Events 1 - 200 of 348
- Jan 1 Benelux agrees to work related issues
- Jan 1 Britain nationalizes its coal industry
- Jan 1 WTTG TV channel 5 in Washington, D.C. (MET) begins broadcasting
Gandhi's March for Peace
Jan 2 Mahatma Gandhi begins march for peace in East Bengal
- Jan 3 1st opening session of Congress to be televised - it did not happen again until 1977
Technetium Element Announced
Jan 4 Emilio G. Segrè and Carlo Perrier announce technetium, a previously unknown element and the first artificially synthesized chemical element
- Jan 6 Pan American Airlines offers a round-the-world-ticket, the first commercial airline to do so
- Jan 6 Ray Lindwall smashes 100 v England in MCG Test
- Jan 7 Australia v England at MCG drawn in 6 days, 1st cricket draw in Australia since 1882
- Jan 8 General George Marshall becomes US Secretary of State
- Jan 8 Toronto Maple Leaf rookie Howie Meeker scores 5 goals in a game
Black Dahlia Last Alive
Jan 9 Elizabeth "Betty" Short, the Black Dahlia, is last seen alive.
- Jan 9 Providence Steamrollers guard Dino Martin becomes the first NBA player to ever score 40 points in a game, in a 91-68 win over Cleveland Rebels at Rhode Island Auditorium
Sessions' 2nd Symphony
Jan 9 Roger Sessions' 2nd Symphony premieres in San Francisco with Pierre Monteux conducting the San Francisco Symphony,
- Jan 10 British stop ships Independence & In-Gathering from landing in Israel
- Jan 10 Greek steamer "Himara" strikes a wartime mine in Saronic Gulf south of Athens with loss of 392 of 637 aboard
- Jan 15 The brutalized corpse of Elizabeth Short ("The Black Dahlia") found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California
- Jan 16 Vincent Aurial elected President of France
- Jan 17 Ammunition factory explodes in Muiden, Netherlands, 16 die
Greenberg to the Pirates
Jan 18 Detroit Tigers sell Hank Greenberg to Pirates (for $25-35,000)
- Jan 18 Small river steamer sinks on Yangtze River, kills 400
- Jan 19 SS Himera runs aground at Athens, kills 392
- Jan 20 Brigadier General Edwin K Wright, USA, becomes deputy director of CIA
- Jan 20 Nova Scotia Supreme Court rules against case of black woman Viola Desmond - ejected from a cinema seat in New Glasgow reserved for whites and arrested in landmark case (pardoned 2010) [1]
Honegger's 4th Symphony
Jan 21 Arthur Honegger's 4th Symphony premieres in Basel, Switzerland
- Jan 22 1st commercial TV station west of Mississippi, KTLA (channel 5) in Los Angeles, California begins broadcasting
- Jan 24 NFL adds 5th official, the back judge and allows sudden death in playoffs
- Jan 26 KLM Dakota crashes near Copenhagen, 22 die
- Jan 28 "Bay Psalm" book auctioned for a record $151,000
"All My Sons"
Jan 29 Arthur Miller's play "All My Sons" premieres in NYC
- Feb 1 Aleide de Gasperi forms Italian government of christian-dems & communists
Shostakovich Named Professor
Feb 1 Dmitri Shostakovich named professor at conservatoire of Leningrad
- Feb 1 NV United Dutch Fokker's Aircraft established
- Feb 3 -81°F (-63°C), Snag Yukon (North American record)
- Feb 3 1st black reporter in US Congressional press gallery (Percival Prattis)
Bradman's Duck
Feb 3 Bradman bowled by Alec Bedser for a duck in 4th Test Cricket
Magnum Photos Founded
Feb 6 Magnum Photos founded in Paris by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David Seymour
Willie Sutton Escapes
Feb 9 Bank robber Willie Sutton escapes jail in Philadelphia
The New Look
Feb 12 French fashion designer Christian Dior presents his first influential collection, named the "New Look"
- Feb 12 Record 100.5-kg sailfish caught by C. W. Stewart, near the Galapagos Islands
Symphony No. 3
Feb 16 Morton Gould's 3rd Symphony, premieres
- Feb 17 Dutch RC bishops publish manifest against "godless communism"
