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 institutionalized 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?
January 11, 1949
Los Angeles, California, receives its first recorded snowfall.
January 20, 1949
Harry Truman begins his full term.
March 2, 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.
March 31, 1949
The former British colony of Newfoundland and Labrador joins Canada as its tenth province.
April 4, 1949
The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington D.C., creating the NATO defense alliance.
June 8, 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.
June 29, 1949
The last U.S. troops are withdrawn from South Korea.
August 28, 1949
The last 6 surviving veterans of the American Civil War meet in Indianapolis.
October 1, 1949
The People’s Republic of China is officially proclaimed.
October 7, 1949
The Democratic Republic of Germany (DDR) is officially established.
November 15, 1949
Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte are executed for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi.
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