It was the first year of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, which would last until
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
, ending with the
dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
.
Events
January
*
January
January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the ...
–
February
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years or 29 in leap years, with the 29th day being called the ''leap day''. It is the first of five months not to have 31 days (th ...
–
Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom
The winter of 1946–1947 was a harsh European winter noted for its adverse effects in the United Kingdom. It caused severe hardships in economic terms and living conditions in a country still recovering from the Second World War. There were ma ...
: The worst snowfall in the country in the 20th century causes extensive disruption of travel. Given the low ratio of private vehicle ownership at the time, it is mainly remembered in terms of its effects on the railway network.
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
- The
Canadian Citizenship Act comes into effect.
*
January 4
Events Pre-1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
* 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
1601–1900
*1649 – Engli ...
– First issue of weekly
magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
''
Der Spiegel
''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' published in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, edited by
Rudolf Augstein
Rudolf Karl Augstein (5 November 1923 – 7 November 2002) was a German journalist, editor, publicist, and politician. He was one of the most influential German journalists, founder and part-owner of ''Der Spiegel'' magazine. As a politician, he ...
.
*
January 10
Events Pre-1600
*49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war.
* 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...
– The
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
adopts a resolution to take control of the free city of
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
.
*
January 15
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
* 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...
– Elizabeth Short, an aspiring actress nicknamed the "
Black Dahlia
Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – January 14–15, 1947), known posthumously as the Black Dahlia, was an American woman found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 15, 1947. Her case became highly publicized ow ...
", is found brutally murdered in a vacant lot in Los Angeles; the mysterious case is never solved.
*
January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
* 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...
–
Vincent Auriol
Vincent Jules Auriol (; 27 August 1884 – 1 January 1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954.
Early life and politics
Auriol was born in Revel, Haute-Garonne, as the only child of Jacques Antoine Aurio ...
is inaugurated as president of France.
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender ...
– Ferry sinks in the
South Euboean Gulf
The South Euboean Gulf ( el, Νότιος Ευβοϊκός Κόλπος, ''Notios Evvoïkos Kolpos'') is a gulf in Central Greece, between the island of Euboea and the Greek mainland (Boeotia and Attica). With a total length of approximately 50&n ...
of Greece killing 392.
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
*1438 – The Cou ...
– In the third phase of the
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...
,
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos ( el, Δημήτριος Μάξιμος; 6 July 1873 – 17 October 1955) was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.
Maximos was born on 6 July 1873 in Patras. He ...
forms a monarchist government in Athens and begins a brief term as prime minister.
*
January 26
Events Pre-1600
* 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
*1531 – The 6.4–7.1 1531 Lisbon earthquake, Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
*1564 – ...
– A
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...
Douglas DC-3 aircraft crashes soon after taking off from
Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen, killing all 22 people on board, including
Prince Gustaf Adolf, second in line to the Swedish throne, and American opera singer
Grace Moore
Mary Willie Grace Moore (December 5, 1898January 26, 1947) was an American operatic soprano and actress in musical theatre and film.Obituary ''Variety'', January 29, 1947, page 48. She was nicknamed the "Tennessee Nightingale." Her films helped ...
.
*
January 31
Events Pre-1600
* 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
* 1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the t ...
– The
Communists
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
take power in the
Polish People's Republic
The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...
.
February
*
February 3
Events Pre-1600
* 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states.
*1451 – Sultan Mehmed II inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire.
*1488 – ...
** The lowest air temperature in North America (−63 degrees Celsius) is recorded in
Snag, in the
Yukon Territory
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
.
**
Percival Prattis becomes the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
news correspondent allowed in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
and
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
press galleries.
*
February 5
Events Pre-1600
* 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
* 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
* 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians ar ...
**
Bolesław Bierut
Bolesław Bierut (; 18 April 1892 – 12 March 1956) was a Polish communist activist and politician, leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1947 until 1956. He was President of the State National Council from 1944 to 1947, President of Polan ...
becomes the
President of Poland
The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...
.
** The Government of the United Kingdom announces the £25 million
Tanganyika groundnut scheme
The Tanganyika groundnut scheme, or East Africa groundnut scheme, was a failed attempt by the British government to cultivate tracts of its African trust territory Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania) with peanuts. Launched in the aftermath of Worl ...
, for cultivation of
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...
s in the
Tanganyika Territory
Tanganyika was a colonial territory in East Africa which was administered by the United Kingdom in various guises from 1916 to 1961. It was initially administered under a military occupation regime. From 20 July 1922, it was formalised into a L ...
.
*
February 7
Events Pre-1600
* 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor.
* 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
* 1301 &nd ...
– The
South Pacific Commission
The Pacific Community (PC), formerly the South Pacific Commission (SPC), is an international development organisation governed by 27 members, including 22 Pacific island countries and territories. The organisation's headquarters are in Nouméa, ...
(SPC) is founded.
*
February 8
Events Pre-1600
* 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.
*1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al ...
– The
Karlslust dance hall fire
The Karlslust dance hall fire (also known as Loebel's Restaurant fire) occurred on 8 February 1947 in Hakenfelde, a locality of Spandau in what was then the British sector of Berlin. With its death toll of 80 to 88, it marks possibly the worst f ...
in Berlin, Germany, kills over 80 people.
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, sparkin ...
– In Paris, France, peace treaties are signed between the World War II Allies and Italy, Hungary,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
and Finland. Italy cedes most of
Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...
to the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...
(later
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
).
*
February 12
Events Pre-1600
*1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie performed the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna.
*1429 – English forces under ...
** A
meteorite
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the ...
creates an
impact crater
An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters ...
in
Sikhote-Alin
The Sikhote-Alin (russian: Сихотэ́-Али́нь, , , ) is a mountain range in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krais, Russia, extending about to the northeast of the Russian Pacific seaport of Vladivostok. The highest summits are Tordoki Yani at ...
, in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
.
** In
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, the
Panglong Agreement
The Panglong Agreement ( my, ပင်လုံစာချုပ် ) was reached in Panglong, Southern Shan State, between the Burmese government under Aung San and the Shan, Kachin, and Chin peoples on 12 February 1947. Aung Zan Wai, Pe ...
is reached between the
Burmese government
Myanmar ( also known as Burma) operates ''de jure'' as a unitary assembly-independent republic under its 2008 constitution. On 1 February 2021, Myanmar's military took over the government in a coup, causing ongoing anti-coup protests.
...
under its leader, General
Aung San
Aung San (, ; 13 February 191519 July 1947) was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his go ...
, and the
Shan,
Kachin, and
Chin
The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm.
Evolution
The presence of a we ...
ethnic peoples at the Panglong Conference. U Aung Zan Wai,
Pe Khin, Major Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Dr. Sein Mya Maung and
Myoma U Than Kywe
Myoma Than Kywe ( my, မြို့မ သန်းကြွယ်, ; 26 December 1924 – 22 September 1983) was a Burmese politician. He was one of the negotiators of the historical Panglong Conference. The signing of Panglong Agreement ...
are among the negotiators.
*
February 17
Events Pre-1600
* 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.
* 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of ...
–
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
: The
Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
begins to transmit radio broadcasts into Eastern Europe and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
.
*
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
** An
explosion at the O'Connor Electro-Plating Company in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
leaves 17 dead, 100 buildings damaged, and a crater in the ground.
** The
U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Hermes program
Project Hermes was a missile research program run by the Ordnance Corps of the United States Army from November 15, 1944, to December 31, 1954, in response to Germany's rocket attacks in Europe during World War II. The program was to determine ...
V-2
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develope ...
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
''Blossom I'' is launched into space, carrying plant material and
fruitflies, the first living things to enter space.
*
February 21
Events Pre-1600
* 452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.
* 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
* 1440 – The Prus ...
