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Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar.
[edit] Events of 1948
[edit] January
[edit] February
- June 3 - Palomar Observatory telescope finished in California.
- June 16 - Communist guerillas kill three rubber planters in Malaya.
- June 16 - Three armed men hijack Cathay Pacific passenger plane Miss Macao and shoot the pilot; the plane crashes - one of 27 survives.
- June 11 - The first monkey astronaut, Albert I, launched into space from White Sands, New Mexico.
- June 17 - A Douglas DC-6 carrying United Air Lines Flight 624 crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board.
- June 18 - State of Emergency declared in Malaysia for communist insurgency - Malayan Emergency begins.
- June 18 - First democratic general election with universal suffrage in Italy.
- June 20 - U.S.Congress: Commencement of Congressional Recess for the remainder of 1948 after an overtime session closed on this Saturday at 0700 D.C. time (to be shortly interrupted by Truman's recall from Congressional recess for July 20, 1948).
- June 21 - The Deutsche Mark becomes official currency of the future Federal Republic of Germany.
- June 22- The ship Empire Windrush brings the first group of several hundred black immigrants to Tilbury near London from the Caribbean countries. This would be the start of multiculturalism in Britain.
- June 24 - Cold War: The Berlin Blockade begins.
- June 24 - The first World Health Assembly of World Health Organisation is held in Geneva.
- June 26 - William Shockley files the original patent for the grown junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor.
- June 28 - Cominform Resolution marks the beginning of the Informbiro period in Yugoslavia and Soviet/Yugoslav split.
- June 28 - David Lean's Oliver Twist, based on Charles Dickens's famous novel, premieres in the UK. It will be banned for 3 years in the U.S. because of alleged anti-Semitism in depicting master criminal Fagin, played by Alec Guinness.
- June 28 - Earthquake hits Fukui, Japan killing 3,895.
[edit] August
[edit] September
[edit] October
[edit] November
- November 2 - United States presidential election, 1948: Harry S. Truman defeats Thomas E. Dewey and Strom Thurmond for the US presidency.
- November 12 - In Tokyo, an international war crimes tribunal sentences seven Japanese military and government officials to death, including General Hideki Tojo, for their roles in World War II.
- November 15 - Louis Stephen St. Laurent becomes Canada's twelfth prime minister.
- November 16 - Operation Magic Carpet to transport Jews from Yemen to Israel begins.
- November 17 - Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi divorces his second wife, the former Princess Fawzia of Egypt.
- November 20 - Geoffrey B. Orbell rediscovers the Takahē, last seen 50 years ago, near Lake Te Anau, New Zealand.
- November 24 - In Venezuela, president Rómulo Betancourt is ousted by a military coup. A military junta takes over the government.
- November 27 - The Calgary Stampeders defeat the Ottawa Rough Riders 12-7 before 20,013 fans at Toronto's Varsity Stadium to capture their first Grey Cup and complete the only perfect season to date in Canadian Football.
[edit] December
[edit] Undated
- Brandeis University is founded.
- Casimir effect discovered by Dutch physicist Hendrik Casimir.
- Fresh Kills, world's largest landfill, opens in Staten Island, New York.
- Playwright Arthur Miller writes "Death of a Salesman."
- The law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is founded.
- Miranda, the innermost moon of Uranus, is discovered by Gerard Kuiper.
- Oakridge Transit Centre opened in Vancouver, British Columbia.
- RAND Corporation is established as a nonprofit policy research and analysis institution.
- The Slovak city Gúta was renamed to Kolárovo.
- Tunnel of Vielha is opened in the Aran Valley, Spanish Pyrenees.
- The Caspian Tiger became extinct in Kazakhstan by this date.
- The Rhode Island Highlanders Pipe Band was founded.
