January 1949 Explained
The following events occurred in January 1949:
- A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire ended the Indo-Pakistani War in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir.
- In the Indonesian conflict, Dutch authorities proclaimed that fighting on Java was at an end with the exception of "rebellious elements."[1]
- The International University Sports Federation was formed.
- In college bowl games across the United States, the Northwestern Wildcats defeated the California Golden Bears 20-14 in the Rose Bowl, the Texas Longhorns beat the Georgia Bulldogs 41-28 in the Orange Bowl, the West Virginia Mountaineers defeated the Texas Western Miners 21-12 in the Sun Bowl, the Oklahoma Sooners beat the North Carolina Tar Heels 14-6 in the Sugar Bowl and the SMU Mustangs beat the Oregon Webfoots 21-13 in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
- Evergreen Park, Illinois resident James T. Mangan established the Nation of Celestial Space (or Celestia), a micronation that claimed ownership of the entirety of outer space. Mangan would actively pursue claims of behalf of Celestia until his death in 1970.
- Born: Max Azria, fashion designer, in Sfax, Tunisia (d. 2019)
- Died: William H. Lewis, 80, American football player, coach and first African-American United States Attorney
- A UN Security Council committee of six experts issued a plan for settlement of the Berlin currency control dispute. The plan called for creation of separate banking systems for East and West Berlin as well as a new bank of issue for the entire city under Big Four supervision.[6]
- The RMS Caronia of the Cunard Line departed Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York.
- US President Harry S. Truman gave the annual State of the Union address to Congress, putting forth an ambitious set of proposals known as the Fair Deal.
- Dutch paratroopers took the Sumatran city of Rengat and, according to eyewitness accounts, carried out a massacre of civilians there. Dutch authorities listed the event as an "incident" in which about 80 "non-combatants" died, but Indonesian estimates place the number killed in the thousands.[7]
- Died: Lily Yeats, 82, Irish embroiderer
- Israel made an official protest to the United Nations concerning British forces recently landed at Aqaba, which Israel considered a hostile act.[12]
- A freak four-day snowfall began in the Los Angeles area, depositing almost a foot of snow on the San Fernando Valley and wreaking havoc on citrus growers.[13]
- Born: Mary Roos, singer and actress, in Bingen am Rhein, Germany
- Died: Tommy Handley, 56, British comedian; Martin Grabmann, 74, German catholic priest and scholar
- On the island of Rhodes, Israeli and Egyptian representatives began armistice negotiations with UN mediator Ralph Bunche.[21]
- Durban Race riots began in South Africa over a rumor that an African boy had been killed by an Indian pushcart peddler.[22]
- Born: Brandon Tartikoff, president of NBC, in Freeport, New York (d. 1997)
- Died: Eduardo Barrón, 60, Spanish aeronautical engineer and military pilot
- Born: Stuart Bennett, Peel, Isle of Man. Panel beater and Paint Sprayer (d. 2024)
- A statement from Mao Zedong was broadcast over Chinese radio announcing his conditions for peace in the Civil War. Mao's demands included abolition of the Kuomintang government, punishment of war criminals and the convocation of a political consultative conference to establish a new coalition government.[23]
- Poland signed the largest deal made by an Eastern European country since the end of the war when it concluded a trade agreement with Britain providing for an exchange of goods over the next five years worth £260 million.[24]
- Born: Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter, director and producer, in Miami, Florida
- Died: Juan Bielovucic, 59, Peruvian aviator; Harry Stack Sullivan, 56, American psychiatrist; Joaquín Turina, 69, Spanish composer
- In China, the Communists completed the conquest of the important industrial city of Tianjin.[25]
- Three days of the worst race rioting in the history of South Africa ended with 105 dead.[26]
- Poland and the Soviet Union signed a commercial agreement providing for a 35% increase in trade between the two countries.[27]
- Born: Bobby Grich, baseball player, in Muskegon, Michigan
An Avro Tudor of British South American Airways disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean on a flight from Bermuda to Kingston, Jamaica with 20 on board. The speculation resulting from the disappearance of the plane helped fuel the legend of the Bermuda Triangle.