- Feb 17 Voice of America begins broadcasting to USSR
- Feb 18 24 die in a train crash in Gallitzin, Pennsylvania
- Feb 18 Gian Carlo Menotti's opera "Telephone" premieres in NYC
- Feb 19 CBS radio premiere of Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasilieras No 3"
- Feb 20 Chemical mixing error involving perchloric acid at a metal plating company causes explosion that kills 17, injures over a hundred, and destroys at least 11 buildings in Los Angeles, California
Last Viceroy of India
Feb 20 Earl Mountbatten of Burma is appointed the last viceroy of India to oversee the move to independence
Polaroid Land Camera Model 95
Feb 21 1st instant developing camera demonstrated by Edwin Land at the Optical Society of America in NYC
Pro Wrestling
Feb 21 Whipper Billy Watson beats Bill Longson, to become wrestling champ
Event of Interest
Feb 23 US General Eisenhower opens drive to raise $170M in aid for European Jews
February 28 Massacre
Feb 28 February 28 Massacre: Anti-government uprising in Taiwan is violently put down by Chiang Kai-shek and his Kuomintang-led Republic of China government with the loss of 18,000-28,000 lives. Marks the beginning of the White Terror.
- Mar 1 International Monetary Fund begins operation
Indians Prepare for 1st Black Players
Mar 1 MLB Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck sets up spring training camp in racially tolerant Phoenix, AZ in anticipation of signing team's first black players; Larry Doby is first acquisition later in the season
The Truman Doctrine
Mar 12 US President Harry Truman introduces the Truman Doctrine to fight communism
Toynbee's Time Cover
Mar 17 English historian Arnold J. Toynbee appears on the front cover of Time magazine
- Mar 19 Belgian government of Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgium Socialist Party) forms
- Mar 19 Chinese Nationalist General Chiang Kai-shek conquers Jinan
- Mar 20 180 tonne blue whale (record) caught in South Atlantic
- Mar 21 Test Cricket debut of Bert Sutcliffe, NZ v England at Christchurch
- Mar 21 US President Harry Truman signs Executive Order 9835 requiring all federal employees to have "complete and unswerving loyalty to the United States"
Rockefeller Donates UN Site
Mar 24 John D. Rockefeller Jr. donates NYC East River site to the UN
- Mar 24 US Congress proposes 2-term limitation on the presidency
- Mar 25 Agreement of Linggadjati ratified in Batavia
- Mar 25 Coal mine explosion in Centralia, Illinois kills 111
- Mar 25 Last day of Test cricket for Walter Hammond (v NZ, Christchurch)
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Mar 30 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins her first of 3 Titleholders titles by 5 strokes ahead of Dorothy Kirby
Shin Takarajima
Apr 1 "Shin Takarajima" (New Treasure Island) by Osamu Tezuka published, first manga cartoon in tankōbon form
- Apr 1 1st Jewish immigrants to Israel disembark at Port of Eilat
- Apr 2 Carlo Terron's "Il diamente del profeta" premieres in Rome
- Apr 4 Largest group of sunspots on record
- Apr 4 United Nation's Convention on International Civil Aviation forms the International Civil Aviation Organization
- Apr 6 1st Tony Awards: Arthur Miller, David Wayne & Patricia Neal win for theatrical achievements
- Apr 8 Largest recorded sunspot ever observed at 40 times the diameter of Earth
- Apr 9 Atomic Energy Commission confirmed
Leo Durocher Suspended
Apr 9 Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler suspends Brooklyn Dodger Leo Durocher for 1 year for "association with known gamblers"
- Apr 9 Tornadoes striking West Texas & Oklahoma kill 169, injuring 1,300
Jackie Robinson's MLB Contract
