Editing 1949 (section)

==Events==

===January===
{{Main|January 1949}}
* [[January 1]] &ndash; A [[United Nations]]-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]. The war results in a stalemate and the division of [[Kashmir]], which still continues as of [[2025]]
* [[January 2]] &ndash; [[Luis Muñoz Marín]] becomes the first democratically elected [[Governor of Puerto Rico]].
* [[January 11]] &ndash; The first "networked" television broadcasts take place, as [[KDKA-TV]] in [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]], goes on the air, connecting east coast and mid-west programming in the [[United States]].
* [[January 16]] &ndash; [[Şemsettin Günaltay]] forms the new government of [[Turkey]]. It is the 18th government, last [[One-party state|single party]] government of the [[Republican People's Party]].
[[File:VW Standard, Bj1950 2005-09-17.jpg|thumb|120px| [[January 17]]: [[Volkswagen Beetle|Beetle]] in U.S.]]
* [[January 17]] &ndash; The first [[Volkswagen Beetle|VW Type 1]] to arrive in the [[United States]], a 1948 model, is brought to [[New York City|New York]] by Dutch businessman [[Ben Pon Sr.|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 are sold in America that year, convincing Volkswagen chairman [[Heinrich Nordhoff]] the car has no future in the U.S. (The Type 1 goes on to become an automotive phenomenon.)
* [[January 25]]
** The [[Council for Mutual Economic Assistance]] (CMEA or COMECON) is established by the [[Soviet Union]] and other [[Communism|communist]] nations.
** In the [[1949 Israeli legislative election|first Israeli elections]], [[David Ben-Gurion]] becomes [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]].
* [[January 26]] – [[Australian citizenship]] comes into being. 
* c. [[January 28]] &ndash; [[Stalin and antisemitism]]: The media in the [[Soviet Union]] resume a propaganda campaign against "[[rootless cosmopolitan]]s", a euphemism for [[Soviet Jews]], accusing them of being [[Pro-western|pro-Western]] and [[antisocialist]].
* [[January 31]] &ndash; Forces from the [[Chinese Communist Party]] [[Pingjin campaign|enter Beijing]].

===February===
{{Main|February 1949}}
* [[February 13]] &ndash; [[António Óscar Carmona]] is re-elected [[president of Portugal]], for lack of an opposing candidate.
* [[February 17]] &ndash; [[Chaim Weizmann]] begins his term as the first [[President of Israel]].
* [[February 26]] &ndash; The [[Revolutionary Communist Party of India]] stages attacks at [[Dum Dum]].

===March===
{{Main|March 1949}}
* [[March 1]] &ndash; [[Indonesia]] seizes [[Yogyakarta]] from the [[Netherlands|Dutch]].
* [[March 2]] &ndash; The [[B-50 Superfortress]] ''[[Lucky Lady II]]'' (under Captain James Gallagher) lands in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], United States, after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight (it was refueled in flight 4 times).
* [[March 20]] &ndash; The [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy]], [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad|Denver and Rio Grande Western]] and [[Western Pacific Railroad|Western Pacific]] railroads inaugurate the ''[[California Zephyr]]'' passenger train between [[Chicago]] and [[Oakland, California]], as the first long-distance train to feature [[Vistadome]] cars as regular equipment.
* [[March 24]] &ndash; The [[21st Academy Awards]] Ceremony is held. The movie ''[[Hamlet (1948 film)|Hamlet]]'' wins the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]].
* [[March 25]]
** [[Operation Priboi]]: An extensive deportation campaign begins in [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]] and [[Lithuania]]. The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] authorities deport more than 92,000 people from the [[Baltic states]] to remote areas of the [[Soviet Union]].
** First issue of weekly magazine ''[[Paris Match]]'' published in [[France]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lagardère and LVMH complete the sale of Paris Match - LVMH |url=https://www.lvmh.com/en/publications/lagardere-and-lvmh-complete-the-sale-of-paris-match |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=www.lvmh.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-16 |title=Paris Match No. 1 Cover, March 25, 1949 |url=https://monacoreporter.com/2020/01/16/marc-brincourt-behind-the-scenes-journey-as-photo-editor-in-chief-of-paris-match/paris-match-no-1-march-25-1949/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Monaco Reporter |language=en}}</ref>
* [[March 26]] &ndash; The first half of [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s opera ''[[Aida]]'', conducted by legendary 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.
** English astronomer [[Fred Hoyle]] coins the term ''[[Big Bang]]'' (intending it to be derogatory) during a [[BBC Third Programme]] radio broadcast.<ref>{{cite news|date=2001-08-22|title='Big bang' astronomer dies|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1503721.stm|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=2008-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208220913/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1503721.stm|archive-date=2008-12-08|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Croswell|first=Ken|year=1995|chapter=Chapter 9|title=The Alchemy of the Heavens|publisher=Anchor Books|isbn=0-385-47213-7|url=https://archive.org/details/alchemyofheavens00cros}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Mitton|first=Simon|year=2005|title=Fred Hoyle: a Life in Science|page=127|publisher=Aurum Press|isbn=1-85410-961-8}}</ref>
* [[March 30]] &ndash; An [[1949 anti-NATO riot in Iceland|anti-NATO riot in Iceland]] takes place, prompted by the decision of the [[Icelandic parliament]] to join the newly formed [[NATO]].
* [[March 31]] &ndash; The former [[British Empire|British]] colony of [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] joins [[Canada]], as its 10th [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]].