- The Smith Act trial of 11 leading American Communists charged with plotting the overthrow of the US government opened in New York City.[28]
- The Volkswagen Beetle was introduced to the United States when Dutch businessman Ben Pon arrived on a ship with two Beetles, striving to establish a dealer network in America. Due to their small size and a stigma associated with German products in the years after the war, Pon found no takers and the Beetle would not catch on in America for several more years.[29]
- A television version of the popular radio show The Goldbergs premiered on CBS. The program would become one of TV's first hit sitcoms, running through 1955.[30]
- Born: Gyude Bryant, politician and businessman, in Monrovia, Liberia (d. 2014); Andy Kaufman, entertainer, actor and performance artist, in New York City (d. 1984); Mick Taylor, guitarist for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones, in Welwyn Garden City, England
- Spain decreed that starting July 1, a gift of $230 US would be given to working class newlyweds to "help the labouring masses to found new homes and numerous families."[31]
- Born: Philippe Starck, industrial designer, in Paris, France
- Franz von Papen was freed by a denazification court in Nuremberg, which ruled that he was only a class 2 offender and that the four years he had already served in prison were sufficient punishment. Von Papen had his personal property restored but was barred from holding public office, voting, and writing or making speeches on public affairs.[43]
- The Australian nationality law came into effect, determining for the first time who is and who is not an Australian citizen.
- Born: David Strathairn, actor, in San Francisco, California
January 30, 1949 (Sunday)
Notes and References
- January 1, 1949 . Dutch Report End To Fighting In Java; Fear More Strife . . 1 .
- Cianfarra . Camille M. . January 3, 1949 . Pope Rejects Bid For Hungary Pact . . 1 .
- January 4, 1949 . 11 Yale Men and Crew of 3 Die As Plane Burns at Seattle Field . . 1 .
- January 4, 1949 . Winds Rip Arkansas and Louisiana; 41 Reported Dead, Hundreds Hurt . . 1 .
- Web site: Lincoln Union v. Northwestern Co. 335 U.S. 525 (1949) . Justia . June 4, 2018 .
- Callender . Harold . January 5, 1949 . U. N. Group Offers New Banking Plan . . 1, 12 .
- Web site: Rengat, 1949 (Part I) . Hoek . Anne-Lot . September 12, 2016 . . June 4, 2018 .
- Teltsch . Kathleen . January 8, 1949 . Israel-Egypt Talk Proposed By Bunche for Next Week . . 1 .
- Daniel . Clifton . January 9, 1949 . Craft Sought Data . . 1 .
- Hulen . Bertram D. . January 8, 1949 . Truman Regretful . . 1 .
- January 8, 1949 . Unrest Spreads In Burma . . 5 .
- January 10, 1949 . Israel's Protest on Aqaba . . 2 .
- Web site: In 1949, the snowman socked Los Angeles . Harrison . Scott . January 11, 2013 . . June 4, 2018 .
- January 11, 1949 . Truman Asks 42 Billiob Budget, Half For World Commitments; Seeks a 6 Billion Tax Increase . . 1 .
- January 11, 1949 . Papagos Appointed Greek Army Leader . . 1 .
- Web site: Almanac: The 45 RPM Record . January 10, 2016 . CBS News . June 4, 2018 .
- January 12, 1949 . U. S. Keeps Crown Sought By Red-Ruled Hungary . . 14 .
- Web site: Eyewitness: 1949/TV makes Pittsburgh 'A New Promise' . Barcousky . Len . May 16, 2010 . post-gazette.com . June 4, 2018 .
- Lyon . Jean . January 14, 1949 . Communists Shell Heart of Peiping; Tientsin Truce Off . . 1 .
- January 13, 1949 . France Again Freezes Prices and Salaries; Economists Dubious, Ask More Production . . 7 .