– In New York City,
Edwin Land
Edwin Herbert Land, ForMemRS, FRPS, Hon.MRI (May 7, 1909 – March 1, 1991) was an Russian-American scientist and inventor, best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. He invented inexpensive filters for polarizing light, ...
demonstrates the first "instant camera", his
Polaroid Land Camera
The Land Camera is a model of self-developing film camera manufactured by Polaroid between 1948 and 1983. It is named after their inventor, the American scientist Edwin Land, who developed a process for self-developing photography between 1943 ...
, to a meeting of the
Optical Society of America
Optica (formerly known as The Optical Society (OSA) and before that as the Optical Society of America) is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals and organizes conference ...
.
*
February 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Ferdina ...
– The ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon ''
Cat Fishin'
This is a complete list of the 164 shorts in the ''Tom and Jerry'' series produced and released between 1940 and 2014. Of these, 162 are theatrical shorts, one is a made-for-TV short, and one is a 2-minute sketch shown as part of a telethon.
...
'' is released.
*
February 23
Events Pre-1600
* 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
* 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a ...
– The
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...
(ISO) is founded.
*
February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
...
** The German state of
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
is officially abolished, by the
Allied Control Council
The Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority (german: Alliierter Kontrollrat) and also referred to as the Four Powers (), was the governing body of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany and Allied-occupied Austria after the end of Wo ...
.
**
Hachikō Line derailment: The worst-ever train accident in Japan kills 184 people.
** John C. Hennessy, Jr. brings the first
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
to the United States. He purchased the 1946 automobile from the U.S. Army Post Exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, while serving in the U.S. Army. The Beetle is shipped from Bremerhaven, arriving in New York this day.
*
February 28
Events Pre-1600
*202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty.
* 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes.
*1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on ...
** The United States grants France a military base in
Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
.
** In
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
,
civil disorder is put down, with large loss of civilian lives.
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor ...
** The
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
begins to operate.
** German rocket scientist
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...
marries his first cousin, 18-year-old Maria von Quirstorp.
*
March 4
Events Pre-1600
*AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).
* 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
* 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...
– The
Treaty of Dunkirk
The Treaty of Dunkirk was signed on 4 March 1947, between France and the United Kingdom in Dunkirk (France) as a ''Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance'' against a possible German attack in the aftermath of World War II. It entered into forc ...
(effective September 8) is signed between the United Kingdom and France, providing for mutual assistance in the event of attack.
*
March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
– The
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
begins: The
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine is an American foreign policy that pledged American "support for democracies against authoritarian threats." The doctrine originated with the primary goal of containing Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. It was ...
is proclaimed, to help stem the spread of
Communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
.
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
– The
Thames flood and other widespread flooding occurs, as the exceptionally harsh
British winter of 1946–1947
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
ends in a thaw.
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
* 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
*44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odoa ...
– Hindus and Muslims clash in
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
.
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
*1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen ends ...
– The
19th Academy Awards
The 19th Academy Awards were held on March 13, 1947, honoring the films of 1946, hosted by Jack Benny.
''The Best Years of Our Lives'' won seven of its eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and both male acting Oscars. The ...
Ceremony is held. The movie ''
The Best Years of Our Lives
''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (also known as ''Glory for Me'' and ''Home Again'') is a 1946 American epic drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Russ ...
'' wins the
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...
, along with several other Academy Awards.
*
March 25 – A
coal mine
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
explosion in
Centralia, Illinois
Centralia is a city in Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Illinois with the largest portion in Marion County. The city is the largest in three of the counties; Clinton, Marion, and Washington, but is not a co ...
, United States; 111 miners are killed.
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
– A World War II Japanese
booby trap
A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...
explodes on
Corregidor
Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
Island, killing 28 people.
*
March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– A
rebellion against French rule erupts in
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
.
*
March 31
Events Pre-1600
* 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian.
*1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at V ...
– The leaders of the Kurdish People's
Republic of Mahabad
The Republic of Mahabad or the Republic of Kurdistan ( ku, کۆماری کوردستان / Komara Kurdistanê; fa, جمهوری مهاباد) was a short-lived Kurdish self-governing unrecognized state in present-day Iran, from 22 January to 1 ...
, the second
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
state in the history of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, are hanged at
Chuwarchira Square
Chahar Cheragh or Chuar-chira Square (Kurdish: ''چوارچرا, Çar Çira'', fa, میدان چهارچراغ) (meaning ''Square of the four candles''), is a public square in the centre of the city of Mahabad. It is now officially called Shahrd ...
in
Mahabad
Mahabad ( fa, مهاباد, ku, مەهاباد, translit=Mehabad), also Romanized as Mihābād and Muhābād and formerly known as Savojbolagh, is a city and capital of Mahabad County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its ...
, after the state has been overrun by the Iranian army.
April
*
April
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days.
April is commonly associated with ...
– The previous discovery of the '
Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the nor ...
' in the
Qumran Caves
Qumran Caves are a series of caves, both natural and artificial, found around the archaeological site of Qumran in the Judaean Desert. It is in these caves that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
Israel Nature and Parks Authority took over t ...
(above the northwest shore of the
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank ...
) by
Bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...
shepherds, becomes known.
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Kom ...
**
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
, the first
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
since the 1880s, signs a contract with the
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
.
**
Paul I Paul I may refer to:
*Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch
*Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople
*Pope Paul I (700–767)
*Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia
*Paul ...
becomes King of Greece, aged 45, following the death of his brother,
King George II.
** The
1947 Royal New Zealand Navy mutinies begin.
*
April 4
Events Pre-1600
* 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines.
* 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
* 611 – ...
– The
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sc ...
begins operations.
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
** The Arab
Ba'ath Party
The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...
is established by merger in
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
.
**
Edaville Railroad
Edaville Railroad (also branded Edaville USA and Edaville Family Theme Park) is a heritage railroad and amusement park in South Carver, Massachusetts, opened in 1947, and temporally closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The park was only ...
opens in Massachusetts, as the first railway theme park.
**The largest recorded
sunspot
Sunspots are phenomena on the Sun's photosphere that appear as temporary spots that are darker than the surrounding areas. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. Sun ...
group appears on the solar surface.
* April 9
** Multiple tornadoes strike Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, killing 184 and injuring 970.
** The Journey of Reconciliation in the Southern United States begins, organized by the Congress of Racial Equality.
* April 15 – Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to play Major League Baseball since the 1880s.
* April 16
** Texas City disaster: The ammonium nitrate cargo of French-registered Liberty ship explodes in Texas City, Texas in one of the Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions, largest man-made non-nuclear explosions in history, killing at least 581, including all but one member of the city fire department, injuring at least 5,000 and destroying 20 city blocks. Of the dead, remains of 113 are never found, and 62 are unidentifiable.
** American financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch describes the post–World War II tensions between the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and the United States as a "
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
".
* April 18
** The British Royal Navy detonates 6,800 tons of explosives, in an attempt to demolish the fortified island of Heligoland, Germany, in another of the largest man-made non-nuclear explosions in history.
** 'Mrs. Ples', an ''Australopithecus africanus'' skull, is discovered in the Sterkfontein area in Transvaal Province, Transvaal, South Africa.
* April 20 – King Frederik IX of Denmark, Frederik IX succeeds his father, Christian X, on the throne of Kingdom of Denmark, Denmark.
* April 26 – Academy Award-winning ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon, ''The Cat Concerto'', is released to theatres.
May
* May 1 – Portella della Ginestra massacre: The Salvatore Giuliano gang of Sicilian separatists opens fire on a Labour Day parade at Portella della Ginestra, Sicily, killing 11 people and wounding 27.
* May 2 – The movie ''Miracle on 34th Street'', a Christmastime classic, is first shown in theaters.
* May 3 – The new post-war Constitution of Japan goes into effect.
