1949 in the United States explained
Events from the year 1949 in the United States.
Incumbents
vacant (until January 20)
Alben W. Barkley (D-Kentucky) (starting January 20)
Joseph William Martin Jr. (R-Massachusetts) (until January 3)
Sam Rayburn (D-Texas) (starting January 3)
Wallace H. White Jr. (R-Maine) (until January 3)
Scott W. Lucas (D-Illinois) (starting January 3)
Events
January–March
- January 2 - Luis Muñoz Marín becomes the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
- January 4 – RMS Caronia (1947) of the Cunard Line departs Southampton for New York City on her maiden voyage.
- January 4–February 22 - Series of winter storms in Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado and Nevada - winds of up to 72 mph - tens of thousands of cattle and sheep perish.
- January 5 - President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program.
- January 11 – Los Angeles, California, receives its first recorded snowfall.
- January 17 - The first Volkswagen Beetle to arrive in the United States, a 1948 model, is brought to New York City by Dutch businessman Ben Pon. Unable to interest dealers or importers in the Volkswagen, Pon sells the sample car to pay his travel expenses. Only two 1949 models will be sold in America that year, convincing Volkswagen chairman Heinrich Nordhoff that the car has no future in the U.S. (The VW Beetle goes on to become the greatest automobile phenomenon in American history.)
- January 19 - The Poe Toaster first appears at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe.
- January 20 - President Harry S. Truman begins his full term. Alben W. Barkley is sworn in as Vice President of the United States.
- January 25 - The first Emmy Awards are presented at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
- February 10 - Arthur Miller's tragedy Death of a Salesman opens at the Morosco Theatre on Broadway in New York City with Lee J. Cobb in the title role of Willy Loman and runs for 742 performances.
- February 19 - Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
- February 22 - Grady the Cow, a 1,200-pound cow, gets stuck inside a silo on a farm in Yukon, Oklahoma and garners national media attention.
- March 2 - The B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II under Captain James Gallagher lands in Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight (it was refueled in flight 4 times).
- March 17 - The Shamrock Hotel in Houston, Texas, owned by oil tycoon Glenn McCarthy, has its grand opening.
- March 20 - The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Denver & Rio Grande Western and Western Pacific railroads inaugurate the California Zephyr passenger train between Chicago and Oakland, California, as the first long-distance train to feature Vista Dome cars as regular equipment.
- March 24 - The 21st Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Robert Montgomery, is held at the Academy Theater in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Laurence Olivier's Hamlet wins the most awards with four, including Best Picture, while John Huston wins Best Director for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Jean Negulesco's Johnny Belinda receives the most nominations with 12.
- March 26 - The first half of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Aida, conducted by conductor Arturo Toscanini, and performed in concert (i.e. no scenery or costumes), is telecast by NBC, live from Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center. The second half is telecast a week later. This is the only complete opera that Toscanini ever conducts on television.
- March 28 - United States Secretary of Defense James Forrestal resigns suddenly.
April–June
- April 4 - The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., creating the NATO defense alliance.
- April 7 - Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, starring Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, opens on Broadway and goes on to become R&H's second longest-running musical. It becomes an instant classic of the musical theatre. The score's biggest hit is the song Some Enchanted Evening.
- April 13 – The 6.7 Olympia earthquake affected the Puget Sound region of western Washington with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), causing eight deaths and $25 million in damage.
- April 23 - Development of the USS United States (CVA-58) "supercarrier" is cancelled; high-ranking Navy officials resign in protest in what has been called the Revolt of the Admirals.
- May 1 Albert Einstein publishes Why Socialism? in the first edition of the Monthly Review.
- May ? - A working group has been set up by United States Department of State, to codify the White Paper. This team consists of more than 80 staff members, led by Secretary of State Dean Acheson, former Columbia University Professor of Public International Law Philip C. Jessup.[1]
- June 8 - Red Scare: Celebrities including Helen Keller, Dorothy Parker, Danny Kaye, Fredric March, John Garfield, Paul Muni and Edward G. Robinson are named in an FBI report as Communist Party members.
- June 14 - Albert II, a rhesus monkey, becomes the first primate to enter space, on Hermes project V-2 rocket Blossom IVB, but is killed on impact at return.