Apr 10 Jackie Robinson becomes first black player of the 20th century to sign a MLB contract; Brooklyn GM, Branch Rickey announces Dodgers had bought Robinson’s contract from Montreal Royals
- Apr 10 King Frederik IX of Denmark crowned
- Apr 15 Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in US major league baseball (Dodgers)
- Apr 15 Operations begin at Radio Netherlands World radio
- Apr 16 -17] Explosions & fire on French ship Grandcamp
- Apr 16 Fire aboard French-flagged cargo ship SS Grandchamp, docked at Port of Texas City, Texas and loaded with 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate causes massive explosion and spreads to nearby ships and oil facilities; deadliest industrial accident in US history kills 581, including all but one member of the city's fire departments
- Apr 16 Lens to provide zoom effects demonstrated (NYC)
- Apr 17 Jackie Robinson bunts for his 1st major league hit
New Orleans
Apr 18 "New Orleans", an American musical romance film premieres; Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, in her only feature film, play supporting roles
- Apr 19 AAU record for a 25-foot rope climb is set in 4.7 seconds
Maurice Richard Named MVP
Apr 19 After scoring 45 goals during the regular season, Montreal Canadiens' Maurice Richard is named MVP
- Apr 19 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Maple Leafs edge Montreal Canadiens, 2-1 for a 4-2 series win; first all-Canadian final since 1935
- Apr 19 Suh Yun Buck wins world record marathon (2:25:39)
- Apr 20 Frederik IX becomes King of Denmark
- Apr 25 Trial against WW II mayor of Amsterdam Edward Voete begins
- Apr 26 Vivian Ellis and A. P. Herbert' musical "Bless the Bride" opena at the Adelphia Theatre in London; runs for 886 performances
Voyage of the Kon-Tiki
Apr 28 Thor Heyerdahl and the crew of the "Kon-Tiki" sail from Peru to Polynesia
- Apr 30 Boulder Dam renamed in honor of Herbert Hoover
- May 1 Cleveland Indians abandon League Park (venue for weekday games) to play all MLB games at Municipal Stadium
- May 1 General Hoyt Vandenberg, ends his term as the second head of the CIA
- May 1 Radar for commercial & private planes 1st demonstrated
- May 1 Rear Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, becomes the third Director of the CIA
Japanese Constitution
May 7 General MacArthur approves Japanese constitution
- May 7 Paraguayian government unleashes contra revolt
- May 8 A movement among Cardinal players to protest its 1st meeting with Jackie Robinson & the Dodgers is aborted by a talk from owner Sam Breadon
Witold Pilecki Arrested
May 8 Polish resistance fighter Witold Pilecki, who had volunteered to be imprisoned in Auschwitz to gain information about the Holocaust, is arrested by Polish communist police
- May 11 BF Goodrich announced the development of tubeless tire (Akron Ohio)
- May 11 Laos accepts constitution for parliamentary democracy
- May 13 US Senate approves the Taft-Hartley Act limiting the power of unions
- May 16 Billie Holiday is arrested in her New York apartment for possession of narcotics
- May 18 MLB Philadelphia A's catcher Warren Rosar catches his 147th game without an error
- May 22 "Truman Doctrine" goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece
- May 22 1st US ballistic missile fired
- May 23 PC Hooft prize forms for literature
- May 25 Coal dust explosion rocks Centralia Coal Co's Mine #5 killing 111 in Illinois
- May 31 Communists seize power in Hungary
- May 31 Eastern DC-4 crashes between Ft Deposit & Perryville, Maryland, kills 53
- May 31 Italian government of Gasperi forms
- Jun 1 OPA, which issued WW II rationing coupons, disbands
- Jun 1 The development of photosensitive glass, which had occurred ten years previously, is announced publicly
Event of Interest