* May 11 – The Ferrari 125 S, the first car to bear the Ferrari name, debuts.
* May 22
** The
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
begins: In an effort to fight the spread of
Communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
, President Harry S. Truman signs an Act of Congress that implements the
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine is an American foreign policy that pledged American "support for democracies against authoritarian threats." The doctrine originated with the primary goal of containing Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. It was ...
. This Act grants $400 million in military and economic aid to Turkey and Greece. The Cold War Cold War (1985–91), ends in
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
.
** David Lean's film ''Great Expectations (1946 film), Great Expectations'', based on the novel by Charles Dickens, opens in the United States. Critics call it the finest film ever made from a Charles Dickens novel.
* May 25 – Hyundai Togun, the initial name of the Hyundai Group, is founded by Chung Ju-young.
* May 29
** An Air Iceland Douglas C-47 on a domestic flight in Iceland crashes into a mountainside killing all 25 people on board.
** A United States Army Air Forces Douglas C-54 Skymaster crashes on approach to Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan, killing all 41 on board in the worst aviation accident in Japanese history up to this time.
** Douglas DC-4 ''Mainliner Lake Tahoe'', operating as United Airlines Flight 521, fails to become airborne while attempting to take off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City, runs off the end of the runway, and slams into an embankment, killing 42 of the 48 people on board in the worst aviation disaster in American history until the following day.
* May 30 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 605: A Douglas C-54 Skymaster crashes near Port Deposit, Maryland, Bainbridge, Maryland, killing all 53 aboard (49 passengers, 4 crew), in America's worst commercial aviation disaster to that date.
* May 31
** Ferenc Nagy, the democratically elected prime Minister of Hungary, is forced into resign and go exile under pressure from the Soviet-backed Hungarian Communist Party led by Mátyás Rákosi. The fellow traveler Lajos Dinnyés replaces him, which grants the Communists effective control of the Hungarian government.
** Alcide de Gasperi forms a new government in Italy, the first postwar Italian government not to include members of the Italian Communist Party.
June
* June – The Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is introduced.
* June 5 – U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall outlines the Marshall Plan for American reconstruction and relief aid to Europe, in a speech at Harvard University.
* June 7 – The Romanian Army founds the association football club CCA (Clubul Central al Armatei – The Army's Central Club), which will become List of football clubs in Romania by major honors won, the most successful Romanian football team during its time as ''CSA Steaua București''.
* June 10 – Saab Automobile, SAAB in Sweden produces its first automobile.
* June 11–June 15, 15 – The first Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is held in Wales.
* June 15 – The ''Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo'' in Portugal orders 11 military officers and 19 university professors, who are accused of revolutionary activity, to resign.
* June 21 – The Parliament of Canada votes unanimously to pass several laws regarding displaced foreign refugees.
* June 23 – The United States Senate follows the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, in overriding President Harry S. Truman's veto of the Taft–Hartley Act.
* June 24 – Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting, UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington (state), Washington. Over 1947 flying disc craze, 800 copycat sightings are reported throughout the US in the coming following weeks.
* June 25 – ''The Diary of a Young Girl'' by Anne Frank is published for the first time as ''Het Achterhuis: Dagboekbrieven 14 juni 1942 – 1 augustus 1944'' ("The Annex: Diary Notes from 14 June 1942 – 1 August 1944") in Amsterdam, two years after the writer's death in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
July
* July 1 – The United States begins the National Malaria Eradication Program, successfully eradicating malaria in 1951.
* July 6
** 1947 Sylhet referendum: A referendum is held in Sylhet region, Sylhet to decide its fate in the Partition of India.
** The first prototype AK-47 assault rifles are built to the design of Mikhail Kalashnikov.
* July 8 – Roswell UFO incident: A supposedly downed Unidentified flying object, extraterrestrial spacecraft is reportedly found near Roswell, New Mexico.
* July 9 – King George VI of the United Kingdom announces the engagement of his daughter Elizabeth II, Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Lt. Philip Mountbatten.
* July 11 – The ship ''Exodus (ship), Exodus'' leaves France for Mandatory Palestine, Palestine, with 4,500 Jewish Holocaust survivor refugees on board.
* July 17
** Indian passenger ship is capsized by a cyclone at Mumbai, India, with 625 people killed.
** Alleged date when Raoul Wallenberg dies in a Soviet prison. It is not announced until February 6, 1957. There will be reported sightings of him until 1987.
* July 18
** Following wide media and UNSCOP coverage, the ''Exodus (ship), Exodus'' is captured by British troops, and refused entry into Palestine at the port of Haifa.
** President Harry S. Truman signs the Presidential Succession Act into law, which places the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate, President pro tempore of the Senate next in the line of succession, after the Vice President of the United States, vice president.
* July 19 – Burmese nationalist
Aung San
Aung San (, ; 13 February 191519 July 1947) was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his go ...
, and six members of his newly formed cabinet, are assassinated during a cabinet meeting.
* July 26 –
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
: U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs the National Security Act of 1947 into law to create the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the United States National Security Council, National Security Council.
* July 27–July 28, 28 – English endurance swimmer Tom Blower becomes the first person to swim the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel, from Donaghadee in Northern Ireland to Portpatrick in Scotland.
* July 29
** After being shut down on November 9, 1946, for a refurbishment, the ENIAC computer in the United States is turned back on again, and remains in continuous operation until October 2, 1955.
** Original flying saucer witness Kenneth Arnold interviews Fred Crisman and Harold Dahl, who claims to Maury island incident, have recovered material dropped from a flying saucer. Dahl also reports the first modern so-called "Men in black, Men in Black" encounter.
August
* August 1 – Indonesian airline Garuda Indonesia is established.
* August 2 – 1947 BSAA Avro Lancastrian Star Dust accident, 1947 BSAA Avro Lancastrian ''Star Dust'' accident: A British South American Airways Avro Lancastrian airliner crashes into a mountain during a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile (the wreckage will not be found until 1998).
* August 5 – The Netherlands ends Operation Product, the first of its major ''politionele acties'' (military "police actions") in Indonesia.
* August 7
** Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft, the ''Kon-Tiki'', smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands, after a 101-day, 4,300 mile, voyage across the Eastern Pacific Ocean, demonstrating that prehistoric peoples could have traveled to the Central Pacific islands from South America.
** The Bombay Municipal Corporation formally takes over the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).
* August 14
** The Muslim majority regions formed by the Partition of India gain independence from the British Empire as the Dominion of Pakistan. While the transition is officially at midnight on this day, Pakistan celebrates its independence on August 14, compared with India on the 15th, because the Pakistan Standard Time is 30 minutes behind the standard time of India.
** Muhammad Ali Jinnah becomes the first Governor-General of Pakistan, governor-general of Pakistan. Liaquat Ali Khan takes office as the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan.
* August 15
** The greater Indian subcontinent, with a mixed population of Hindus, Hindu, Sikhs, Buddhism in India, Buddhists, Jainism in India, Jains, Zoroastrianism in India, Zoroasters, Judaism in India, Jews, Christianity in India, Christians, Islam in India, Muslims and others formed by the Partition of India, gains independence from the British Empire, as the Dominion of India.
** Jawaharlal Nehru takes office as the first Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India, taking his oath from Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Louis Mountbatten, Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, Governor-General of India (but no longer viceroy).
* August 16 – In Greece, General Markos Vafiadis takes over the government until 1949.
* August 23 – The Prime Minister of Greece, prime minister of Greece,
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos ( el, Δημήτριος Μάξιμος; 6 July 1873 – 17 October 1955) was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.
Maximos was born on 6 July 1873 in Patras. He ...
, resigns.
* August 27 – The French government lowers the daily bread Rationing, ration to 200 grams, causing riots in Verdun and Le Mans.
