- January 15
- Mao's Red army conquers Ten-tsin. [1]
- January 25
- First Israeli election - Ben-Gurion's Mapai party wins. [1]
- January 27
- Chinese liner Taiping collides with a collier off south China. [1]
- January 28
- United Nations Security council condemns Dutch aggression in Indonesia. [1]
- January 29
- Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland recognize Israel. [1]
- February 1
- 200-inch (5.08-metre) Hale telescope first used. [1]
- RCA releases first single record ever (45 RPM). [1]
- February 4
- Failed assassination attempt on Shah of Persia. [1]
- February 12
- Panic in Quito, Ecuador, after War of the Worlds is played on radio. [1]
- Unidentified aircraft bombs Jerusalem. [1]
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- February 14
- First session of Knesset opens in Jerusalem, Israel. [1]
- Dutch Drees government presents plan for the building of 30,000 houses. [1]
- February 17
- Chaim Weizman declared President of Israel. [1]
- February 19
- First Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Ezra Pound. [1]
- Mass arrests of communists in India. [1]
- February 20
- First International Pancake Race held (Liberal, Kansas, USA). [1]
- February 24
- Israel and Egypt sign an armistice agreement. [1]
- V-2/WAC-Corporal first rocket to outer space, White Sands, New Mexico, 400km. [1]
- February 26
- US Air Force plane begins first nonstop around-the-world flight. [1]
- March 2
- First automatic street light (New Milford, Connecticut, USA). [1]
- Lucky Lady II (US Air Force B-50 Superfortress) completes first nonstop round-the-world flight at Fort Worth Texas, covering 23,452-miles in 94 hours. [1]
- March 4
- Andrei Vishinsky succeeds Molotov as Soviet Foreign minister. [1]
- Piet Van de Pol (Netherlands) becomes world champion billiard player. [1]
- Security Council of United Nations recommends membership for Israel. [1]
- March 18
- NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) pact ratified. [1]
- March 25
- Hanns A Rauter, German SS-commandant in Netherlands, executed at age 54. [1]
- March 29
- Turkey recognizes Israel. [1]
- March 31
- Newfoundland becomes Canada's 10th province. [1]
- April 4
- Israel and Jordan sign armistice agreement. [1]
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pact signed in Washington DC by US, Britain, France and Canada. [1] [614.23]
- April 5
- 60-year-old Saint Anthony's Hospital burns, kills 77 (Effingham, Illinois, USA). [1]
- April 6
- Israel releases its first coins into circulation; the first is a 25-mil coin of aluminum-manganese. [407.18]
- April 7
- Rogers and Hammerstein's play South Pacific opens at Majestic Theater in New York (for 1928 performances). [1]
- April 9
- United Nations' International Court of Justice holds Albania responsible for incidents in Corfu Channel and awards Britain damages. [1]
- April 15
- Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Redemptoris nostri. [1]
- April 16
- Sutan Ibrahim gelor Datuk Tan Malaka Indonesia, communist, executed at age 54. [1]
- April 18
- Republic of Ireland withdraws from British Commonwealth. [1]
- April 23
- Chinese Red army conquers Nanjing. [1]
- Netherlands annexes Elten and Tudderen. [1]
- May 2
- Bolivian state of siege proclaimed. [1]
- May 4
- Air crash at Turijn (whole Torino-soccer team survives). [1]
- May 5
- In London, England, the Statute of the Council of Europe is signed by representatives of ten countries. The Council is set up to create greater unity in Europe. [7]
- May 8
- West German constitution approved. [1]
- May 9
- Prince Louis II of Monaco dies. [1]
- Prince Rainier III becomes leader of Monaco. [1]
- May 11
- First Polaroid camera sells for US$89.95 (New York City). [1]
- By a vote of 37-12, Israel becomes 59th member of United Nations. [1]
- Siam again renames itself Thailand. [1]
- May 12
- Soviet land blockade of Berlin ends. [1] [988.646]
- The Israeli flag is first unfurled at the United Nations building in New York. [406.76]
- May 13
- First British-produced jet bomber, Canberra, makes its first test flight. [1]
- May 17
- British government recognizes Republic of Ireland. [1]
- May 18
- James T Adams; US historian (Pulitzer 1921). [1]
- May 23
- Federal Republic of [West] Germany proclaimed. [1]
- May 25
- Chinese Red army occupies Shanghai. [1]
- May 30
- German Democratic Republic constitution approved. [1]
- NPS/VHP win first general election in Suriname. [1]
- June 2