===April===
{{Main|April 1949}}
* [[April 4]] &ndash; The [[North Atlantic Treaty]] is signed in [[Washington, D.C.]], creating the [[NATO]] defense alliance.
* [[April 7]] &ndash; [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]'s ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]'', starring [[Mary Martin]] and [[Ezio Pinza]], opens on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], and goes on to become Rodgers and Hammerstein's second longest-running [[Musical theatre|musical]]. It becomes an instant classic of the [[musical theatre]]. The score's biggest hit is the song "[[Some Enchanted Evening]]".
* [[April 14]] &ndash; The [[N'Ko alphabet]] is completed by [[Solomana Kante]].
* [[April 18]] &ndash; The [[Republic of Ireland]] formally becomes a [[republic]], and leaves the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]].
* [[April 20]] &ndash; [[Royal Navy]] [[frigate]] [[HMS Amethyst (U16)|HMS ''Amethyst'']] goes up the [[Yangtze]] River, to evacuate [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] refugees escaping the advance of [[Mao Zedong|Mao]]'s [[Communist China (modern)|Communist]] forces. Under heavy fire, she grounds off Rose Island. After an abortive rescue attempt on [[April 26]], she anchors {{Convert|10|mi|km|abbr=}} upstream. Negotiations with the Communists to let the ship leave drag on for weeks, during which time the ship's cat [[Simon (cat)|Simon]] raises the crew's morale.
* [[April 23]] &ndash; Chinese Communist troops take [[Nanjing]].
* [[April 26]] &ndash; Transjordan changes its name to the Hashemite Kingdom of [[Jordan]].
* [[April 28]]
** The [[1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference]] issues the [[London Declaration]], enabling [[India]] (and, thereafter, any other nation) to remain in the Commonwealth despite becoming a republic, creating the position of '[[Head of the Commonwealth]]' (held by the ruling British monarch), and renaming the organization, from the 'British Commonwealth' to the '[[Commonwealth of Nations]]'.
** Former [[First Lady of the Philippines]] [[Aurora Quezon]], 61, is assassinated while en route to dedicate a hospital in memory of her [[Manuel L. Quezon|late husband]]; her daughter and 10 others are also killed.

===May===
{{Main|May 1949}}
* [[May 1]] &ndash; [[Nereid (moon)|Nereid]], a moon of [[Neptune]], is discovered by [[Gerard Kuiper]].
* [[May 4]] &ndash; [[Superga air disaster]]: A Fiat G.212 airliner of Avio Linee Italiane, carrying the entire Torino F.C. football team, crashes into the back wall of the [[Basilica of Superga]], killing all 31 on board.
* [[May 5]] &ndash; The [[Council of Europe]] is founded, by the signing of the [[Treaty of London (1949)|Treaty of London]].
* [[May 6]] &ndash; [[EDSAC]], the first practicable [[stored-program computer]], runs its first program at [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Pioneer computer to be rebuilt|journal=Cam|volume=62|date=2011|page=5}}</ref>
* [[May 9]] &ndash; [[Rainier III, Prince of Monaco|Rainier III]] becomes Prince of [[Monaco]], upon the death of his maternal grandfather [[Louis II, Prince of Monaco|Louis II]].
* [[May 11]]
** [[Israel]] is admitted to the [[United Nations]], as its 59th member.
** Siam officially changes its French name to "Thaïlande" (English name to "[[Thailand]]"), having officially changed its Thai name to "Prated Thai" since 1939.
* [[May 12]] &ndash; [[Cold War]]: The [[Soviet Union]] lifts the [[Berlin Blockade]].
* [[May 16]] &ndash; The [[Tokyo Stock Exchange]] resumes operations, after a four-year shutdown.
* [[May 20]]
** The [[National Security Agency#History|AFSA]] (predecessor of the [[National Security Agency|NSA]]) is established.
** The [[Kuomintang]] regime declares [[martial law]] in [[Taiwan]], which lasts until [[1987]].
* [[May 22]] &ndash; After two months in [[Bethesda Naval Hospital]], [[James Forrestal]] commits suicide under suspicious circumstances.
* [[May 23]] &ndash; The [[West Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] is established.
* [[May 31]] &ndash; The first trial of [[Alger Hiss]] for perjury begins in New York City, with [[Whittaker Chambers]] as principal witness for the prosecution. 

