World Events in 1949
NATO Founded
On 4 April, twelve Western nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C., creating a mutual defence alliance. NATO's founding was a direct response to the growing threat of Soviet expansion in Europe.
People's Republic of China Proclaimed
On 1 October, Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China from Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan, ending decades of civil war.
Division of Germany
In May, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was formally established, followed in October by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The division of Germany into two states became a central symbol of the Cold War.
Soviet Union Tests First Atomic Bomb
On 29 August, the Soviet Union successfully detonated its first nuclear device, codenamed 'First Lightning', at a test site in Kazakhstan. The US nuclear monopoly was over, and the arms race began in earnest.
Berlin Blockade Ends
On 12 May, the Soviet Union lifted its blockade of West Berlin after 318 days. The Allied airlift had delivered over 2.3 million tons of supplies on more than 278,000 flights, demonstrating Western resolve.
Republic of Ireland Act
On 18 April, Ireland formally left the British Commonwealth and declared itself a republic. The Republic of Ireland Act severed the last constitutional links between Ireland and the British Crown.
Music in 1949
"Riders in the Sky"
Vaughn Monroe
This cowboy-themed ballad with its eerie melody was a transatlantic hit, capturing the public's fascination with the American West.
"Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)"
Vaughn Monroe
A dramatic Western ballad about ghost riders in the sky, it topped the Billboard chart and spawned dozens of cover versions.
#1 Film of 1949
Samson and Delilah
Box Office: $11.5 million
Cecil B. DeMille's biblical epic starring Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature was a lavish Technicolor spectacle and the highest-grossing film of the year.
Born in 1949
Bruce Springsteen
Rock singer-songwriter known as 'The Boss'
Meryl Streep
Widely regarded as the greatest actress of her generation, multiple Academy Award winner
Richard Gere
Actor known for An Officer and a Gentleman and Pretty Woman
Sigourney Weaver
Actress known for the Alien franchise and Ghostbusters
Paloma Picasso
French fashion designer and businesswoman, daughter of Pablo Picasso
Lost in 1949
Richard Strauss
German composer known for Also sprach Zarathustra and Der Rosenkavalier
Age 85
Margaret Mitchell
American author of Gone with the Wind, killed by a car in Atlanta
Age 48
Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson
Pioneering African-American tap dancer and entertainer
Age 71
Wallace Beery
Academy Award-winning American actor of the 1930s and 40s
Age 64
Technology in 1949
The Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb, ending the US nuclear monopoly and escalating the arms race. The de Havilland Comet, the world's first jet airliner, was being developed. EDSAC, one of the first practical stored-program computers, began operating at Cambridge. Television was spreading into American homes at a rapid pace.
- ● Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb, ending the US nuclear monopoly
- ● EDSAC, a practical stored-program computer, began operating at Cambridge University
- ● RCA introduced the 45 RPM vinyl record, creating a format war with Columbia's LP
- ● De Havilland Comet jet airliner prototype completed its first flight
Cost of Living in 1949
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £1,000 | $7,000 |
| Average salary | £340 | $2,950 |
| Pint of milk | 3d | $0.20 |
| Loaf of bread | 5½d | $0.14 |
| Dozen eggs | 2s 4d | $0.70 |
| Pint of beer | 10d | $0.21 |
| Cinema ticket | 1s 3d | $0.40 |
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The Zeitgeist of 1949
The Cold War solidified as NATO was formed, the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb, and Communist forces triumphed in China. The world settled into a tense new normal of East versus West. In Britain, austerity dragged on with rationing still in force. In America, the post-war suburbs expanded rapidly, and television was beginning to reshape family life. George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four captured the anxieties of the age.
In the News in 1949
George Orwell published Nineteen Eighty-Four. Silly Putty went on sale. The first Volkswagen Beetle arrived in America. LEGO introduced their interlocking plastic bricks. Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman premiered on Broadway.