1949 Trivia, History and Fun Facts

Quick Facts from 1949:

• World Changing Event: On April 4, 1949, The North Atlantic Treaty was signed, making the United States closer with our European allies.
• Influential Songs include Some Enchanted Evening from the musical, South Pacific, and the now-controversial Baby It’s Cold Outside by various duos.
• The Movies to Watch include Mighty Joe Young, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, White Heat, Twelve O’Clock High, Samson and Delilah, The Third Man, Adam’s Rib and A Letter to Three Wives
• The Most Famous Person in America was probably Bob Hope
• Notable books include: 1984 by George Orwell
• Price of 1 pound of bacon in 1949: 49 cents
• US Life Expectancy: Males: 65.2 years, Females: 70.7 years
• The Funny Duo were: Abbott and Costello
  The Funny Guy was: Milton Berle
• The First: The first science fiction television series was Captain Video and His Video Rangers, airing 1949 to 1955.

“Made it, Ma! Top of the world!”
– James Cagney, in White Heat

“What a dump.”
– Bette Davis, in Beyond the Forest

Fast and Furry-ous (cartoon) was released, with the debut of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. It was directed by Chuck Jones (credited as Charles M. Jones).

The first “network” television broadcast took place, as The Dumont Network’s KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania went on the air, connecting the east coast and mid-west programming.

The minimum wage jumped from 40 to 75 cents on October 26.

Airplane Celebrity Death: Buddy Clark

The first credit card, Diners Club, was issued in 1949 and made out of cardboard. Co-founder Frank McNamara was dining with clients and realized he forgot his wallet (his wife paid the tab).

Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League merge to form the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Ladies Pro Golf Association of America formed in New York.

The first Volkswagon (Type 1) car to arrive in the United States, a 1948 model, was brought to New York by Dutch businessman Ben Pon. There was little interest, and only two were sold that year.

On March 2, the B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II, under Captain James Gallagher, landed in Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight, refueling four times in flight.

Dragnet premiered on NBC radio; later it was a TV series.

At Wimbledon, “Gorgeous Gussie” Moran wore a skirt that exposed her knees, causing Wimbledon officials to complain that she was “bringing vulgarity and sin into tennis”.

The first automatic street light went on in New Milford, CT.

The “Hollywood” sign by Mulholland drive used to say “Hollywoodland” when it was constructed in 1923, up until 1949.

The first Emmy Awards were presented, at the Hollywood Athletic Club.

Jockey Bill Shoemaker won his 1st race, in Albany, California.

Grady the Cow, a 1,200-pound cow, got stuck inside a silo on a farm in Yukon, Oklahoma, and captured national media attention. After a few days, Grady was freed and lived until 1961.

On January 19, The cognac-bearing Poe Toaster first appeared at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe.

ON January 11, Los Angeles received its first recorded snowfall.

António Egas Moniz was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize for Medicine for his role in perfecting the lobotomy.

Red Byron won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, Act No 55 prohibiting marriage or any sexual relationship between White people and people of other races was passed in South Africa.

The 45 RPM record was introduced. DJ’s got a pressing of Texarkana Baby/Bouquet Of Roses by Eddy Arnold, The Tennessee Plowboy, And His Guitar. The first large commercial release was You’re Adorable by Perry Como. There were several samples produced before them.

Siam renamed itself Thailand

By a vote of 37-12, Israel became the 59th member of the United Nations.

Between 1949 and 1952, The White House was completely gutted, leaving only the outer walls around a shell. The mansion was then rebuilt using concrete and steel beams in place of its original wooden joists.

Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America incorporated in New York.

George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was published in London.

Arthur Miller’s tragedy Death of a Salesman opened at the Morosco Theatre in New York City, for 742 performances.

Watching Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman on Broadway