[edit] Ongoing
[edit] Births
[edit] January–February
- January 2 - Mary Archer, British scientist
- January 2 - Deborah Watling, British actress
- January 5 - Wally Foreman, Australian media icon (d. 2006)
- January 7 - Kenny Loggins, American singer
- January 10 - Donald Fagen, American keyboardist
- January 10 - Mischa Maisky, Latvian cellist
- January 12 - Kenny Allen, English footballer
- January 14 - T-Bone Burnett, American record producer and musician
- January 14 - Carl Weathers, American football player and actor
- January 15 - Ronnie Van Zant, American musician (d. 1977)
- January 16 - John Carpenter, American film director and composer
- January 16 - Cliff Thorburn, Canadian snooker player
- January 17 - Davíð Oddsson, Prime Minister of Iceland
- January 19 - Frank McKenna, Premier of New Brunswick and Canadian Ambassador
- January 27 - Mikhail Baryshnikov, Russian-born dancer
- January 28 - Charles Taylor, Liberian president
- January 29 - Marc Singer, Canadian actor
- January 30 - Paul Magee, Provisional Irish Republican Army member
- January 31 - Muneo Suzuki, Japanese politician
- February 1 - Elisabeth Sladen, British actress
- February 1 - Rick James, American musician (d. 2004)
- February 2 - Ina Garten, Cooking author
- February 3 - Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo, East Timorean Catholic bishop, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- February 4 - Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier), American hard rock singer and musician
- February 4 - Roedy Green, Canadian programmer and LGBT activist
- February 5 - Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish football manager
- February 5 - Christopher Guest, American actor, writer, director, and composer
- February 6 - Jack Conway, musician, composer, arranger, guitarist
- February 7 - Tony Iommi, English guitarist (Black Sabbath)
- February 10 - John Magnier, Irish businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse breeder
- February 12 - Raymond Kurzweil, American inventor and author
- February 14 - Teller, American magician
- February 14 - Jackie Martling, American comedian and radio personality
- February 17 - José José, Mexican singer and actor
- February 19 - Pim Fortuyn, Dutch politician and author (d. 2002)
- February 24 - J. Jayalalithaa, Indian politician
- February 24 - Walter Smith, Scottish football manager
- February 25 - Danny Denzongpa, Indian actor
- February 28 - Steven Chu, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- February 28 - Mike Figgis, American director, writer, and composer
- February 28 - Bernadette Peters, American actress and singer
- February 28 - Mercedes Ruehl, American actress
- February 28 - Alfred Sant, Leader of Malta Labour Party (1992-) and Prime Minister of Malta (1996-1998)
[edit] March–April
- March 2 - R. T. Crowley, pioneer of electronic commerce
- March 2 - Rory Gallagher, Irish musician
- March 2 - Jeff Kennett, Australian politician
- March 4 - Lindy Chamberlain, Australian author
- March 4 - James Ellroy, American writer
- March 4 - Tom Grieve, American baseball player
- March 4 - Leron Lee, American baseball player
- March 4 - Chris Squire, British bassist
- March 4 - Shakin' Stevens, Welsh singer
- March 5 - Richard Hickox, English classical conductor and musician
- March 5 - Elaine Paige, English singer and actress
- March 9 - Jeffrey Osborne, American singer
- March 11 - Dominique Sanda, French actress
- March 12 - James Taylor, American musician
- March 14 - Billy Crystal, American actor and comedian
- March 15 - Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (d. 2003)
- March 17 - William Gibson, American writer
- March 19 - John Oldfield , Advertising & Management consultant UK
- March 20 - John de Lancie, American actor
- March 20 - Bobby Orr, Canadian hockey player
- March 22 - Wolf Blitzer, American television journalist
- March 22 - Andrew Lloyd Webber, English composer
- March 26 - Steven Tyler, American singer (Aerosmith)
- March 28 - Dianne Wiest, American actress
- March 31 - Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States
- March 31 - Rhea Perlman, American actress