- Transjordan is renamed Jordan. [1]
- June 14
- State of Vietnam formed. [1]
- June 15
- Taiwan replaces old dollar with new dollar at rate of one new dollar for 40,000 old dollars. [439.38]
- June 16
- Gas turbine-electric locomotive demonstrated, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. [1]
- June 29
- South Africa begins implementing apartheid; no mixed marriages. [1]
- US troops withdraw from Korea after WW II. [1]
- July 1
- Bao Dai's Republic of Vietnam gains independence from France. [1]
- July 10
- First practical rectangular TV tube announced in Toledo, Ohio. Size is 12 by 16 inches, price is US$12. [1] [457]
- July 15
- Czech tennis stars Jaroslav Drobny and Vladimir Cernik defect to US. [1]
- July 19
- Laos becomes associated state within French Union. [1]
- July 20
- Israel's 19-month war of independence ends. [1]
- July 21
- US Senate ratifies North Atlantic Treaty by a vote of 82-13. [1]
- July 27
- The de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner, makes its initial flight. [1] [5]
- August 8
- Bhutan becomes an independent monarchy. [1]
- August 10
- First successful flight of Avro Jetliner in Canada, first passenger jet aircraft in North America. [1178.400]
- August 20
- Hungary (Magyar People's Republic) accepts constitution. [1]
- August 24
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) established. [1] [960.26]
- August 29
- USSR explodes its first atomic bomb. [1]
- September 2
- Fire in riverfront area kills 1,700 (Chungking, China). [1]
- September 4
- The Bristol Brabazon makes its maiden flight. [5]
- September 17
- Steamer Noronic burns at pier killing 128 (Toronto, Canada). [1]
- September 21
- Control of Western Germany passes from the Allied Military Government to a supervised Federal Republic of Germany democracy. [1] [10]
- In Beddgelert, Wales, a meteorite strikes a building. [521]
- September 23
- US President Harry Truman announces evidence of USSR's first nuclear device detonation. [1]
- September 30
- Berlin Airlift ends after 277,000 flights. [1]
- October 1
- Chairman Mao Tse-tung proclaims the founding of the People's Republic of China. [1] [5] [409.22] [557.50] [1321.10]
- Republic of China (Taiwan) forms on the island of Formosa. [1]
- The US suspends diplomatic relations with China. [557.50]
- October 6
- Iva Toguri D'Aquino (Japanese wartime propaganda broadcaster Tokyo Rose) sentenced to ten years and $10,000 fine. [1] [457]
- US President Harry Truman signs Mutual Defense Assistance Act (for NATO). [1]
- The Allies end the Berlin airlift. [988.646]
- October 7
- German Democratic Republic formed from Russian occupation zone (National Day). [1]
- October 15
- Administration of territory of Manipur taken over by Indian government. [1]
- Tripura accedes to the Indian union. [1]
- October 22
- 200 killed in train derailment near Nowy Dwor, Poland. [1]
- November 19
- Prince Rainier III coronation in Monaco. [1]
- November 20
- In Kochi, Japan, a hot meteoritic stone enters a house through a window. [521]
- November 24
- Britain nationalizes its steel and iron industry. [1]
- November 26
- India adopts a constitution as a British Commonwealth Republic. [1]
- November 30
- Chinese Communists capture Chungking. [1]
- December 7
- Chiang Kai-shek evacuates Chinese government to island of Formosa. [1] [916.103]
- December 9
- Dutch second Chamber accepts Indonesian sovereignty. [1]
- December 13
- Knesset votes to transfer Israel's capitol to Jerusalem. [1]
- December 16
- Sukarno becomes President of Indonesia, with Mokammed Hatta as premier. [1]
- Traitsjo Kostov, Bulgarian communist vice-premier, is executed. [1]
- December 17
- Burma recognizes People's Republic of China. [1]
- December 21
- Dutch first Chamber accepts sovereignty of Indonesia. [1]
- December 27
- Queen Juliana (Netherlands) grants sovereignty to the Federated Republik of Indonesia, ending its War of Independence. [1] [542.125] [967.617] [1153.1032]
- December 28
- Netherlands transfers sovereignity of Indonesia to the Republic of the United States of Indonesia. [1367.1286]
- December 29
- First UHF television station operating regular basis (Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA). [1]
- Hungary nationalizes its industries. [1]
- December 30
- India recognizes People's Republic of China. [1]
- December 31
- Eighteen countries recognize Republic of Indonesia. [1]
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