===June===
{{Main|June 1949}}
* [[June 5]] &ndash; [[Thailand]] elects [[Orapin Chaiyakan]], the first [[Thai female]] member of [[Thailand's Parliament]].
* [[June 6]] &ndash; With the passage of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act by the Indian government, [[Mahabodhi Temple]] is restored to partial [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] control.
* [[June 7]]&ndash;[[June 25|25]] &ndash; Dock workers strike in the United Kingdom.
* [[June 8]]
** [[Second Red Scare]] in the United States: Celebrities including [[Helen Keller]], [[Dorothy Parker]], [[Danny Kaye]], [[Fredric March]], [[John Garfield]], [[Paul Muni]] and [[Edward G. Robinson]] are named as [[Communist Party USA|Communist Party]] members in a [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] report.
** [[George Orwell]]'s [[dystopia]]n novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' is published in London.
* [[June 14]] &ndash; [[Albert II (monkey)|Albert II]], a [[rhesus macaque|rhesus monkey]] aboard U.S. [[Hermes project]] [[V-2 rocket]] ''Blossom IVB'', becomes the first [[primate]] to enter space. He is killed on impact at return.
* [[June 19]] &ndash; [[Glenn Dunaway]] wins the [[1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series inaugural race|inaugural]] [[NASCAR Cup Series]] race at [[Charlotte Speedway]], a 3/4 mile oval in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], but is disqualified due to illegal [[Car suspension|springs]]. [[Jim Roper]] is declared the official winner.
* [[June 24]] &ndash; The first [[Westerns on television|television western]], ''[[Hopalong Cassidy (TV series)|Hopalong Cassidy]]'', airs on [[NBC]] in the United States.
* [[June 29]] &ndash; [[Apartheid]]: The ''South African Citizenship Act'' suspends the granting of citizenship to [[Commonwealth of Nations]] immigrants after 5 years, and imposes a ban on [[interracial marriage|mixed marriage]]s.

===July===
{{Main|July 1949}}
* [[July 1]] &ndash; The [[Institute of Chartered Accountants of India]] is established.
* [[July 11]] &ndash; ''[[Pamir (ship)|Pamir]]'' is the last ''commercial'' [[sailing ship]] to round [[Cape Horn]], under sail alone.
* [[July 15]] &ndash; In an [[Prüm explosion|explosion at Prüm]] in Germany, the town is badly damaged and 12 people die. The explosion crater is one of the largest ever recorded.
* [[July 19]] &ndash; The [[Kingdom of Laos]] is officially formed, but is not independent from the [[French Army]]. 
* [[July 20]] &ndash; [[Israel]] and [[Syria]] sign a truce to end their 19-month war.
* [[July 24]] (St John's Day) &ndash; Eruption of the [[Cumbre Vieja]] volcano on [[La Palma]] begins.
* [[July 27]]
** The [[de Havilland Comet]], the world's first jet-powered airliner, makes its first flight, in England.
** [[Zimbabwe national rugby union team|Rhodesia]] beats the [[New Zealand national rugby union team]] (the All Blacks) 10–8, in an exhibition match in [[Bulawayo]], the only non-[[Test match (rugby union)|Test]] nation ever to achieve this feat.
* [[July 30]] &ndash; [[Legal aid#England and Wales|Legal aid]] is introduced in England and Wales.
* [[July 31]] &ndash; Captain Kerans of [[HMS Amethyst (U16)|HMS ''Amethyst'']] decides to make a break after nightfall, under heavy fire from the Chinese [[People's Liberation Army]] on both sides of the [[Yangtze]] River, and successfully rejoins the fleet at [[Wusong|Woosung]] the next day.