- April 1 - Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican musician
- April 4 - Squire Parsons, Southern Gospel singer/songwriter
- April 4 - Derek Thompson, Northern Irish actor
- April 12 - Jeremy Beadle, TV presenter (d. 2008)
- April 13 - Nam Hae-il, 25th Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy
- April 15 - Michael Kamen, American composer (d. 2003)
- April 27 - Kate Pierson, American singer (The B-52's)
- April 27 - Amrit Kumar Bohara, Nepalese politician
- April 29 - Michael Karoli, German musician (d. 2001)
[edit] May–June
- May 1 - Constance, Lady Crabtree, British comedy act
- May 2 - Vladimir Matorin, Russian opera singer
- May 4 - Tanya Falan, American singer from The Lawrence Welk Show
- May 6 - Richard Bryant, African American pastor
- May 8 - Felicity Lott, English soprano
- May 8 - Stephen Stohn, Canadian television producer (Degrassi)
- May 9 - Calvin Murphy, American basketball player and analyst
- May 11 - Shigeru Izumiya, Japanese musician
- May 12 - Steve Winwood, English singer
- May 12 - Bob Carolgees, British comedy entertainer
- May 14 - Bob Woolmer, British cricket coach (d. 2007)
- May 15 - Brian Eno, English musician and record producer
- May 15 - Yutaka Enatsu, Japanese professional baseball pitcher
- May 19 - Grace Jones, Jamaican singer and actress
- May 21 - Leo Sayer, English musician
- May 25 - P.Nand.R Nand Huyghe, Flemish sculptor
- May 26 - Stevie Nicks, American singer and songwriter (Fleetwood Mac)
- May 27 - Wubbo de Boer, Dutch civil servant
- May 29 - Michael Berkeley, British composer
- May 31 - John Bonham, British drummer (Led Zeppelin) (d. 1980)
- June 2 - Jerry Mathers, American actor
- June 4 - Bob Champion, English jump jockey
- June 13 - Garnet Bailey, Canadian hockey player and scout (d. 2001)
- June 15 - Paul Michiels, Belgian singer-songwriter
- June 17 - Dave Concepción, Venezuelan baseball player
- June 19 - Lea Laven, Finnish singer
- June 19 - Phylicia Rashad, American actress
- June 19 - Nick Drake, English musician (d. 1974)
- June 20 - Ludwig Scotty, President of Nauru
- June 21 - Lionel Rose, Australian boxer
- June 21 - Andrzej Sapkowski, Polish writer
- June 21 - Don Airey, English musician (Deep Purple)
- June 22 - Todd Rundgren, American singer and record producer
- June 28 - Kathy Bates, American actress
- June 29 - Ian Paice, English drummer (Deep Purple, Whitesnake)
- June 30 - Vladimir Yakunin, Russian official, head of state-run Russian Railways company
[edit] July–August
- July 3 - Tarmo Koivisto, Finnish comics artist
- July 6 - Wadih Saadeh, Lebanese-Australian poet and journalist
- July 8 - Raffi, Egyptian-born children's entertainer
- July 12 - Richard Simmons, American television personality and fitness expert
- July 15 - Richard Franklin, Australian film director (d. 2007)
- July 16 - Pinchas Zukerman, Israeli violinist
- July 18 - Hartmut Michel, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- July 20 - Muse Watson, American actor
- July 21 - Ed Hinton, American sportswriter
- July 21 - Cat Stevens, English musician
- July 21 - Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
- July 21 - Mikhail Zadornov, Russian stand-up comedian and writer
- July 22 - Neil Hardwick, British-born Finnish director and writer
- July 22 - Susan Eloise Hinton, American author
- July 23 - John Cushnahan, Northern Irish politician
- July 25 - Steve Goodman, a Grammy Award-winning folk music singer and songwriter from Chicago, United States. (d. 1984)
- July 27 - Peggy Fleming, American figure skater
- July 28 - Sally Struthers, American actress
- July 30 - Jean Reno, French actor
- July 31 - Jonathan Dollimore, famous author and professor
- August 2 - Dennis Prager, American radio talk show host and author
- August 2 - Bob Rae, Canadian politician
- August 3 - Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Prime Minister of France
- August 13 - Kathleen Battle, American soprano
- August 15 - Uschi Digard, American erotic actress and figure model
- August 15 - George Ryton, British engineer
- August 18 - Joseph Marcell, actor
- August 20 - Robert Plant, English singer (Led Zeppelin)
- August 24 -