- June 19 - Glenn Dunaway wins the inaugural NASCAR race at Charlotte Speedway, a 3/4 mile oval in Charlotte, North Carolina, but is disqualified due to illegal springs. Jim Roper is declared the official winner.
- June 24 - The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, airs on NBC.
- June 29 - The last U.S. troops withdraw from South Korea.
July–September
October–December
Undated
Ongoing
Births
- January 2
- January 6 - Carolyn D. Wright, poet (died 2016)
- January 7 - Chavo Guerrero Sr., professional wrestler (died 2017)[4]
- January 8
- January 10
- January 11 - Chris Ford, basketball player and coach (died 2023)
- January 13 - Brandon Tartikoff, American television executive (died 1997)
- January 17 - Chavo Guerrero Sr., professional wrestler (died 2017)
- January 22 - Steve Perry, musician
- January 28 - Gregg Popovich, basketball coach[5]
- January 30 - Ken Wilber, philosopher
- February 2
- February 3 - Arthur Kane, bass guitarist (died 2004)
- February 4 - Michael Beck, actor
- February 8 - Brooke Adams, actress
- February 11 - George Winston, pianist (died 2023)[6]
- February 15 - Ken Anderson, American football player and coach
- February 17 - Dennis Green, American football player and coach (died 2016)
- February 18
- Pat Fraley, voice actor, voice-over teacher
- Gary Ridgway, serial killer
- February 19 - Danielle Bunten Berry, born Dan(iel Paul) Bunten, software developer (died 1998)[7]
- February 21 - Jerry Harrison, songwriter
- February 25
- February 27 - John Wockenfuss, baseball player (died 2022)[8]
- February 28
- March 2
- Gates McFadden, actress and choreographer
- March 3
- March 4 - Helen Frost, writer
- March 10
- March 12 - Rob Cohen, film director
- March 13 - Julia Migenes, soprano
- March 16
- March 17 - Patrick Duffy, television actor
- March 20 - Marcia Ball, blues musician
- March 21 - Eddie Money (Edward Mahoney), rock guitarist and singer (died 2019)[11]
- March 25 - Sue Klebold, author and activist
- March 26 – Ernest Lee Thomas, actor
- March 28 - Michael W. Young, geneticist and chronobiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2017
- March 29 - Michael Brecker, jazz saxophonist (died 2007)
- April 1 - Gil Scott-Heron, African American poet, jazz/soul musician and author (died 2011)
- April 2 - Paul Gambaccini, broadcaster and author
- April 5 - Judith Resnik, astronaut (died 1986)[12]
- April 7 - Mitch Daniels, academic administrator, businessman, author and politician, 49th governor of Indiana
- April 8 - William O'Neal, FBI informant (died 1990)
- April 9 - Stephen Hickman, illustrator
- April 11 - Dorothy Allison, novelist and campaigner (died 2024)
- April 18 - Geoff Bodine, race car driver
- April 20 - Jessica Lange, actress
- April 22 - Spencer Haywood, basketball player
- April 23 - Joyce DeWitt, actress
- April 26 - Jerry Blackwell, professional wrestler (died 1995)
- May 1
- May 3 - Ron Wyden, U.S. Senator from Oregon from 1996
- May 4
- May 6 - Larry Rivers, basketball player and coach (died 2023)[15]
- May 7 - Deborah Butterfield, sculptor
- May 9 - Billy Joel, singer-songwriter and pianist
- May 13 - Zoë Wanamaker, actress
- May 15 - George Adams, basketball player
- May 16 - Rick Reuschel, baseball player
- May 17 - Earl Hebner, pro wrestling referee
- May 18 - Joseph R. Cistone, Catholic prelate (died 2018)
- May 19
- May 22 -
- May 26
- May 28 - Shelley Hamlin, golfer (died 2018)
- May 29 - Robert Axelrod, voice actor (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) (died 2019)
- June 2 - Alan Brinkley, historian (died 2019)
- June 3 - John Rothman, actor
- June 4 - Mark B. Cohen, Pennsylvania legislative leader
- June 7 - Larry Hama, comic book writer, artist, actor and musician
- June 10
- June 14 - Harry Turtledove, novelist
- June 20 - Lionel Richie, African American singer-songwriter
- June 22
- June 23
- June 27
- June 28
- June 29
- Dan Dierdorf, American football offensive lineman, later sportscaster
- Joe Moore, American football running back
- July 1 - Denis Johnson, writer (died 2017)
- July 3
- July 5
