WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO JULY 1949
Find out what all happened January to July 1949

Siam officially changes its name to Thailand for the second time. The name had been in use since 1939 but was reverted in 1945. (11. May 1949)

At midnight 26 Irish counties officially leave the British Commonwealth. A 21-gun salute on O'Connell Bridge, Dublin, ushers in the Republic of Ireland. (17. April 1949)

Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux begin excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they will eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls. (15. February 1949)

A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, kills 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements in the United States. (5. April 1949)

Point Four Program a program for economic aid to poor countries announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address for a full term as President. (20. January 1949)

The Treaty of London establishes the Council of Europe in Strasbourg as the first European institution working for European integration. (5. May 1949)

Mildred Gillars ("Axis Sally") is condemned to prison for treason. (8. March 1949)

Chaim Weizmann begins his term as the first President of Israel. (17. February 1949)

The Knesset (Israeli parliament) convenes for the first time. (14. February 1949)

Israel joins the United Nations. (11. May 1949)

The Federal Republic of Germany is established and the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany is proclaimed. (23. May 1949)

Albert II, a rhesus monkey, rides a V2 rocket to an altitude of 134 km (83 mi), thereby becoming the first monkey in space. (14. June 1949)

The western occupying powers approve the Basic Law for the new German state: the Federal Republic of Germany. (12. May 1949)

Cuba recognizes Israel. (19. January 1949)

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established. (3. January 1949)

Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute. (2. March 1949)

Luis Muñoz Marín becomes the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. (2. January 1949)

The extensive deportation campaign known as March deportation is conducted in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to force collectivisation by way of terror. The Soviet authorities deport more than 92,000 people from the Baltics to remote areas of the Soviet Union. (25. March 1949)

The Goldbergs, the first sitcom on American television, airs for the first time. (17. January 1949)

United States President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program. (5. January 1949)