1949 Newspapers

Take a look through our historic newspaper archive and explore the extensive collection of publications which document the history of 1949 within their pages. An historic newspaper is a fabulous gift idea for any history fanatic, or simply a great way to commemorate a birthday or anniversary. Our archive contains the largest collection of authentic newspapers in the world, and includes publications such as The Sun, The Times and The Telegraph.
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1949 Newspaper Headlines

Are you wondering what happened in the year 1949? What caught the interest of readers all over the world? Find out with our 1949 newspaper articles which document all the most shocking stories from the time. This was the year that Apartheid began in South Africa, paving the way for a system of institutionalised racial segregation that would be in place for almost 50 years. Europe began to prosper finally, after years of misery in the aftermath of World War II. Consumer society made everything bigger and better, and products and services were introduced which would give way to the consumer and pop culture society of the next decade. The Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb, George Orwell’s 1984 was published, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed.

Why not have a look at a full breakdown of the year 1949 in our 1949 timeline?

1st February 1949
The rationing of clothes ends in Britain after the Second World War.

2nd March 1949
The B-50 Super fortress ‘Lucky Lady II’ lands in Fort Worth, Texas under Captain James Gallagher. It had completed the first ever non-stop around-the-world aeroplane flight, refuelling four times.

31st March 1949
The former British colony of Newfoundland and Labrador joins Canada as its tenth province.

18th April 1949
Éire is formally renamed the Republic of Ireland.

5th May 1949
The Council of Europe is founded, as the Treaty of London is signed.

8th June 1949
George Orwell’s book “Nineteen Eighty-Four” is published. The novel has a large impact on the English language, as terms such as ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Room 101’ become commonly used. The book also becomes famous for its prophetic insight into an increased presence of governmental surveillance and control.

6th September 1949
The United Kingdom government devalues the pound sterling from $4.03 to $2.80, leading to many other currencies dropping value.

1st October 1949
The People’s Republic of China is officially proclaimed.

7th October 1949
The Democratic Republic of Germany (DDR) is officially established.

15th November 1949
Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte are executed for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi.

More from this Decade
1940 Newspapers
1941 Newspapers
1942 Newspapers
1943 Newspapers
1944 Newspaper
1945 Newspaper
1946 Newspaper
1947 Newspaper
1948 Newspapers

For a full review of the year, you can read our detailed 1970 timeline. Some key events from this year include the Concorde’s first supersonic flight, Britain’s most iconic rock band The Beatles split, and the largest rock festival of all time took place on The Isle of Wight, which attracted a crowd of 600,000 people and acts such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and The Doors. It was also a tragic year, with Jimi Hendrix’s death shocking the world. Hendrix died in London after overdosing.A terrible monsoon hit Vietnam, which killed almost 300 and left 200,000 homeless. It was also a year of wonderment and discovery, when the USSR’s “Venera 7” completed the first successful landing on Venus.

An authentic 1970 newspaper is a wonderful keepsake gift idea to remember all the fascinating events that took place as the world entered into a new decade.

3rd January 1970

The Beatles give their final studio performance.

14th February 1970

The
iconic live album “The Who: Live at Leeds” is recorded.

12th March 1970

Teenagers
in the United Kingdom vote for the first time, in a by-election in Bridgwater.

21st March 1970

“All
Kinds of Everything”, sung by Dana, wins the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest for
Ireland.

25th March 1970

The Concorde makes its first supersonic flight.

10th April 1970

Paul McCartney announces that the Beatles have disbanded and talks about the
impending release of his first solo album.

16th April 1970

The National Westminster Bank begins trading in the United Kingdom. It had been
established in 1968 following the merger of the National Provincial Bank and
the Bank of Westminster.
18th June 1970
The Conservative Party wins the 1970 general election and Edward Heath becomes
Prime Minister.

21st June 1970

Brazil defeats Italy 4-1 to win the 1970 FIFA World Cup.

26-30th August 1970

The Isle of Wight Festival takes place on East Afton Farm off the coast of England.
600,000 people attend the event, making it the largest rock festival of all
time. Artists include Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Chicago, Richie Havens,
John Sebastian, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and
Jethro Tull.

18th September 1970

Jimi Hendrix dies by choking on his own vomit, after falling unconscious due to a
barbiturate overdose. He is in London at the time.

30th October 1970

The worst monsoon to hit Vietnam in six years causes large floods, killing 293
people and leaving 200,000 homeless. The terrible weather virtually halts the
Vietnam War.

4th November 1970

Social workers in Los Angeles take custody of “Genie”, a thirteen-year-old girl who
had been kept in solitary confinement since her birth.

15th December 1970

The USSR’s “Venera 7” becomes the first spacecraft to land successfully on Venus
and transmit data back to Earth.

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Choose a gift box, and if you wish, add a bottle of the recipient’s favourite drink. However you choose to personalise your gift, it’ll be delivered within five days.

insights from our archivist
These aren’t replicas. They’re the actual newspapers that sat on newsstands up to 125 years ago. The one you buy could be the last copy in existence.
Prices can vary for several reasons, like popularity of a specific day, whether the paper is local or national, the paper’s age, and the number of copies left.
Missing papers give us a window into history. If a paper isn’t available for the date you’re after, it could be because that newspaper was on strike during the period.