- July 6 - Phyllis Hyman, singer and actress (died 1995)
- July 7
- July 9 - Jesse Duplantis, televangelist
- July 12 - Donda West, educator and civil rights activist (died 2007)
- July 15 - Richard Russo, novelist
- July 16 - Alan Fitzgerald, guitarist and keyboardist
- July 17 - Charley Steiner, sportscaster
- July 19 - Calvin O. Butts, academic administrator and pastor (died 2022)
- July 24 - Michael Richards, actor and comedian
- July 28 - Vida Blue, baseball player (died 2023)[17]
- July 29 - Marilyn Quayle, wife of Dan Quayle, Second Lady of the United States
- July 31
- August 1 - Jim Carroll, author, poet and punk musician (died 2009)
- August 3 - Peter Gutmann, journalist
- August 4 - John Riggins, American football player
- August 6
- August 8
- August 9 - Ted Simmons, baseball player
- August 11
- August 12 - Mark Essex, mass murderer (died 1973)
- August 13 - Pete Visclosky, politician
- August 14 - Bob Backlund, pro wrestler
- August 15
- August 16 - Barbara Goodson, voice actress
- August 17 - Norm Coleman, U.S. Senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009
- August 22
- August 23 - Leslie Van Houten, Manson Family member
- August 24
- August 29 - Stan Hansen, professional wrestler
- August 31
- September 1 - Leslie Feinberg, transgender activist
- September 7 – Lee McGeorge Durrell, zoologist
- September 8
- September 10 - Bill O'Reilly, conservative political commentator
- September 13 - John W. Henry, foreign exchange advisor and Boston Red Sox owner
- September 14
- September 15 - Joe Barton, politician
- September 16 - Ed Begley Jr. actor and environmentalist
- September 19
- September 21 - Artis Gilmore, basketball player
- September 23 - Bruce Springsteen, singer-songwriter
- September 26 - Jane Smiley, novelist
- September 27 - Mike Schmidt, baseball player and coach
- September 29 - Burton Richardson, game show announcer
- October 1 - Isaac Bonewits, author, occultist (died 2010)
- October 2
- October 3 - Haunani-Kay Trask, activist, educator and poet (died 2021)[22]
- October 5
- October 8
- October 13 - Rick Vito, musician
- October 14 - Katha Pollitt, writer
- October 15 - Tanya Roberts, actress (d. 2021)
- October 17 - Bill Hudson, musician and actor
- October 21 - LaTanya Richardson, African-American actress
- October 22 - Stiv Bators, singer (The Dead Boys) (died 1990)
- October 24
- October 25 - Ross Bagdasarian Jr., film producer, record producer, singer and voice artist (son of Alvin and the Chipmunks creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr.)
- October 27 - Cheryl Keeton, murder victim (died 1986)
- October 28 - Caitlyn Jenner, decathlete and TV personality
- October 29 - Paul Orndorff, professional wrestler (died 2021)[23]
- October 30
- November 1
- November 2
- November 3
- November 5 - Jimmie Spheeris, singer-songwriter (died 1984)
- November 6
- November 7 - Judi Bari, environmental activist (died 1997)
- November 8 - Bonnie Raitt, blues singer and guitarist[26]
- November 9 - Julie Beckett, teacher and disability rights activist (died 2022)[27]
- November 10
- November 12 - Jack Reed, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island from 1997
- November 14 - James Young, hard rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (Styx)
- November 19 - Ahmad Rashad, sportscaster, television personality
- November 20 - Jeff Dowd, film producer and political activist
- November 22 - David Pietrusza, author, historian
- November 23 - Tom Joyner, radio host
- November 24 - Linda Tripp, key figure in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal (died 2020)
- November 25 - Mike Joy, NASCAR commentator
- November 26 - Juanin Clay, actress (died 1995)
- November 29
- December 1 - Kurt Schmoke, African-American lawyer and politician (Dean, Howard Law School, Mayor of Baltimore)
- December 4 - Jeff Bridges, film actor
- December 5
- December 6 - Doug Marlette, editorial cartoonist (died 2007)
- December 9
- December 14 - Bill Buckner, baseball player (died 2019)
- December 15 - Don Johnson, television actor