* August 30 – A fire at a movie theater in Rueil-Malmaison, Rueil, a suburb of Paris, France, kills 83 people.
* August 31 – In Hungary, communists fail to gain a majority in parliamentary elections (despite widespread fraud) and turn to direct action as part of the country's History of Hungary#Transition to communism (1944–1949), transition to Communism (1944–1949).
September
* September 9
** Women's suffrage is agreed by Argentina's Congress.
** A moth lodged in a relay is found to be the cause of a malfunction in the Harvard Mark II electromechanical computer, logged as the "First actual case of Software bug, bug being found."
* September 13 – Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru suggests the exchange of four million Hindus and Muslims between India and Pakistan.
* September 15–September 16, 16 – Typhoon Kathleen strikes the Bōsō Peninsula and the entire Kantō region in Japan. Heavy rains cause the Arakawa River (Kanto), Arakawa and Tone Rivers to overflow and embankment collapse. The resulting floods and debris flow kill between 1,077 and 1,920 people, injuring 1,547 and leaving 853 missing.
* September 17–September 21, 21 – The 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane in southeastern Florida, and also in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana causes widespread damage, and kills 50 people.
* September 18 – In the United States:
** The National Security Act of 1947 becomes effective on this day, creating the United States Air Force, National Security Council (United States), National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency.
** The United States Department of War, Department of War becomes the Department of the Army, a branch of the new United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense.
* September 22 – The Information Bureau of the Communist and Workers' Parties (Cominform) is founded by the International Communist Movement.
* September 30 – Pakistan and Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, Yemen join the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
.
October
* October
** The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigations into communism in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood.
** First recorded use of the word ''computer'' in its modern sense, referring to an electronic digital machine.
* October 1 – The North American F-86 Sabre jet fighter aircraft makes its first flight.
* October 5 – President Harry S. Truman delivers the first televised White House address, speaking on the world food crises.
* October 14
** 1947 Jammu massacres: Extremist Hindus and Sikhs kill 20,000–100,000 Muslims in the Jammu and Kashmir (princely state), princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
** United States Air Force test pilot Captain Chuck Yeager flies a Bell X-1 rocket plane faster than the speed of sound, the first time it has been accomplished.
* October 20 – A war begins in Kashmir, along the border between India and Pakistan, initiating the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948. Also, Pakistan establishes diplomatic relations with the United States of America.
* October 24 – The first Azad Kashmir Government is established within Pakistan, headed by Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan as its first President supported by the government of Pakistan.
* October 30 – The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the foundation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is established.
November
* November 2 – In Long Beach, California, designer and airplane pilot Howard Hughes carries out the one and only flight of the Hughes H-4 Hercules ("''Spruce Goose''"), the largest fixed-wing aircraft ever built and flown. This flight only lasts 8 minutes.
* November 6 – The television program ''Meet the Press'' makes its debut, on the NBC-TV network in the United States.
* November 9 – Junagadh is invaded by the Indian army.
* November 10 – The arrest of four steel workers in Marseille begins a French Communist Party, French communist riot, that also spreads to Paris.
* November 13
** Wataru Misaka makes the roster of the 1947–48 New York Knicks season, New York Knicks to become the first person of color to play in modern professional basketball, just months after
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
has broken the color barrier in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
for the
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
. Misaka has led the Utah Utes men's basketball, Utah Utes to the 1944 NCAA basketball tournament, 1944 NCAA and 1947 National Invitation Tournament, 1947 NIT championships.
** The Soviet Union completes development of the AK-47 assault rifle; it will be adopted by the Soviet Army in 1949 and become the most produced assault rifle in history.
* November 15
** The International Telecommunication Union becomes a specialized agency of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
.
** The Universal Postal Union (UPU) becomes a specialized agency of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
(effective July 1 1948).
* November 16
** In Brussels, 15,000 people demonstrate against the relatively short prison sentences of Belgian Nazi criminals.
** Great Britain begins withdrawing its troops from Palestine.
* November 17–December 23 – John Bardeen and Walter Brattain working under William Shockley at AT&T Corporation, AT&T's Bell Labs in the United States demonstrate the transistor effect, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th century.
* November 17 – The Screen Actors Guild implements an anti-Communist loyalty oath.
* November 18 – Ballantyne's fire: A fire in Ballantynes department store in Christchurch, New Zealand, kills 41 people.
* November 20
** Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh: Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II), the daughter of George VI of the United Kingdom, marries Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey in London.
** Paul Ramadier resigns as Prime Minister of France. He is succeeded by Robert Schuman, who calls in 80,000 army reservists to quell rioting miners in France.
* November 21 – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment begins in Havana, Cuba. This conference ends in 1948, when its members complete the Havana Charter.
* November 24 – McCarthyism: The
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
votes 346–17 to approve citations of Contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten", after the screenwriters and directors refuse to co-operate with the House Un-American Activities Committee concerning allegations of Communism, communist influences in the movie business. The ten men are Hollywood blacklist, blacklisted by the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood movie studios on the following day.
* November 25
** The New Zealand Parliament ratifies the Statute of Westminster 1931, Statute of Westminster, and thus becomes independent of legislative control by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
** The new Pakistan Army and Pashtun people, Pashtun Mercenary, mercenaries overrun Mirpur in Kashmir, resulting in the death of 20,000 Hindus and Sikhs.
* November 27 – In Paris, France, police occupy the editorial offices of the communist newspapers.
* November 29 – The United Nations General Assembly votes for the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine which will partition Mandatory Palestine between Arab and Jewish regions, resulting in the creation of the State of Israel.
December
* December – 1947 anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo, organised by the new Syrian government, result in some 75 Jews murdered and a Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries, Jewish exodus.
* December 2–December 4, 4 – 1947 Aden riots: Yemeni Arabs attack Mizrahi Jews.
* December 2 – 1947 Jerusalem riots: Arabs protest against the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.
* December 3
** French Communist Party, French communist Strike action, strikers derail the Paris-Tourcoing express train because of false rumors that it is transporting soldiers; 21 people are killed.
** The Tennessee Williams play ''A Streetcar Named Desire (play), A Streetcar Named Desire'', starring Marlon Brando in his first great role, opens at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway in New York City; Jessica Tandy also stars as Blanche Du Bois.
* December 4 – French Interior Minister Jules S. Moch takes state of emergency, emergency measures against his country's rioters, after six days of violent arguments in the National Assembly of France, National Assembly.
* December 6
** Arturo Toscanini conducts a concert performance of the first half of Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''Otello'', for a broadcast on NBC Radio in the United States. The second half of the opera is broadcast a week later.
** Women are admitted to full membership of the University of Cambridge in England. following a vote in September.
* December 9 – French labor unions call off the general strike, and re-commence negotiations with the French government.
* December 12 – The
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian Royal Army takes back power in the Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan province.
* December 14 – Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is officially inaugurated in Madrid, and hosts its first match.
* December 21 – During the mass migration of Hindus and Muslims between the new states of India and Pakistan, 400,000 are slaughtered.
* December 22 – The Italian Constituent Assembly votes to accept the new Constitution of Italy.
* December 30
** The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter aircraft (NATO reporting name Wikt:fagot, Fagot) makes its first flight in the Soviet Union.
** King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate and the Romanian monarchy is abolished.
Date unknown
* Raytheon produces the first commercial microwave oven, in the United States.
* Global casual fashion brand H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) is founded, and a first Hennes outlet store opens in Västmanland, Sweden.
Births
January
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
** F. R. David, Tunisian-born French singer
** Vladimir Titov, Russian cosmonaut
** Frances Yip, Hong Kong singer
* January 6
** Sandy Denny, British singer (d. 1978)
** Ian Millar, Canadian dressage rider
* January 8
** David Bowie, English singer, songwriter, and actor (d. 2016)
** Samuel Schmid, Swiss Federal Councillor
*
January 10
Events Pre-1600
*49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war.
