February 1949

Month of 1949
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The following events occurred in February 1949:

February 1, 1949 (Tuesday)

February 2, 1949 (Wednesday)

February 3, 1949 (Thursday)

  • US President Harry S. Truman stated at his weekly press conference that he would only meet with Joseph Stalin if the Soviet leader came to Washington as his personal guest. The president reiterated the determination of the United States to not enter negotiations with the Soviet Union outside of the framework of the United Nations.[5]
  • Hungarian Cardinal József Mindszenty and six co-defendants went on trial in Budapest for treason and other crimes against the state.[6]
  • Born: Hennie Kuiper, racing cyclist, in Denekamp, Netherlands
  • Died: William Rust, 45, British newspaper editor and communist activist

February 4, 1949 (Friday)

  • Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was shot in the back and mouth during an unsuccessful assassination attempt. As the Shah was getting out of his car on the steps of Tehran University, a journalist pretended to take his picture but instead fired five shots at point blank range. The Shah's aides and the police pounced on the assailant and beat him to the point that he would die of his injuries in hospital.[7][8]
  • The comedy film John Loves Mary starring Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal and Jack Carson premiered at the Strand Theatre in New York City.[9]
  • Born: Rasim Delić, Chief of Staff of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and war criminal, in Čelić, Yugoslavia (d. 2010)

February 5, 1949 (Saturday)

  • The three-day trial of Cardinal Mindszenty ended. The Primate of Hungary admitted guilt "in principle" to most of the charges against him but denied plotting to overthrow the Hungarian government.[10]
  • The Soviet Union offered Norway a non-aggression pact and warned that country not to join the proposed North Atlantic alliance.[11]
  • The Communist Tudeh Party of Iran was banned amid the government crackdown following an attempt on the Shah's life.[8]
  • Born: Kate Braverman, American novelist, in Philadelphia (d. 2019)

February 6, 1949 (Sunday)

February 7, 1949 (Monday)

February 8, 1949 (Tuesday)

  • Cardinal Mindszenty was sentenced to life imprisonment. Mindszenty's six co-defendants were also given prison sentences ranging from three years to life.[15]
  • German dynamite teams under Soviet orders began demolishing the heavily damaged remains of the Reich Chancellory in Berlin.[16]
  • Born: Brooke Adams, actress, in New York City; Florinda Meza, actress, in Juchipila, Zacatecas, Mexico

February 9, 1949 (Wednesday)

February 10, 1949 (Thursday)

February 11, 1949 (Friday)

  • The metropolitan police in Seoul announced the arrest of three Communists implicated in a plot to assassinate the members of the United Nations Commission on Korea as well as top Korean government officials.[21]
  • Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent arrived in Washington for a three-day visit to confer with President Truman on various issues affecting the United States and Canada.[22]
  • The London Mozart Players performed their first concert at Wigmore Hall.
  • Died: Giovanni Zenatello, 72, Italian opera singer

February 12, 1949 (Saturday)

  • The Sacred Constitorial Congregation excommunicated and declared "infamous" all persons who took part in the Cardinal Mindszenty trial.[23]
  • 30 people were killed and 40 injured in a train derailment 40 miles west of Tarragona, Spain. Railway officials blamed the accident on sabotage of the tracks.[24]
  • Died: Hassan al-Banna, 42, Egyptian imam and founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (assassinated by the Egyptian secret police)

February 13, 1949 (Sunday)

February 14, 1949 (Monday)

  • Israel's first Constituent Assembly was sworn in by acting president Chaim Weizmann in Jerusalem. The United States, Britain and France boycotted the ceremony, protesting Israel's refusal to recognize the UN declaration of Jerusalem as an international city.[27][28]
  • The Asbestos strike began in and around Asbestos, Quebec.
  • Died: Fernand Desprès, 69, French anarchist and Communist activist

February 15, 1949 (Tuesday)

  • The Soviet Union denounced allegations that up to 14 million people were working as slave laborers in Russia and dying in large numbers because of inhumane treatment. Soviet UN delegate Semyon K. Tsarapkin said that any proposal to send a special commission to investigate the alleged slave labor camps was merely a ruse to let American spies into the USSR.[29]
  • Argentina diplomatically recognized Israel.[30]
  • Born: Ken Anderson, NFL quarterback, in Batavia, Illinois
  • Died: Charles L. Bartholomew, 80, American editorial cartoonist; Patricia Ryan, 27, American actress (cerebral hemorrhage)

February 16, 1949 (Wednesday)

February 17, 1949 (Thursday)

  • The Israeli constituent assembly adopted an interim constitution setting limits on presidential authority and making the prime minister and his cabinet answerable to parliament. The Assembly also confirmed Chaim Weizmann as President.[28]
  • Thailand declared a state of emergency and closed its Malayan border to hinder the movement of Malayan guerrillas.[28]
  • The defense presented its opening argument in the Mildred Gillars trial with the statement that treason cannot be committed by "mere words."[33]
  • The film noir Caught starring James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes and Robert Ryan premiered in New York.
  • Born: Dennis Green, NFL coach, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (d. 2016)

