The year 1949 marks some of the major historical events across the globe.It was during this year that the People’s Republic of China was created by the Chinese leader Mao Zedong. 1949 also marks the birth year of the famous American singer Gloria Gaynor who was born in New Jersey.Some famous personalities and celebs who share the birth year of 1949 include German politician Horst Seehofer, the American musician Gavin Christopher, American actor Patrick Duffy, and French violinist Ginette Neveu. Ginette Neveu lost her life at the very young age of 30 years in an unfortunate plane crash.Apart from these, this year records many other historical events like the formation of the People’s Republic of China, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the Geneva Convention, among many others. The Geneva Convention is also known as the law of war and armed conflicts. It lays down rules to protect the sick and wounded members of the armed forces at sea and land, the prisoners of war as well those who are not directly associated with the war, like combat medics.The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 further extended its protection to the civilians as well. Initially, it was limited only to the nations that had signed the convention. Later with the assistance of the United Nations, it was declared as international law to be followed by every nation across the globe.On the other hand, the country of Cuba dominated the games in the first Caribbean World Series of 1949. The first coast-to-coast network show in 1949 was the Tournament of Roses Parade.If you liked reading about this, then why not also read about 1978 facts and 1942 facts here on Kidadl!The Chinese Revolution Of 1949The year 1949 had witnessed many drastic and dramatic events occurring in various parts of the globe. However, among these, the most significant till date remains the Chinese Revolution of 1949. Soon after the conclusion of World War II, China was torn between the nationalists under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek and communists under the leadership of Mao Zedong.They were both competing against each other to take control over the vital resources and population centers of China. The civil war ended with the victory of the communists, and the nationalists were later forced to take over the island of Taiwan. The People’s Republic of China was formed and successfully replaced the Republic of China, which was led by the Kuomintang government. This civil war was seen as a huge success, especially by Marxists, and to date remains one of the world’s most historical civil wars. During the civil war, thousands and hundreds of farmers and peasants took up arms to fight the capitalists and landlords who had for so long exploited them in ways unimaginable.1949 also marks the birthdays of many renowned celebrities, like the American director Lawrence Kasdan, American pianist and composer Alan Menken, American humorist Will Cuppy, American writer Russell Doubleday, Greek composer Nikolaos Skalkottas, Indian philosopher Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya, Czech composer Vitezslav Novak, American actor Simon Callow, and Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck, among many others.Communist People’s Republic Of ChinaShortly after the conclusion of World war II, the second part of the Chinese civil war began, which led to the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The conflict was between the two major contemporary parties of history, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Kuomintang.After defeating the Kuomintang, the Communist Party of China is now the only governing body. As the name suggests, the party follows the ideas of communism. To put it simply, the ideology of communism believes in common ownership of land, labor, and capital. During the civil war, Nationalists received several aids from the United States. However, due to internal corruption, they were not able to fulfill their objective and instead formed a separate government in Taiwan, called the Republic of China. By then, the Chinese Communist Party was already ruling over mainland China.Other than these conflicts, 1949 is also special, especially because many famous celebrities have their birthdays in this particular year. Among them, some include the German chemist Friedrich Bergius, French violinist Ginette Neveu, Norwegian writer Sigrid Undset, French boxer Marcel Cerdan, Spanish composer Joaquin Turina, German composer Richard Strauss, British actor Kevin Lloyd, and German writer Klaus Mann. Both Ginette Neveu and Marcel Cerdan lost their lives in a tragic plane crash.North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 1949The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military and political organization that was established in the year 1949. At a time in history when the Soviet Union was controlling most of the parts of Eastern Europe, NATO served as a peace and defense pact for the western nations of Europe, as well as some North American countries. It was a collective force against the growing Soviet Union.During its initial days, the pact was signed by the United States, France, Belgium, Norway, Canada, Denmark, and Iceland, among many others. After the decisive conclusion of World War II, the North Atlantic Alliance was formed, and it offered security to all those who were a part of the alliance. This meant that any attack on one of the allies would be considered an attack on all the allies. It was also during this year that Canada joined the military alliance of NATO.1949 was the year when the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb in Kazakhstan. The US developed the hydrogen bomb in 1949 with the primary objective of defending itself against the growing powers of the USSR. It was also during this particular year that President Harry S Truman put forward the Point Four program, whose aim was to provide aid to the world’s less developed areas.The Geneva ConventionAlso known to many people as the law of war and armed conflicts, the Geneva Convention lays down rules and regulations to protect the sick and wounded in the war as well as the civilians that are in close proximity to a war zone. It also offers security to those who are not a direct part of the war, like combat medics or military chaplains. Initially, the Geneva Convention was only limited to those nations who signed the convention. Later, with the helping hand of the United Nations, it was made a mandatory international law for all nations of the world.The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 extended protection to all civilians. The previous three conventions extended help to the wounded or sick members of armed forces in the sea, land, and the prisoners of wars. Later seeing the pitiful conditions of civilians during the Second World War, the Fourth Convention was added in 1949.The end of the blockade of West Berlin by the Soviet Union was yet another historical moment of this year. After the war ended, Germany was divided into the US, France, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. To make them economically strong, the US, French, and Britain introduced the shared currency. Fearing their hold on East Germany would grow weaker, the Soviet Union cut down all measures of communications between West Berlin and the capital. At such a time, the Berlin airlift began under the order of President Truman, when important supplies and food were delivered to West Berlin via air. President of the United States Harry S Truman was sworn in full time in January of 1949. However, seeing it did not yield any positive results, the Soviets ended the blockade on May 12 of 1949. In September of 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was founded.Inventions In 1949One of the iconic inventions of history took place in the United Kingdom in 1949. This year, the first commercial airliner powered by jet engines, also known as a jet airliner, was developed. It was called British De Havilland Comet and had the first flight of the prototype was in 1949 itself. Other iconic inventions of history that took place during this year include radiocarbon dating, airsickness bag, Holter monitor, Complier, aerosol paint, and the atomic clock.1949 is also the birth year of many famous personalities, like the German politician Horst Seehofer, Danish zoophysiologist August Krogh, English cricketer Arthur Fielder, American writer Ethan Morden, American musician Gavin Christopher, American actor Patrick Duffy, American singer Elliott Murphy among many others. The iconic comedian Andy Kaufman was also born in 1949 in New York City. It was also during this year, the movie ‘All the King’s Men’ directed by Robert Rossen, was released. Other films of 1949 include ‘The Third Man, ‘Little Women’ and ‘Battleground’ among many others.The 1949 mission of circling the world nonstop under the captaincy of James Gallagher took place. Lucky Lady II was the first airplane to complete the journey, which lasted for 94 hours and a minute.Here at Kidal, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1949 facts then why not take a look at 1955 facts or 1939 facts.
The year 1949 marks some of the major historical events across the globe.