* 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...
– Peer Steinbrück, German politician
* January 13 – Carles Rexach, Spanish-Catalan footballer and coach
*
January 15
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
* 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...
– Andrea Martin, Canadian-American actress (''Second City Television'')
*
January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
* 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...
** Juliet Berto, French actress, director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
** Apasra Hongsakula, Thai model, Miss Universe 1965
** Harvey Proctor, British Conservative politician
* January 18 – Takeshi Kitano, Japanese film director, actor
* January 20 – Cyrille Guimard, French road racing cyclist
* January 21 – Jill Eikenberry, American actress
* January 23
** Tom Carper, American politician
** Megawati Sukarnoputri, 5th President of Indonesia
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
*1438 – The Cou ...
** Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian footballer (d. 2012)
** Michio Kaku, American theoretical physicist
** Warren Zevon, American rock musician (''Werewolves of London'') (d. 2003)
* January 25 – Tostão (Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade), Brazilian footballer
*
January 26
Events Pre-1600
* 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
*1531 – The 6.4–7.1 1531 Lisbon earthquake, Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
*1564 – ...
– Michel Sardou, French singer and actor
* January 27 – Björn Afzelius, Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist (''Hoola Bandoola Band'') (d. 1999)
* January 29 – Linda B. Buck, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* January 30 – Steve Marriott, British rock musician (d.
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
)
*
January 31
Events Pre-1600
* 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
* 1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the t ...
– Jonathan Banks, American actor
February
* February 1 – Mike Brant, Israeli singer and songwriter (d. 1975)
* February 2 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress (''Charlie's Angels'') (d. 2009)
*
February 3
Events Pre-1600
* 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states.
*1451 – Sultan Mehmed II inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire.
*1488 – ...
** Paul Auster, American novelist
** Dave Davies, English musician (The Kinks)
** Melanie Safka, American rock singer
* February 4
** Halina Aszkiełowicz-Wojno, Polish volleyball player (d. 2018)
** Dennis C. Blair, American admiral, Director of National Intelligence
** Dan Quayle, 44th Vice President of the United States
** John Campbell Brown, Scottish astronomer (d. 2019)
*
February 5
Events Pre-1600
* 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
* 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
* 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians ar ...
– Regina Duarte, Brazilian actress; former Special Secretary of Culture of Brazil
*
February 7
Events Pre-1600
* 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor.
* 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
* 1301 &nd ...
– Wayne Allwine, American voice actor (d. 2009)
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, sparkin ...
– Louise Arbour, Canadian jurist
* February 11
** Yukio Hatoyama, 60th Prime Minister of Japan
** Roy Moore, American politician
** Derek Shulman, Scottish musician (''Gentle Giant'')
* February 13 – Mike Krzyzewski, American basketball player and coach
* February 15
** John Adams (composer), John Adams, American composer
** Wenche Myhre, Norwegian actress, singer
** Ádám Nádasdy, Hungarian linguist and poet
* February 16 – Veríssimo Correia Seabra, Bissau-Guinean military commander (d. 2004)
* February 18
** Princess Christina of the Netherlands (d. 2019)
** José Luis Cuerda, Spanish filmmaker, screenwriter and producer (d. 2020)
* February 19 – Gustavo Rodríguez (actor), Gustavo Rodríguez, Venezuelan actor (d. 2014)
*
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
** Peter Osgood, English footballer (d. 2006)
** Peter Strauss, American actor
*
February 21
Events Pre-1600
* 452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.
* 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
* 1440 – The Prus ...
** Victor Sokolov, Russian dissident journalist and priest (d. 2006)
** Renata Sorrah, Brazilian actress
* February 24
** Rupert Holmes, British-born American singer-songwriter (''The Pina Colada Song'')
** Edward James Olmos, Hispanic-American actor, director, producer and activist
** Juval Aviv, Israeli-American security consultant and former Mossad agent
*
February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
...
** Lee Evans (sprinter), Lee Evans, American Olympic athlete (d. 2021)
** Doug Yule, American rock singer (''The Velvet Underground'')
* February 26 – Sandie Shaw, British singer
* February 27 – Gidon Kremer, Latvian violinist
*
February 28
Events Pre-1600
*202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty.
* 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes.
*1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on ...
– Stephanie Beacham, English actress
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor ...
– Alan Thicke, Canadian actor and television host (d. 2016)
* March 2 – Yuri Bogatyryov, Soviet actor (d. 1989)
* March 3 – Óscar Tabárez, Óscar Washington Tabárez, Uruguayan football manager and former player
*
March 4
Events Pre-1600
*AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).
* 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
* 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...
** Jan Garbarek, Norwegian musician
** Gunnar Hansen, Icelandic actor (d. 2015)
* March 6
** Kiki Dee, English pop singer (''Don't Go Breaking My Heart'')
** Dick Fosbury, American athlete
** Teru Miyamoto, Japanese author
** Rob Reiner, American actor, comedian, producer, director and activist (''All in the Family'')
** John Stossel, American journalist
* March 7 – Walter Röhrl, German racing driver
* March 8
** Carole Bayer Sager, American singer, songwriter
** Michael S. Hart, American author, inventor (d. 2011)
* March 9 – Ryszard Peryt, Polish conductor, librettist (d. 2019)
* March 10 – Kim Campbell, Prime Minister of Canada
* March 11 – Geoff Hunt, Australian squash player
*
March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
** Kalervo Palsa, Finnish artist
** Mitt Romney, American businessman, politician, Governor of Massachusetts, 2012 United States presidential election, 2012 presidential candidate, and United States Senate, US Senator (Republican Party (United States), R-Utah, Ut.)
* March 13 – Beat Richner, Swiss pediatrician, cellist (d. 2018)
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
* 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
*44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odoa ...
– Ry Cooder, American guitarist
* March 16
** Baek Yoon-sik, South Korean actor
** Ramzan Paskayev, Chechen accordionist
* March 17
**Yury Chernavsky, Russian-born composer, producer
**Zhandra Rodríguez, Venezuelan ballet dancer
* March 18 – Tamara Griesser Pečar, Slovenian historian
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
*1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen ends ...
– Glenn Close, American actress
* March 21 – Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of Yemen (d. 2017)
* March 22 – James Patterson, American author
* March 24
** Mike Kellie, English rock musician (d. 2017)
** Louise Lanctôt, Canadian terrorist and writer
** Alan Sugar, English entrepreneur
*
March 25 – Elton John, English singer-songwriter and composer
* March 26 – Subhash Kak, Indian-American author
*
March 31
Events Pre-1600
* 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian.
*1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at V ...
** Wong Choon Wah, Malaysian footballer (d. 2014)
** César Gaviria, Colombian economist, politician and 28th President of Colombia
April
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Kom ...