===August===
{{Main|August 1949}}
* [[August 3]] &ndash; The [[Basketball Association of America]] and the [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]] finalize the merger that will create the [[National Basketball Association]].
* [[August 5]] &ndash; In [[Ecuador]], the 6.8 {{M|l|link=y}} [[1949 Ambato earthquake|Ambato earthquake]] kills more than 5,000, and destroys a number of villages.
* [[August 8]] &ndash; [[Bhutan]] signs a [[Bhutan–India relations#1949 treaty|Treaty of Friendship]] with newly independent India, agreeing non-interference in internal affairs, but allowing India to "guide" its foreign policy (similar to the previous arrangements with the British administration in India).
* [[August 10]] &ndash; the [[Avro Canada C102 Jetliner]] makes its first flight; it is the first jet airliner to fly in North America.
* [[August 12]] &ndash; The [[Fourth Geneva Convention]] is agreed to.
* [[August 14]]
** Pakistan becomes independent
** The [[Salvatore Giuliano]] Gang explodes mines under a police barracks, outside [[Palermo]], [[Sicily]].
** A [[March 1949 Syrian coup d'état|military coup]] in [[Syria]] ousts [[President of Syria|President]] [[Shukri al-Quwatli]].
* [[August 18]] &ndash; [[Kemi Bloody Thursday]]: two protesters die in the scuffle between the police and the strikers' protest procession in [[Kemi|Kemi, Finland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palkkatyolainen.fi/pt99/p990907-p2.html |title=Kemin lakosta puoli vuosisataa |publisher=Palkkatyöläinen |date=7 September 1999 |language=fi |accessdate=11 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222436/http://www.palkkatyolainen.fi/pt99/p990907-p2.html |archivedate=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>
* [[August 21]]
** The [[Vatican City|Vatican]] announces that [[Saint Peter's tomb|bones]] uncovered in its [[catacombs]] could be those of the apostle [[Saint Peter|Peter]]; 19 years later, [[Pope Paul VI]] announces confirmation that the bones belong to this first [[Pope]].<ref>"Year by Year 1949". [[History Channel International]].</ref>
**[[Deportivo Saprissa]] enters [[Costa Rica]]n soccer's first division.
** The [[1949 Queen Charlotte Islands earthquake]] is Canada's largest earthquake since the [[1700 Cascadia earthquake]].
* [[August 24]] &ndash; The [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] is established.
* [[August 29]]
** The [[Council of Europe]] meets for the first time.
** The [[Soviet Union]] tests its first [[atomic bomb]], [[RDS-1]] ("Joe 1"). Its design imitates the American plutonium bomb that was dropped on [[Nagasaki]], Japan, in [[1945]].
* [[August 31]]
** The retreat of the [[Democratic Army of Greece]] to Albania, after its defeat at [[Gramos|Mount Gramos]], marks the end of the [[Greek Civil War]].
** Six of the last sixteen surviving veterans of the [[Union Army]], in the [[American Civil War]], meet in [[Indianapolis]].