- December 16 - Billy Gibbons, rock guitarist (ZZ Top)
- December 20
- December 22 - Ray Guy, American football player (died 2022)[30]
- December 23 - Brian J. O'Neill, politician
- December 24 - Randy Neugebauer, politician
- December 25
- Sissy Spacek, film actress
- Joe Louis Walker, African American electric blues musician
- December 28 - Sam Katz, politician, Philadelphia
- December 30 - Jerry Coyne, biologist
Deaths
- January 6 - Victor Fleming, film director (born 1889)
- January 11 - Nelson Doubleday, publisher (born 1889)
- January 14 - Harry Stack Sullivan, psychiatrist (born 1892)
- February 1 - Herbert Stothart, composer (born 1885)
- March 7
- March 17 - Felix Bressart, German American actor (born 1892)
- March 20 - Irving Fazola, jazz clarinetist (born 1912; heart attack)
- March 25 - Jack Kapp, president of the U.S. branch of Decca Records (born 1901)
- April 6 - Joseph J. Sullivan, gambler (born 1870)
- April 15 - Wallace Beery, film actor (born 1885)
- April 22 - Charles Middleton, actor (born 1874)
- May 10 - Emilio de Gogorza, baritone (born 1872)
- May 13 - Sawnie R. Aldredge, attorney and judge (born 1890)
- May 22 - James Forrestal, U.S. Secretary of Navy and Defense (born 1892)
- May 27 - Robert Ripley, creator of Ripley's Believe It or Not! (born 1890)
- June 14 - Russell Doubleday, author and publisher (born 1872)
- June 25 - Buck Freeman, baseball player (born 1871)[31]
- July 7 - Bunk Johnson, African American jazz trumpeter (born 1879)
- July 18 - Alice Corbin Henderson, poet (born 1881)
- July 24 - Virginia M. Alexander, African American physician and community activist (born 1899)
- July 26 - Linda Arvidson, silent film actress (born 1884)
- July 27 - Ellery Harding Clark, field athlete (born 1874)
- August 9
- August 16 - Margaret Mitchell, novelist (born 1900; killed in road accident)
- August 18 - Paul Mares, dixieland jazz cornet player (born 1900; lung cancer)
- September 10 - Wiley Rutledge, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (born 1894)
- September 12 - Harry Burleigh, African American baritone and classical composer (born 1866)
- September 18 - Frank Morgan, character actor (born 1890)
- September 19 - Will Cuppy, humorist (born 1884)
- September 20 - Richard Dix, film actor (born 1893)
- September 22 - Sam Wood, film director (born 1883)
- September 27 - David Adler, architect (born 1882)
- October 1 - Buddy Clark, singer (born 1911; killed in aviation accident)
- October 14 - Fritz Leiber (Sr.), actor (born 1882)
- October 15 - Elmer Clifton, film actor and director (born 1890)
- October 23 - Almanzo Wilder, writer, husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder (born 1857)
- October 26 - Emil Liston, sports coach and administrator (born 1890)
- October 31 - Edward Stettinius Jr., U.S. Secretary of State (born 1900; coronary thrombosis)
- November 2 - Jerome F. Donovan, politician (born 1872)
- November 3 - Solomon R. Guggenheim, philanthropist (born 1861)
- November 25 - Bill Robinson ("Bojangles"), African American dancer (born 1878)
- December 6
- December 7 - Rex Beach, adventure novelist and Olympic water polo player (born 1877)
- December 25 - Leon Schlesinger, film producer (born 1884)
- December 28
See also
Notes and References
- "FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1949, THE FAR EAST: CHINA, VOLUME IX" https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1949v09/d1443
- "FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1949, THE FAR EAST: CHINA, VOLUME IX" https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1949v09/d1443
- From Harding to Hiroshima by Barrington Boardman (1988), p. 14.
- Web site: Chavo Guerrero. 2016-02-02. Wrestlingdata.com.
- Book: John Grasso. Historical Dictionary of Basketball. November 15, 2010. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-7506-7. 299–.
- https://people.com/george-winston-grammy-winning-pianist-dead-cancer-age-74-7509964 George Winston, Grammy-Winning Pianist, Dead of Cancer at 74
- Web site: Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. en-US. 2019-12-19.