** Alain Connes, French mathematician
** Ingrid Steeger, German actress, comedian
** Tzipi Shavit, Israeli actress
* April 2
** Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer, actress
** Emmylou Harris, American singer, songwriter
** Camille Paglia, American literary critic
* April 5 – Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, 14th President of the Philippines, daughter of president Diosdado Macapagal
* April 6 – John Ratzenberger, American actor (''Cheers'')
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
– Florian Schneider, German musician (d. 2020)
* April 10 – Bunny Wailer, Jamaican reggae musician (d. 2021)
* April 12
** Tom Clancy, American author (d. 2013)
** David Letterman, American talk show host
* April 13 – Mike Chapman, Australian-born songwriter, record producer
* April 15 – Lois Chiles, American actress
* April 16
** Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, African-American basketball player, actor (''Airplane!'')
** Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter ("Baker Street (song), Baker Street") (d. 2011)
* April 18
** Kathy Acker, American author (d. 1997)
** Jerzy Stuhr, Polish actor, director
** James Woods, American actor
* April 19 – Murray Perahia, American pianist
* April 20
** Daud Ibrahim, Malaysian cyclist (d. 2010)
** Hector (musician), Hector, Finnish rock musician
* April 21 – Iggy Pop, American rock musician
* April 24 – Josep Borrell, Spanish minister, Member of the European Parliament, MEP and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, EU High Representative
* April 25
** Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer and coach (d. 2016)
** Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor
* April 27 - Pete Ham, Welsh rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (suicide 1975)
* April 29
** Olavo de Carvalho, Brazilian journalist, essayist and professor of philosophy
** Tommy James, American rock singer, producer
** Jim Ryun, American middle-distance runner
May
* May 1 – Jacob Bekenstein, Mexico-born Israeli-American theoretical physicist (d. 2015)
* May 4 – Theda Skocpol, American sociologist
* May 5 – Malam Bacai Sanhá, Guinea-Bissau politician (d. 2012)
* May 6 – Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher
* May 8 – H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* May 9 – Yukiya Amano, Japanese international civil servant (d. 2019)
* May 10 – Caroline B. Cooney, American author
* May 11
** Walter Selke, German physicist
** Butch Trucks, American drummer (''The Allman Brothers Band'') (d. 2017)
* May 12 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian politician, philosopher and historian
* May 13 – Stephen R. Donaldson, American novelist
* May 14
** José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, Colombian drug lord (d. 1989)
** Tamara Dobson, African-American actress, fashion model (d. 2006)
**Ana Martín, Mexican actress, singer producer and former model (Miss Mexico Organization, Miss Mexico 1963)
* May 15 – Muhyiddin Yassin, Prime Minister of Malaysia
* May 17 – Hawa Abdi, Somali activist and doctor (d. 2020)
* May 18 – John Bruton, 10th Taoiseach of Ireland
* May 19 – Paul Brady, Northern Irish singer, songwriter
* May 21 – Lolit Solis, Filipina talent manager (host of ''Startalk (Philippine TV series), Startalk'', ''CelebriTV'')
* May 24 – Maude Barlow, Canadian author, activist and National Chairperson of The Council of Canadians
* May 26 – Glenn Turner, New Zealand Captain (cricket), cricket captain
* May 27
** Peter DeFazio, American politician
** Branko Oblak, Slovenian football player and coach
* May 28 – Pedro Giachino, Argentine Navy officer (d. 1982)
June
* June 1
** Jonathan Pryce, Welsh actor
** Ronnie Wood, English rock musician (''Faces (band), The Faces'', ''The Rolling Stones'')
* June 2 – Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Punjabi saint, Sikh theologian, military leader (d. 1984)
* June 3 – Dave Alexander (musician), Dave Alexander, American musician (d. 1975)
* June 4 – Viktor Klima, Chancellor of Austria
* June 5
** Laurie Anderson, American experimental performance artist, composer and musician
** Jojon, Indonesian comedian, actor (d. 2014)
* June 6
** David Blunkett, British politician
** Robert Englund, American actor (''V (1983 miniseries), V'', ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'')
** Ada Kok, Dutch swimmer
* June 8 – Eric F. Wieschaus, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* June 9
** Françoise Demulder, French war photographer (d. 2008)
** Robert Indermaur, Swiss painter and sculptor
* June 10 – Ken Singleton, American baseball player
* June 15
** Alain Aspect, French quantum physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics
** John Hoagland, American war photographer (d. 1984)
* June 19
** Paula Koivuniemi, Finnish singer
** Salman Rushdie, Indian-born British author (''The Satanic Verses'')
* June 20 – Candy Clark, American actress
* June 21
** Rachel Adato, Israeli gynaecologist, lawyer and politician
** Shirin Ebadi, Iranian activist, Nobel Peace Prize recipient
** Fernando Savater, Spanish philosopher, author
* June 22
** Bruno Latour, French philosopher, anthropologist and sociologist (d. 2022)
** Natalya Varley, Soviet, Russian film, theater actress
** Murray Webb, New Zealand caricature artist, test cricketer
** David Jones (golfer), David Jones, Northern Irish European Tour golfer
** Octavia E. Butler, American author (d. 2006)
** Trevor Blades, English cricketer
** Pete Maravich, American basketball player (d. 1988)
** Jerry John Rawlings, 2-time President of Ghana (d. 2020)
* June 23
** Zvi Rosen, Israeli international footballer
** Bryan Brown, Australian actor
** Thor Hansen, Norwegian-born professional poker player
** Ed Werenich, Canadian curler
* June 24
** Mick Fleetwood, British musician (''Fleetwood Mac'')
** Helena Vondráčková, Czech singer
** Peter Weller, American actor and director
* June 25 – Jimmie Walker, African-American actor (''Good Times (TV series), Good Times'')
* June 26 – Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Afghan politician
* June 27
** Hans Ooft, Dutch football player, manager
** Abdel Djaadaoui, Algerian footballer
* June 29 – David Chiang, Hong Kong actor
* June 30 – Jean-Yves Le Drian, French minister
July
* July 1
** Marc Benno, American singer, songwriter and guitarist
** Arantxa Urretabizkaia, Basque writer, screenwriter and actress
** Sharad Yadav, Indian politician
* July 2 – Larry David, American actor, writer, producer and director (''Curb Your Enthusiasm'')
* July 3
** Betty Buckley, American actress, singer
** Mike Burton (swimmer), Mike Burton, American swimmer
** Rob Rensenbrink, Dutch football player (d. 2020)
** Jana Švandová, Czech actress
* July 4
** Francisco Fernández de Cevallos, Mexican politician
** Eva Goës, Swedish politician
** Carla Panerai, Italian sprinter
* July 5 – Toos Beumer, Dutch swimmer
* July 6 – Shelley Hack, American model, actress, producer, political and media advisor
* July 7
** Richard Beckinsale, English actor (d. 1979)
** King Gyanendra of Nepal
** Felix Standaert, Belgian diplomat
* July 9
** Haruomi Hosono, Japanese musician (''Yellow Magic Orchestra'')
** O. J. Simpson, African-American football player and actor
* July 10
** Allen Fong, Hong Kong film director
** Arlo Guthrie, American folk singer (''Alice's Restaurant'')
* July 11 – Riad Ismat, Syrian writer, critic and theatre director
* July 12
** Gareth Edwards, Welsh rugby union player
**Wilko Johnson, English rock musician (d. 2022
** Lenka Termerová, Czech actress
* July 14 – Navin Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius
* July 15 – Roky Erickson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2019)
* July 16
** Roelf Meyer, South African politician, businessman
* July 17 – Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom, royal consort
* July 19 – Brian May, English rock guitarist ''(Queen (band), Queen'')
* July 20
** Gerd Binnig, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate
** Carlos Santana, Mexican-born rock guitarist
* July 21 – Co Adriaanse, Dutch football manager
* July 22
** Albert Brooks, American actor, comedian, director, and novelist
** Erica Gavin, American actress
** Don Henley, American singer, songwriter and musician
* July 24 – Peter Serkin, American classical pianist (d. 2020)
* July 25 – Scott Shannon, American disc jockey
* July 27
** Bob Klein, American football player
** Kazuyoshi Miura (businessman), Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese businessman (d. 2008)
** Giora Spiegel, Israeli footballer and coach
* July 28 – Su Tseng-chang, Taiwanese politician, 41st and 50th Premier of the Republic of China
* July 30
** William Atherton, American actor
** Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, French virologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate
** Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-American actor, bodybuilder and 38th Governor of California
* July 31 - Richard Griffiths, English actor (d. 2013)
August
* August 1
** Lorna Goodison, Jamaican poet
** Leoluca Orlando, Italian politician
* August 4 – Hubert Ingraham, Bahamian politician
* August 5 – Graham Lovett, English footballer (d. 2018)
* August 7 – Franciscus Henri, Dutch-born Australian children's entertainer, composer and artist