===September===
{{Main|September 1949}}
* [[September 2]] &ndash; [[Film noir]] ''[[The Third Man]]'', with screenplay by [[Graham Greene]] and set in [[Allied-occupied Austria|Allied-occupied]] [[Vienna]], is released in the United Kingdom; it wins the 1949 Grand Prix at the [[Cannes Film Festival]].
* [[September 6]]
** [[Howard Unruh]], a World War II veteran, kills 13 neighbors in Camden, New Jersey with a souvenir [[Luger pistol|Parabellum P.08]] pistol, to become America's first single-episode [[mass murder]]er.
** [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] military authorities relinquish control of former [[Nazi Germany]] assets back to Germany.
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F078072-0004, Konrad Adenauer.jpg|thumb|115px|right|[[Konrad Adenauer]].]]
* [[September 7]] &ndash; The [[West Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] is officially founded. [[Konrad Adenauer]] is the first federal chancellor.
* [[September 9]]
** [[Albert Guay affair]]: A dynamite bomb destroys [[Canadian Pacific Airlines]] [[Douglas DC-3]], in [[Quebec]].
** Notorious [[World War II]] veteran [[Edwin Alonzo Boyd]] commits his first career bank robbery, in Toronto.
* [[September 13]] &ndash; The [[Soviet Union]] vetoes [[United Nations]] membership for [[Ceylon]], Finland, [[Iceland]], Italy, [[Jordan]] and Portugal.
* [[September 17]]
** Canadian steamship {{SS|Noronic}} burns in Toronto Harbour, with the loss of over 118 lives.
** [[Warner Bros]]. cartoon, "[[Fast and Furry-ous]]" is released. It also marks the debut of [[Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner]]. The director is [[Chuck Jones]] (credited as Charles M. Jones).
* [[September 19]] &ndash; The United Kingdom government devalues the [[pound sterling]] from [[United States dollar|$]]4.03 to $2.80, leading to many other currencies being devalued.
* [[September 23]] &ndash; U.S. President [[Harry S. Truman]] announces that the [[Soviet Union]] has tested the [[atomic bomb]].
* [[September 24]] &ndash; [[László Rajk]], ex-foreign minister of Hungary, is sentenced to death.
* [[September 25]] &ndash; U.S. Christian evangelist [[Billy Graham]] starts his [[Los Angeles Crusade (1949)|Los Angeles Crusade]], his first great evangelistic campaign. It runs for eight weeks during which Graham speaks to 350,000 people and the event is subsequently described as the greatest revival since the time of [[Billy Sunday]]. After this, Graham becomes a national figure in the United States. 
* [[September 29]]
** The [[first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]] approves a design for the [[Flag of China|flag of the People's Republic of China]].
** [[Iva Toguri D'Aquino]] is found guilty in the United States of broadcasting for Japan as "[[Tokyo Rose]]" at the end of World War II.

===October===
{{Main|October 1949}}
[[File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg|thumb|130px|[[October 1]]: People's Republic of China is founded.]]
[[File:Flag of East Germany.svg|thumb|130px|[[October 7]]: The [[German Democratic Republic]] is Established.]]
* [[October 1]] &ndash; The [[People's Republic of China]] is officially proclaimed.
* [[October 2]] &ndash; The [[Soviet Union]] recognizes the People's Republic of China.
* [[October 3]] &ndash; [[Albanian Subversion]]: First Anglo-American attempt to infiltrate guerillas into [[Albania]]; the operation is fatally flawed, by being under the control of double agent [[Kim Philby]].
* [[October 7]] &ndash; The [[German Democratic Republic]] (East Germany) is officially established.
* [[October 13]] &ndash; Severe flooding hits [[Guatemala]].
* [[October 14]] &ndash; The [[Foley Square trial]] of [[Eugene Dennis]] and ten other leaders of the [[Communist Party USA]] ends in New York City (the longest trial in U.S. history to this date); all defendants are found guilty and all but one sentenced to five years of prison.
* [[October 16]] &ndash; [[Greek Civil War]] ends with a communist surrender.
* [[October 17]] &ndash; Chinese communist troops take [[Guangzhou]].
* [[October 20]] &ndash; [[People's Insurance Company of China|China People's Insurance Corporation]], as predecessor of [[China Life]] was founded.<ref>{{Cite web |last=管理员 |title=People's Insurance Company (Group) of China |url=https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/201803/27/WS5b787e04498e855160e8f177/peoples-insurance-company-group-of-china.html |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=govt.chinadaily.com.cn |language=en}}</ref>
* [[October 24]] &ndash; The cornerstone of the [[Headquarters of the United Nations]] on [[Manhattan]] is laid.
* [[October 27]]
** [[Battle of Kuningtou]]: Chinese communist troops fail to take [[Quemoy]]; their advance towards [[Taiwan]] is halted.
** [[1949 Air France Lockheed Constellation crash]]: An Air France flight from Paris to New York crashes in the [[Azores]] on [[São Miguel Island]], killing all aboard. Among the victims are violinist [[Ginette Neveu]], and French boxer [[Marcel Cerdan]].

