January 30
January 30
Gandhi assassinated
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the political and spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement, is assassinated in New Delhi by a Hindu extremist on January 30, 1948. Born the son of…
A Year In History: 1948
Also Within This Year in History:
1948
A new world order began to emerge in 1948. The U.S. announced the Marshall Plan to help rebuild Europe, while a group of European nations formed an alliance that would evolve into NATO. The Berlin Blockade escalated tensions between the emerging superpowers. Israel became a Jewish state, and Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated less than a year after his country won independence from Great Britain. President Truman desegregated America’s military, while 42-year-old Negro League star Satchel Paige became Major League Baseball’s oldest rookie.
February 21
February 21
NASCAR founded
On February 21, 1948, the National Association for Stock Car Racing—or NASCAR, as it will come to be widely known—is officially incorporated. NASCAR racing will go on to become one…
February 25
February 25
Communists take power in Czechoslovakia
Under pressure from the Czechoslovakian Communist Party, President Edvard Benes allows a communist‑dominated government to be organized. Although the Soviet Union did not physically intervene (as it would in 1968),…
March 10
March 10
Czech diplomat Jan Masaryk dies under strange circumstances
The communist‑controlled government of Czechoslovakia reports that Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk has died by suicide. The story of the noncommunist Masaryk’s death was greeted with skepticism in the West. Masaryk…
March 30
March 30
Henry Wallace criticizes Truman’s Cold War policies
Henry Wallace, former vice president and Progressive Party presidential candidate, lashes out at the Cold War policies of President Harry S. Truman. Wallace and his supporters were among the few…
April 3
April 3
“The Louisiana Hayride” radio program premieres on KWKH‑AM Shreveport
“The Lousiana Hayride,” a country radio program broadcast out of Shreveport, Louisiana, premieres. The show would launch the careers not only of several country music giants, but also of a…
April 3
April 3
President Harry Truman signs Marshall Plan
On April 3, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signs the Economic Assistance Act, which authorized the creation of a program that would help the nations of Europe recover and rebuild…
April 30
April 30
Original Land Rover debuts at auto show
The Land Rover, a British‑made all‑terrain vehicle that will earn a reputation for its use in exotic locales, debuts at an auto show in Amsterdam on April 30, 1948. The…
May 3
May 3
U.S. Supreme Court decides Paramount antitrust case
On May 3, 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court issues a decision in U.S. v. Paramount Pictures, et al., the government’s long‑running antitrust lawsuit against Paramount Pictures and seven other major…
May 4
May 4
Norman Mailer’s first novel, “The Naked and the Dead,” is published
Twenty‑five‑year‑old Norman Mailer’s first novel, The Naked and the Dead, is published on May 4, 1948. The book is critically acclaimed and widely considered one of the best novels to…
May 14
May 14
State of Israel proclaimed
On May 14, 1948, in Tel Aviv, Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben‑Gurion proclaims the State of Israel, establishing the first Jewish state in 2,000 years. Ben‑Gurion became Israel’s first premier.…
May 15
May 15
A three‑year‑old’s brutal murder begins an unusual investigation
On May 15, 1948, 3‑year‑old June Devaney, recovering from pneumonia at Queen’s Park Hospital in Blackburn, England, is kidnapped from her bed. Nurses discovered her missing at 1:20 a.m. the…
June 8
June 8
First Porsche completed
On June 8, 1948, a hand‑built aluminum prototype labeled “No. 1″ becomes the first vehicle to bear the name of one of the world’s leading luxury car manufacturers: Porsche. The…
June 24
June 24
Soviets blockade West Berlin
One of the most dramatic standoffs in the history of the Cold War begins as the Soviet Union blocks all road and rail traffic to and from West Berlin. The…
June 26
June 26
U.S. begins Berlin Airlift
On June 26, 1948, U.S. and British pilots begin delivering food and supplies by airplane to Berlin after the city is isolated by a Soviet Union blockade. When World War…
July 20
July 20
President Truman issues peacetime draft
President Harry S. Truman institutes a military draft with a proclamation calling for nearly 10 million men to register for military service within the next two months. Truman’s action came…
July 26
July 26
President Truman ends segregation in the military
On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981, banning racial discrimination in the military. Truman’s order ended a long‑standing practice of segregating Black soldiers and relegating them…
August 3
August 3
Chambers accuses Hiss of being a communist spy
In hearings before the House Un‑American Activities Committee (HUAC), Whittaker Chambers accuses former State Department official Alger Hiss of being a communist and a spy for the Soviet Union. The…
August 5
August 5
Vicki Draves and Sammy Lee become the first Asian American Olympic gold medalists
On August 5, 1948, American diver Sammy Lee takes gold at the London Olympics, just two days after his good friend and fellow diver Vicki Draves won her own gold.…
August 16
August 16
Babe Ruth dies
On August 16, 1948, baseball legend George Herman “Babe” Ruth dies from cancer in New York City. For two days following, his body lay in state at the main entrance…