- Brewer . Sam Pope . January 14, 1949 . Egypt, Israel Open Rhodes Talks; Others Are Urged Not to Interfere . . 6 .
- January 15, 1949 . Race Rioting Kills 50 in South Africa . . 1 .
- Lieberman . Henry R. . January 15, 1949 . Mao Rejects Chiang Offer; Tientsin's Fall Is Reported . . 1, 4 .
- Egan . Charles E. . January 15, 1949 . Poles, British Sign Billion Trade Pact . . 8 .
- Lieberman . Henry R. . January 16, 1949 . Communists Win All Of Tientsin; U. S. Citizens Safe . . 1 .
- Book: 1989 . Mercer . Derrik . Chronicle of the 20th Century . London . Chronicle Communications Ltd. . 682 . 9-780582-039193 .
- January 17, 1949 . Russia, Poland Sign Pact . . 8 .
- Porter . Russell . January 18, 1949 . 11 Communists Fail to Halt Trial Here; Court Area Quiet . . 1 .
- Book: Price, Ryan Lee . 2003 . The VW Beetle: A Production History of the World's Most Famous Car, 1936-1967 . HPBooks . 51–52 . 9781557884213 .
- Book: McNeil, Alex . 1996 . Total Television, 4th Edition . Penguin Books . 332 . 0-14-024916-8 .
- January 19, 1949 . Spain's Worker Newlyweds To Get $250 Gift . . 11 .
- Lieberman . Henry R. . January 20, 1949 . Nanking Confirms Canton As Capital, Peace Bid To Reds . . 1 .
- James . Michael . January 20, 1949 . CIO, TUC and Dutch Walk Out Of WTFU . . 31 .
- Web site: The 'Poe Toaster' . January 20, 2003 . . June 4, 2018 .
- Liberman . Henry R. . January 22, 1949 . Chiang Relinquishes Post to Speed Peace With Reds; Mission for Talks Named . . 1 .
- January 22, 1949 . Two Latin Regimes Recognized By U. S. . . 5 .
- Book: Rowan, Roy . 2004 . Chasing the Dragon: A Veteran Journalist's Firsthand Account of the 1946-9 Chinese Revolution . Guilford, CT . The Lyons Press . 144 . 9781599217017 .
- Book: Thomas, Donald . 2003 . The Enemy Within: Hucksters, Racketeers, Deserters, and Civilians During the Second World War . New York University Press . 390 . 9780814782866 .
- Book: Woolery, George . 1983 . Children's Television: the First Thirty-five Years, 1946-1981 . Scarecrow Press . 70 . 9780810815575 . registration .
- News: January 25, 1949 . 'Axis Sally' Jury Chosen In 5 Hours . . 18.
- News: Daniel . Clifton . Clifton Daniel . January 25, 1949 . Israel Recognition Decided By Britain; France Grants Ties . . 1.
- Book: Sweet Home Cook County . . 1–2 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160528132937/http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/sweethomecookcounty/documents/2007sweethome.pdf . 28 May 2016 . 31 May 2023.
- Raymond . Jack . January 27, 1949 . German Court Frees von Papen, Cuts Fine and Restores Properties . . 1 .
- October 19, 1954 . Tyrone Powers to Separate . . 23 .
- Rosenthal . A. M. . January 29, 1949 . U. N. Approves Plan For Free Indonesia; Seeks End To Fight . . 1, 4 .
- January 29, 1949 . Karens Take Large Port In Southern Burma Push . . 3 .
- Matthews . Herbert L. . January 30, 1949 . British Recognize Regime in Tel Aviv; 4 Other Lands Act . . 1 .
- January 31, 1949 . Stalin Says He Is Not Averse To A Meeting With Truman; Washington View Cautious . . 1 .
- Belair, Jr. . Felix . February 1, 1949 . U. S. Grants Israel and Trans-Jordan Full Recognition . . 1 .