===November===
{{Main|November 1949}}
* [[November 7]] &ndash; Oil is discovered beneath the [[Caspian Sea]], off the coast of the [[Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic]].
* [[November 12]] &ndash; The [[Volkswagen Type 2]] panel van is unveiled in [[Germany]].
* [[November 15]] &ndash; [[Nathuram Godse]] and [[Narayan Apte]] are executed for assassinating [[Mahatma Gandhi]].
* [[November 17]] &ndash; The second trial of [[Alger Hiss]] for perjury begins in [[New York (state)|New York]], again with [[Whittaker Chambers]] as principal witness.
* [[November 24]] &ndash; The ski resort in [[Squaw Valley, Placer County, California]] officially opens.
* [[November 26]] &ndash; The [[Indian Constituent Assembly]] adopts India's constitution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lawmin.nic.in/coi.htm|title=Constitution of India|access-date=2003-11-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031205192934/http://lawmin.nic.in/coi.htm|archive-date=2003-12-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[November 28]] &ndash; [[Winston Churchill]] makes a landmark speech in support of the idea of a European Union, at [[Kingsway Hall]], London - but does not see UK as part of it, "''The British Government have rightly stated that they cannot commit this country to entering any European Union without the agreement of the other members of the British Commonwealth"''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/address_given_by_winston_churchill_london_28_november_1949-en-ce26cc27-30bc-4ec1-b0df-8a572f3dcc0e.html|title=Address given by Winston Churchill (London, 28 November 1949)|work=cvce.eu|access-date=2017-03-28}}</ref>
* [[November 30]] &ndash; [[1949 New Zealand general election]]: The [[New Zealand National Party]], led by [[Sidney Holland]] defeats the incumbent [[New Zealand Labour Party]], led by [[Peter Fraser]].

===December===
{{Main|December 1949}}
[[File:Soekarno.jpg|thumb|80px|[[December 16|Dec. 16]]: [[Sukarno]], first President of [[Indonesia]]]]
[[File:Mao, Bulganin, Stalin, Ulbricht Tsedenbal.jpeg|thumb|100px|Celebration of Joseph Stalin's 70th Birthday (December 21, 1949)]]
* [[December 7]] 
** [[Retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan]] finishes, and it declares [[Taipei]] its temporary capital city, a status it will retain more than 50 years later.<ref>{{cite news|last=Han|first=Cheung|title=Taiwan in Time: The great retreat|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/12/04/2003660529/1|newspaper=Taipei Times|date=2016-12-04|accessdate=2022-08-04|page=8}}</ref>
** The [[United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East]] (UNRWA) is established as a [[United Nations]] agency.
* [[December 10]] &ndash; [[1949 Australian federal election]]: The [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]]/[[National Party of Australia|Country]] [[Coalition (Australia)|Coalition]] led by [[Robert Menzies]] defeats the [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] [[Chifley government|government]], led by [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Ben Chifley]]. Menzies is sworn in on [[December 19]], his second stint as Prime Minister; he will hold the office for over 16 years until his retirement in [[1966]] and Labor will not win office again until [[1972 Australian federal election|1972]], under [[Gough Whitlam]].
* [[December 13]] &ndash; The [[Knesset]] votes to move the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.
* [[December 14]] &ndash; [[Traicho Kostov]], who until March was acting President of the Council of Ministers of [[Bulgaria]], is sentenced to death for anti-[[Bulgarian Communist Party|Communist Party]] activity.
* [[December 15]] &ndash; A [[typhoon]] strikes a fishing fleet off Korea, killing several thousand.
* [[December 16]] &ndash; [[Sukarno]] is elected president of the [[Republic of Indonesia (1949–1950)|Republic of Indonesia]].
* [[December 17]] &ndash; [[Burma]] recognises the [[People's Republic of China]].
* [[December 18]] &ndash; In the American [[National Football League]], the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] defeat the [[Los Angeles Rams]] 14–0, to win the championship.
* [[December 21]] &ndash; [[List of leaders of the Soviet Union|Soviet Leader]] [[Joseph Stalin]]'s 70th Birthday is Held in [[Moscow]].
* [[December 27]] &ndash; The [[Treaty of The Hague (1949)|Treaty of The Hague]] ends the [[Indonesian National Revolution]] by recognizing transfer of the sovereignty of the [[Dutch East Indies]] from Queen [[Juliana of the Netherlands]] to the [[United States of Indonesia]]; the [[Susanto Cabinet]] takes office in the [[Republic of Indonesia (1949–1950)|Republic of Indonesia]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Foray |first1=Jennifer L. |title=Visions of Empire in the Nazi-Occupied Netherlands |date=2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-01580-7 |page=305 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jsSTBQAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>
* [[December 29]] 
** KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut, becomes the first [[Ultra high frequency]] (UHF) television station to operate a daily schedule.
** [[Smouha SC]] (sports club) is founded in [[Alexandria]], Egypt, by Joseph Smouha, a Mizrahi Iraqi Jew. 
* [[December 30]] &ndash; India recognizes the People's Republic of China.

===Date unknown===
* The [[Malta Labour Party]] is founded.
* [[D. R. Kaprekar]] discovers the convergence property of the number [[6174]].
* [[Slavery in Kuwait]] is abolished.