- https://eu.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2022/08/21/detroit-tigers-john-wockenfuss-dies-willie-hernandez/7860529001/ Longtime Detroit Tigers utilityman John Wockenfuss dies at 73
- https://www.espn.co.uk/nfl/story/_/id/40133269/aj-smith-winningest-gm-chargers-history-dies-75 A.J. Smith, winningest GM in Chargers history, dies
- Barbara Corcoran Biography. TV Guide. February 27, 2020.
- News: Smith. Harrison. 2019-09-13. Eddie Money, singer behind 'Take Me Home Tonight' and 'Two Tickets to Paradise,' dies at 70. The Washington Post. 2021-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20190916022953/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/eddie-money-singer-behind-take-me-home-tonight-and-two-tickets-to-paradise-dies-at-70/2019/09/13/3fdc6b0c-c8e5-11e9-a1fe-ca46e8d573c0_story.html. 2019-09-16.
- Web site: Space Shuttle Challenger Fast Facts . CNN . 4 December 2021.
- Book: DeCosta-Willis, Miriam. Notable Black Memphians. Cambria Press. 2008. 978-1-62196-863-4. 85–87.
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/aug/23/gary-gaines-coach-at-heart-of-friday-night-lights-dies-age-73 Gary Gaines, coach at heart of Friday Night Lights, dies aged 73
- https://www.npr.org/2023/05/01/1172992780/basketball-globetrotters-larry-rivers-dies-73 Basketball legend Larry 'Gator' Rivers, longtime Globetrotter, has died at 73
- Web site: Meryl Streep . Britannica Presents 100 Women Trailblazers . 26 July 2021 . en . 16 February 2019.
- News: Vida Blue, 73, Who Became Hottest Player in Baseball as a Rookie With the A's. B7. May 8, 2023. May 8, 2023. Green. Alex. The New York Times. limited.
- Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 103. .
- Web site: William Yardley. Stephen Paulus, Classical Composer Rich in Lyricism, Dies at 65 - The New York Times . . 2014-10-21 . 2017-09-07.
- News: Starr . Michael . Charles Rocket, 56, TV and Movie Actor, Dies . . . October 20, 2005 . July 21, 2007.
- https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/paul-damato-tim-dr-hook-mccracken-slap-shot-wolverine-inspiration-dies-rcna139848 Paul D’Amato, Tim ‘Dr. Hook’ McCracken in ‘Slap Shot’ and Wolverine inspiration, dies at 76
- https://www.democracynow.org/2021/7/6/headlines/native_hawaiian_activist_haunani_kay_trask_who_opposed_us_imperialism_dies_at_71 Native Hawaiian Activist Haunani-Kay Trask, Who Opposed U.S. Imperialism, Dies at 71
- Web site: WWE Hall of Famer 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff Dies at 71 | Sports Illustrated. www.si.com.
- News: Terri Dial, Executive at Citigroup and Wells Fargo, Dies at 62. Protess. Ben. 2012-03-01. The New York Times. 2019-04-10. en-US. 0362-4331.
- https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/nov/09/elwood-edwards-voice-aol-youve-got-mail-greeting-dies-aged-74 Elwood Edwards, voice of AOL ‘You’ve got mail’ greeting, dies aged 74
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bonnie-Raitt Bonnie Raitt American musician
- https://www.thegazette.com/health-care-medicine/julie-beckett-who-fought-for-change-in-medicaid-system-dies/ Julie Beckett, who fought for change in Medicaid system, dies
- https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/us-rep-brad-ashford-nebraska-dead-72-84176543 Former US Rep. Brad Ashford of Nebraska dead at 72
- News: Edwards. Gavin. Keepnews. Peter. January 28, 2023. Tom Verlaine, Influential Guitarist and Songwriter, Dies at 73. live. The New York Times. https://archive.today/20230128222834/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/28/arts/music/tom-verlaine-dead.html. January 28, 2023. January 28, 2023. limited.
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/nov/03/ray-guy-widely-known-as-greatest-punter-of-all-time-dies-at-age-of-72 Ray Guy, widely known as greatest punter of all time, dies at age of 72
- News: Early Homer Champ Dies . . . . June 26, 1949 . October 19, 2017 . newspapers.com.