* August 8
** Terangi Adam, Nauruan politician
** George Costigan, British actor, screenwriter
** Ken Dryden, Canadian NHL goaltender, author and politician
* August 9 – John Varley (author), John Varley, American science-fiction author
* August 10
** Ian Anderson, British rock musician (''Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull'')
** Drupi, Italian singer
** Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian politician
* August 11
** Diether Krebs, German actor, cabaret artist and comedian (d. 2000)
** Wilma van den Berg, Dutch sprinter
* August 14
** Maddy Prior, English folk singer
** Danielle Steel, American romance novelist
* August 15
** Sonny Carter, American astronaut (d.
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
)
** Raakhee, Indian actress
* August 16
** Carol Moseley Braun, African-American politician
** Marc Messier, Canadian actor
* August 17 – Mohamed Abdelaziz (Sahrawi politician), Mohamed Abdelaziz, Sahrawi politician
* August 20 – José Wilker, Brazilian actor (d. 2014)
* August 21 – Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada
* August 22
** Cindy Williams, American actress (''Laverne and Shirley'')
** Peter Irniq, Canadian Commissioner of Nunavut
* August 23 – Willy Russell, British playwright
* August 24 – Roger De Vlaeminck, Belgian cyclist
* August 26 – Nicolae Dobrin, Romanian footballer (d. 2007)
* August 27 – Barbara Bach, American actress
* August 28
** Emlyn Hughes, English footballer (d. 2004)
** Liza Wang, Hong Kong actress
** Alice Playten, American actress (d. 2011)
* August 29
** James Hunt, British 1976 Formula 1 world champion (d. 1993)
** Temple Grandin, American animal welfare and autism expert
** Jah Lloyd, Jamaican reggae singer, deejay and producer (d. 1999)
* August 30 – Allan Rock, Canadian politician, diplomat
* August 31
** Ramón Castellano de Torres, Spanish painter
** Somchai Wongsawat, 26th Prime Minister of Thailand
September
* September 3
** Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prime Minister of Norway
** Gerard Houllier, French football manager (d. 2020)
* September 5
** Danny Florencio, Filipino basketball player (d. 2018)
** Buddy Miles, African-American drummer, singer and composer (d. 2008)
** Kiyoshi Takayama, Japanese yakuza boss
* September 6
** Jane Curtin, American actress, comedian (''Saturday Night Live'')
** Bruce Rioch, Scottish footballer, coach
** Jacob Rubinovitz, Israeli scientist
* September 8 – Amos Biwott, Kenyan Olympic athlete
* September 13 – Ajib Ahmad, Malaysian politician (d. 2011)
* September 14
** Sam Neill, British-born New Zealand actor
** Jerzy Popieluszko, Polish Roman Catholic priest and blessed (d. 1984)
* September 16 – Russ Abbot, British comedian, actor and singer
* September 17 – Tessa Jowell, British politician (d. 2018)
* September 19 – Tanith Lee, British author (d. 2015)
* September 21
** Don Felder, American musician and songwriter
** Stephen King, American writer and novelist, specializing in the horror genre
* September 22 – Jo Beverley, Anglo-Canadian writer (d. 2016)
* September 23 – Mary Kay Place, American actress
* September 25
** Cheryl Tiegs, American model, actress
** Cecil Womack, African-American singer, songwriter (''Womack & Womack'') (d. 2013)
* September 26 – Lynn Anderson, American country music singer (d. 2015)
* September 27
** Dick Advocaat, Dutch football manager
** Meat Loaf, American rock singer, actor (d. 2022)
** Denis Lawson, Scottish actor and director
* September 28
** Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesian politician and former military officer
** Marcelo Guinle, Argentine politician (d. 2017)
** Sheikh Hasina, 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh
* September 30
** Marc Bolan, English rock musician (d. 1977)
** Rula Lenska, English actress
October
* October 1
** Aaron Ciechanover, Israeli biologist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner
** Stephen Collins, American actor
** Mariska Veres, Dutch singer (d. 2006)
* October 2 – Ward Churchill, American author, activist
* October 3
** Alain Mucchielli, French physician
** Fred DeLuca, American entrepreneur, co-founder of ''Subway (restaurant), Subway'' (d. 2015)
** John Perry Barlow, American internet activist, writer, and lyricist (d. 2018)
* October 4 – Ann Widdecombe, British politician
* October 5 – Brian Johnson, English rock singer (AC/DC)
* October 9 – France Gall, French singer (d. 2018)
* October 13 – Sammy Hagar, American rock musician (Montrose (band), Montrose and Van Halen)
* October 14 – Nikolai Volkoff, Croatian-Russian professional wrestler (d. 2018)
* October 17 – Simi Garewal, Indian actress, producer, director, and talk show host
* October 18
** James H. Fallon, American neuroscientist
** Job Cohen, Dutch politician
* October 19
** Giorgio Cavazzano, Italian comics artist and illustrator
** Gunnar Staalesen, Norwegian author
* October 20 – Abdul Hadi Awang, Malaysian politician
* October 24 – Kevin Kline, American actor
* October 26
** Hillary Clinton, American politician, First Lady of the United States, First Lady, United States Senate, US Senator (Democratic Party (United States), D-New York (state), Ny.), United States Secretary of State, Secretary of State, and 2016 Democratic Party (United States), Democratic presidential candidate
** Ene Järvis, Estonian actress
* October 28 – Henri Michel, French football player and coach (d. 2018)
* October 29 – Richard Dreyfuss, American actor
* October 30 – Timothy B. Schmit, American musician
* October 31
** Carmen Alborch, Spanish feminist, writer and politician (d. 2018)
** Herman Van Rompuy, Belgian politician, 66th Prime Minister of Belgium
November
* November 1
** Taizo Ichinose, Japanese war photographer (d. 1973)
** Bob Weston (guitarist), Bob Weston, British musician (d. 2012)
** Salleh Ibrahim, Malaysian footballer (d. 2020)
* November 4 – Rod Marsh, Australian cricketer (d. 2022)
* November 5 – Rubén Juárez, Argentine bandoneonist, singer and songwriter of tango (d. 2010)
* November 6 – E. Lee Spence, German-born American pioneer List of undersea explorers, underwater archaeologist, treasure hunter
* November 7
** Yutaka Fukumoto, Japanese professional baseball player
** Usha Uthup, Indian singer
** Sondhi Limthongkul, Thai journalist, writer and founder of ''Manager Daily''
** Sefi Rivlin, Israeli actor, footballer and comedian (d. 2013)
* November 8 – Minnie Riperton, African-American singer (d. 1979)
* November 10
** Glen Buxton, American rock guitarist (d. 1997)
** Greg Lake, English musician, producer (King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer) (d. 2016)
* November 12 – Carlos Ezquerra, Spanish comics artist (d. 2018)
* November 13 – Joe Mantegna, American actor, producer and director
* November 14 – P. J. O'Rourke, American journalist, satirist (d. 2022)
* November 15
** Steven G. Kellman, American author, critic
** Bill Richardson, American politician and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Nations
* November 17
** Will Vinton, American animator, filmmaker (d. 2018)
** Inky Mark, Canadian politician
* November 18 – Ali Bakar, Malaysian football player (d. 2003)
* November 19 – Anfinn Kallsberg, Faroese Prime Minister
* November 20
** Joe Walsh, American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist
** Nurlan Balgimbayev, Kazakh politician (d. 2015)
* November 21
** Alcione Nazareth, Alcione, Brazilian singer
** Nickolas Grace, British actor
** Chua Ek Kay, Singaporean painter (d. 2008)
* November 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics), November 22 - Terje Rød-Larsen, Norwegian diplomat, politician and sociologist
*November 24 – Dwight Schultz, American actor (''The A-Team'')
* November 25 – John Larroquette, American actor (''Night Court'')
* November 29 – Mirza Khazar, Azerbaijani author
* November 30