February 18, 1949 (Friday)

February 19, 1949 (Saturday)

  • President Truman reactivated the United Service Organizations (USO).[35]
  • Ezra Pound was named the winner of the first annual Bollingen Prize for Poetry for his book The Pisan Cantos. Anticipating controversy for giving the award to a man under indictment for broadcasting Fascist propaganda during the war, the judges accompanied the announcement with the statement: "To permit other considerations than that of poetic achievement to sway the decision would destroy the significance of the award and would in principle deny the validity of that objective perception of value on which any civilized society must rest."[36]
  • Born: Danielle Bunten Berry, computer game designer and programmer, in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1998)
  • Died: Fidelio Ponce de León, 54, Cuban painter

February 20, 1949 (Sunday)

February 21, 1949 (Monday)

  • Costa Rica and Nicaragua signed a friendship pact to end their dispute over Costa Rica's charge that Nicaraguan armed forces had invaded Costa Rican territory in December 1948.[38]
  • Rioting broke out in the British sector of Berlin between Jews and police outside a movie theatre screening the film Oliver Twist. Demonstrators protested that the portrayal of Fagin in the film was anti-Semitic.[39]
  • Former Finnish Prime Minister Johan Wilhelm Rangell was released from prison after serving three years of a six-year sentence for war responsibility.[40]
  • The courtroom film noir Knock on Any Door starring Humphrey Bogart was released.
  • Born: Ronnie Hellström, footballer, in Malmö, Sweden (d. 2022)
  • Died: Tan Malaka, 51, Indonesian nationalist activist and guerrilla fighter (executed by the Indonesian army)

February 22, 1949 (Tuesday)

February 23, 1949 (Wednesday)

  • Mildred Gillars took the stand in her treason trial. During her testimony she admitted to having signed an oath of allegiance to Nazi Germany, but claimed she only did so "in order to live."[42]
  • Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis declared the Asbestos strike illegal and dispatched a battalion of provincial police to the area.[43]

February 24, 1949 (Thursday)

  • Israel and Egypt signed a general armistice agreement at the UN mediation headquarters on the island of Rhodes.[44]
  • The flag of Samoa was adopted.

February 25, 1949 (Friday)

February 26, 1949 (Saturday)

  • Paraguay's second coup in a month ousted Raimundo Rolón as provisional president in favor of Felipe Molas López.[48]
  • The Dutch government announced that it would transfer sovereignty over Indonesia before the July 1, 1950 deadline set by the UN.[48]
  • Italian Communist leader Palmiro Togliatti echoed Maurice Thorez' recent remarks by declaring that Italian Communists would be duty-bound to assist the Red Army if it should invade Italy in pursuit of an aggressor.[48]
  • Grady the Cow was freed by rubbing her with grease, putting her on a greased platform and pushing her back out the same small opening she had bolted through.[49]
  • Born: Simon Crean, politician and trade unionist, in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2023)

February 27, 1949 (Sunday)

February 28, 1949 (Monday)