Jun 2 Billy Rose appears on the cover of Time magazine
- Jun 2 Hungarian premier Ferenc Nagy resigns
- Jun 3 British Viceroy of India Lord Mountbatten visits Pakistan
- Jun 4 US House of Representatives approves Taft-Hartley act
The Marshall Plan
Jun 5 US Secretary of State George Marshall outlines the "Marshall Plan" to rebuild Western Europe
Miracle on 34th St
Jun 11 Perennial Christmas film "Miracle on 34th St" starring John Payne and Maureen O'Hara, directed by George Seaton is released
- Jun 11 WW II sugar rationing finally ends in US (began May 28, 1942)
- Jun 12 British Amateur Women's Golf, Gullane GC: Babe Didrikson becomes first American to win event; beats England's Jacqueline Gordon 5 & 4
- Jun 13 1st night game at Fenway Park (Red Sox 5, White Sox 3)
- Jun 16 1st network news-Dumont's "News from Washington"
- Jun 16 Pravda denounces Marshall Plan
- Jun 17 Earnest Reuter becomes mayor of Berlin
- Jun 17 Pan Am Airways' 1st round-the-world civil air service leaves NYC
- Jun 18 Cincinnati Reds pitcher Ewell Blackwell no-hits Boston Braves, 6-0 at Crosley Field, Cincinnati
- Jun 18 Gene Roddenberry survives plane crash in the Syrian Desert while working for Pan American World Airways
- Jun 19 1st plane (F-80) to exceed 600 mph (1004 kph)-Albert Boyd, Muroc, California
- Jun 20 US President Harry Truman vetoes Taft-Hartley Act
- Jun 22 12" rain in 42 mins (Holt, MO)
- Jun 22 Ewell Blackwell just misses pitching back-to-back no-hitters (9th inn)
- Jun 23 Compton and Bill Edrich make 370 stand for 3rd wkt v South Africa
- Jun 23 US President Truman's veto of Taft-Hartley Act, restricting the power of trade unions is overridden by Congress and becomes law
- Jun 24 Flying saucers sighted over Mount Rainier by pilot Ken Arnold
- Jun 24 Future Baseball Hall of Fame infielder Jackie Robinson steals home for first of 19 times in his career as the Brooklyn Dodgers beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2
Anne Frank's Diary
Jun 25 1st version of Anne Frank's diary "Het Achterhuis" published in The Netherlands
- Jun 27 98°F (36.8°C) in De Bilt, Netherlands
- Jun 27 WRC TV channel 4 in Washington, D.C. (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Jun 28 "Tim-Tayshun" ("Temptation") novelty single by Red Ingle with Jo Stafford (billed as Cinderella G. Stump) hits #1
- Jun 29 Yanks beat Senators 3-1 starting a 19 game winning streak
- Jul 1 192m long passenger ship Willem Ruys (Achille Lauro) launched
- Jul 1 Basketball Association of America (BAA), which later became the National Basketball Association (NBA), holds its inaugural college player draft
- Jul 1 British Dominion Affairs office becomes Commonwealth Relations office
- Jul 2 Military coup discovered in France
- Jul 3 252,288 people (record) pass through Grand Central Station, NYC
- Jul 3 Soviet Union doesn't participate in Marshall Plan
Doby First Black Player
Jul 5 Cleveland Indians rookie Larry Doby becomes 1st black player in AL when he strikes out in 6-5 loss vs Chicago White Sox
Engagement of Interest
Jul 9 Engagement of Britain's Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten
Event of Interest
Jul 9 Spain votes for Franco monarchy
- Jul 10 200 die when train derails and falls into a river in Canton, China
- Jul 10 Cleveland Indian Don Black no-hits Philadelphia A's, 3-0
Event of Interest
Jul 10 Muhammad Ali Jinnah is recommended as the first Governor General of Pakistan by then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Clement Attlee
- Jul 18 Tigers shut out Yanks 2-0, end 19 game winning streak
- Jul 18 US begins administering Trust Territory of Pacific Islands
- Jul 18 US President Harry Truman signs Presidential Succession Act
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