noam Chomsky (21) weds Carol Doris Schatz (19)

Noam Chomsky

Deaths in History

  • Dec 3 Elin Pelin, Bulgarian writer (The Gerak Family; Earth), dies at 72
  • Dec 3 Philip Barry, American dramatist (The Philadelphia Story), dies of a heart attack at 53
  • Dec 10 Duncan Stewart, 2nd British Governor of Sarawak (1949), dies at 45 after being fatally stabbed in the streets of Sibu by pro-Indonesian Malay student Rosli Dhoby
  • Dec 16 Traitsjo Kostov, Bulgarian communist vice-premier, executed by the state at 52
  • Dec 28 Hervey Allen, American writer and poet (Anthony Adverse), dies at 60

Historical Figures

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