References

  1. ^ Currivan, Gene (February 2, 1949). "Israel Assumes Rule in Modern Jerusalem; Decision Winds Up Military Governorship". The New York Times: 15.
  2. ^ "Korea Asks To Join U. N.". The New York Times: 12. February 3, 1949.
  3. ^ "Hogan Reported in 'Fair' Condition At Texas Hospital After Collision". The New York Times: 29. February 3, 1949.
  4. ^ "Pedro Bruno". Enciclopedia Itau Cultural (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  5. ^ Leviero, Anthony (February 4, 1949). "Truman Bars Negotiations With Soviet Outside U. N.; Still Would Receive Stalin". The New York Times: 1.
  6. ^ "Mindszenty Denies Plot But Affirms Guilt In Principle". The New York Times: 1. February 4, 1949.
  7. ^ "Ruler of Iran Is Wounded Slightly By Two Bullets Fired by Assassin". The New York Times: 1. February 5, 1949.
  8. ^ a b "Left-Wing Party Outlawed in Iran". The New York Times: 54. February 6, 1949.
  9. ^ Shearer, Stephen (2006). Patricia Neal: An Unquiet Life. University of Kentucky Press. p. 80. ISBN 9780813171364.
  10. ^ "Midszenty Death Asked By Hungary; He Prays At Trial". The New York Times: 1. February 6, 1949.
  11. ^ "Joint Front Cited". The New York Times: 1. February 6, 1949.
  12. ^ "Sun Fo Bars Peace Under Reds' Terms". The New York Times: 1. February 7, 1949.
  13. ^ Frumkin, Mitch (2002). Classic Muscle Car Advertising: The Art of Selling Horsepower. Krause Publications. p. 5. ISBN 9780873493369.
  14. ^ Drebinger, John (February 4, 1949). "DiMaggio Reported All-Time Top-Salaried Player With $90,000 Contract". The New York Times: 33.
  15. ^ "Mindszenty Is Found Guilty; Court Gives Life Sentence; Flood of Protests Rising". The New York Times: 1. February 8, 1949.
  16. ^ "Hitler Chancellory Blasted". The New York Times: 7. February 9, 1949.
  17. ^ Pak, Chi Young (2000). Korea and the United Nations. The Hague: Kluwer Law International. p. 67. ISBN 9789041113825.
  18. ^ "Mitchum Is Jailed for 2-Month Term". The New York Times: 37. February 10, 1949.
  19. ^ Rosenthal, A. M. (February 11, 1949). "Arms Count Loses In U. N. As Truman Bars Atomic Data". The New York Times: 1.
  20. ^ "Vote Test Backed By Georgia Senate". The New York Times: 17. February 11, 1949.
  21. ^ Johnston, Richard J. H. (February 12, 1949). "Koreans Nip Plot to Kill U.N. Group". The New York Times: 1, 4.
  22. ^ "St. Laurent Arrives On Visit to Capital". The New York Times: 1. February 12, 1949.
  23. ^ Cortesi, Arnaldo (February 13, 1949). "All Taking Part in Case Are Excommunicated". The New York Times: 1.
  24. ^ "Spanish Wreck Laid to Sabotage". The New York Times: 9. February 15, 1949.
  25. ^ "70 Die in Peru Landslide". The New York Times: 22. February 16, 1949.
  26. ^ "'Mars Raiders' Cause Quito Panic; Mob Burns Radio Plant, Kills 15". The New York Times: 1. February 14, 1949.
  27. ^ Currivan, Gene (February 15, 1949). "Israeli Assembly Opens With Tears And Party Debates". The New York Times: 1, 9.
  28. ^ a b c Leonard, Thomas M. (1977). Day By Day: The Forties. New York: Facts On File, Inc. p. 872. ISBN 0-87196-375-2.
  29. ^ Barrett, George (February 16, 1949). "Soviet Denies Slave Charge; Bars U. N. Inquiry in Camps". The New York Times: 1.
  30. ^ "Argentina Recognizes Israel". The New York Times: 21. February 16, 1949.
  31. ^ Rosenthal, A. M. (February 17, 1949). "U. N. Rejects Bid By North Korea". The New York Times: 3.
  32. ^ "Russians Quitting U.N. Health Agency". The New York Times: 3. February 17, 1949.
  33. ^ "'Axis Sally' Loses Acquittal Motion". The New York Times: 12. February 18, 1949.
  34. ^ Middleton, Drew (February 19, 1949). "Berlin Receives Its Millionth Ton Of Supplies Under Western Airlift". The New York Times: 1.
  35. ^ "USO Reactivated By Truman Order". The New York Times: 27. February 20, 1949.
  36. ^ "Pound, in Mental Clinic, Wins Prize For Poetry Penned in Treason Cell". The New York Times: 1, 14. February 20, 1949.
  37. ^ "Transit Men Back in Philadelphia". The New York Times: 25. February 21, 1949.
  38. ^ "A Pact of Amity Between Central American Republics". The New York Times: 17. February 22, 1949.
  39. ^ "'Oliver Twist' Causes Berlin Clash". The Sydney Morning Herald: 3. February 22, 1949.
  40. ^ "1949". coldwar.hu. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  41. ^ Warren, Lansing (February 22, 1949). "Thorez Threatens War Aid to Soviet". The New York Times: 1, 8.
  42. ^ "'Axis Sally' Denies She Betrayed U. S.". The New York Times: 5. February 24, 1949.
  43. ^ "Asbestos Strike". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  44. ^ Brewer, Sam Pope (February 25, 1949). "Simple Ceremony at Rhodes Marks an End to Long period of Negotiation". The New York Times: 1.
  45. ^ Handler, M. S. (February 26, 1949). "Two Sofia Clerics Enter Guilty Plea As Spy Trial Opens". The New York Times: 1.
  46. ^ "M'Donald Is Named As Envoy To Israel". The New York Times: 7. February 26, 1949.
  47. ^ "Students Don Masks; Raid Co-Eds' Dorm". Chicago Daily Tribune: 1. February 26, 1949.
  48. ^ a b c Yust, Walter, ed. (1950). 1950 Britannica Book of the Year. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. p. 3.
  49. ^ "Grady the Cow, Captive in Silo, Saved; Grease and Brawn Overcome Tight Exit". The New York Times: 34. February 27, 1949.
  50. ^ "Plotters Revolt in Siam; Announce Premier's Fall". The New York Times: 6. February 28, 1949.
  51. ^ "Siam Is Near Normal After Week-End Fight". The New York Times: 16. March 1, 1949.
  52. ^ "Stalin Decrees Sweeping Price Cuts In Food, Clothing, Consumer Goods". The New York Times: 1. March 1, 1949.
  53. ^ a b "Books Published Today". The New York Times: 17. February 28, 1949.