** Sergio Badilla Castillo, Chilean poet
** Stuart Baird, English film editor, producer and director
** Véronique Le Flaguais, Canadian actress
** David Mamet, American playwright
** Moses Nagamootoo, 8th Prime Minister of Guyana
December
* December 1 – Bob Fulton, English-Australian rugby league player (d. 2021)
* December 2 – Isaac Bitton, French rock drummer
* December 6 – Romildo Ribeiro Soares, RR Soares, Brazilian televangelist, missionary, author, singer, businessman and composer
* December 7
** Oliver Dragojević, Croatian singer (d. 2018)
** Johnny Bench, American baseball player
** Wendy Padbury, British actress
** Jeff Maxwell, American actor (''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H'')
* December 8
** Gregg Allman, American singer, songwriter and musician (d. 2017)
** Gérard Blanc, French singer
** Thomas R. Cech, American chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
* December 9 – Tom Daschle, U.S. Senator
* December 10 – Rainer Seifert, German field hockey player
* December 11 – David E. Stone, American sound editor
* December 12 – Will Alsop, English architect
* December 14
** Christopher Parkening, American guitarist
** Dilma Rousseff, 36th President of Brazil
* December 16
** Ben Cross, English actor (d. 2020)
** Vincent Matthews (athlete), Vincent Matthews, American athlete
** Trevor Żahra, Maltese novelist, poet and illustrator
* December 18 – Leonid Yuzefovich, Russian crime fiction writer
* December 21 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist (d. 2014)
* December 22
** Mitsuo Tsukahara, Japanese gymnast
** Porfirio Lobo, 54th President of Honduras
* December 25 – Pepe Smith, Filipino rock musician (d. 2019)
* December 26 – Mariella Mehr, Swiss novelist (d. 2022)
* December 27 – Johann-Henrich Krummacher, German politician and clergyman (d. 2008)
* December 28 – Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player (d. 2000)
* December 29
** Ted Danson, American actor (''Cheers'')
** Cozy Powell, English drummer (d. 1998)
* December 30 – Jeff Lynne, British musician (Electric Light Orchestra)
* December 31
** Rita Lee, Brazilian rock singer, composer
** Tim Matheson, American actor, film director and producer
Date unknown
* Marouf al-Bakhit, twice Prime Minister of Jordan
Deaths
January
* January 3 – Al Herpin, French-born American insomniac, "The Man Who Never Slept" (b. 1862)
* January 5 – Osami Nagano, Japanese admiral (b. 1880)
* January 8 – Tadeusz Kutrzeba, Polish general (b. 1885)
* January 9
** Herman Bing, German actor (b. 1889)
** Karl Mannheim, Hungarian sociologist (b. 1893)
*
January 10
Events Pre-1600
*49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war.
* 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...
** Arthur E. Andersen, American accountant (b. 1885)
** Hanns Sachs, Austrian psychoanalyst (b. 1881)
* January 11 – Eva Tanguay, Canadian-born vaudeville performer (b. 1878)
* January 12
** Zdenko Blažeković, Yugoslavian politician (b. 1915)
** Júlio Afrânio Peixoto, Brazilian physician, writer, politician and historian (b. 1876)
* January 13
** Sixto María Durán Cárdenas, Ecuadorian pianist, composer and lawyer (b. 1875)
** Ignazio Lupo, Italian-born American gangster (b. 1877)
* January 14 – Bill Hewitt (American football), Bill Hewitt, American football player (Chicago Bears), Pro Football Hall of Fame member (b. 1909)
* January 17 – Hryhoriy Khomyshyn, Ukrainian Roman Catholic bishop, martyr and blessed (b. 1867)
* January 18 – Maria Giovanna Fasce, Italian Roman Catholic religious professed, Augustinians, Augustinian nun and blessed (b. 1881)
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender ...
– Manuel Machado (poet and playwright), Manuel Machado, Spanish poet (b. 1874)
* January 20
** Josh Gibson, African-American baseball player, MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1911)
** Andrew Volstead, American politician (b. 1860)
* January 22 – Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, British writer (b. 1888)
* January 23
** Pierre Bonnard, French painter (b. 1867)
** Roy Geiger, American general (b. 1885)
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
*1438 – The Cou ...
– August Meyszner, Austrian-born SS officer (executed) (b. 1886)
* January 25 – Al Capone, American gangster (b. 1899)
*
January 26
Events Pre-1600
* 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
*1531 – The 6.4–7.1 1531 Lisbon earthquake, Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
*1564 – ...
**
Grace Moore
Mary Willie Grace Moore (December 5, 1898January 26, 1947) was an American operatic soprano and actress in musical theatre and film.Obituary ''Variety'', January 29, 1947, page 48. She was nicknamed the "Tennessee Nightingale." Her films helped ...
, American opera singer, actress (b. 1898)
** Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (b. 1906)
* January 27 – Vassily Balabanov, Soviet administrator, Provincial Governor of Imperial Russia (b. 1873)
* January 28 – Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan-born French composer (b. 1874)
* January 30 – Frederick Blackman, British plant physiologist (b.1866)
February
*
February 3
Events Pre-1600
* 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states.
*1451 – Sultan Mehmed II inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire.
*1488 – ...
– Petar Živković, Yugoslavian politician, 11th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1879)
* February 4 – Luigi Russolo, Italian painter, composer (b. 1885)
* February 6
** O. Max Gardner, Governor of North Carolina (b. 1882)
** Luigi Russolo, Italian Futurism, Futurist painter, composer (b. 1885)
* February 11 – Martin Klein (wrestler), Martin Klein, Estonian wrestler (b.1884)
*
February 12
Events Pre-1600
*1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie performed the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna.
*1429 – English forces under ...
** Kurt Lewin, German-born American psychologist (b. 1890)
** Sidney Toler, American actor (b. 1874)
* February 14 – Celestina Boninsegna, Italian soprano (b. 1877)
* February 15 – Mustafa Abdel-Razek, Egyptian Islamic philosopher (b. 1885)
* February 16
** Pedro de Répide Gallegos, Spanish journalist, writer (b. 1853)
** Bertha Schwarz, German soprano (b. 1855)
* February 18
** Valentina Dmitryeva, Soviet writer, teacher and doctor (b. 1859)
** Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt (b. 1901)
*
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
– Henry Herbert (actor), Henry Herbert, British actor (b. 1879)
*
February 23
Events Pre-1600
* 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
* 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a ...
– Hakim Habibur Rahman, Indian physician, writer, journalist and politician (b. 1881)
* February 24
** Morinosuke Chiwaki, Japanese dentist (b. 1870)
** Pierre Janet, French psychologist (b. 1859)
* February 26
** Antonino D'Agata, Italian politician (b. 1882)
** Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss politician, president of the Federal Council (b. 1868)
** Ben Webster (actor), Ben Webster, British-born American actor (b. 1864)
* February 27 – Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1868)
March
* March 2 – Whately Carington, British parapsychologist (b. 1892)
* March 5 – Alfredo Casella, Italian composer (b. 1883)
* March 9
** Carrie Chapman Catt, American suffrage leader (b. 1859)
** Jhaverchand Meghani, Indian poet, writer (b. 1897)
* March 10 – Harukichi Hyakutake, Japanese general (b. 1888)
* March 11
**Victor Lustig, Austrian-born con artist (b. 1890)
**Wilhelm Heye, German general (b. 1869)
*
March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
– Walter Samuel Goodland, Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1862)
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
* 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
*44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odoa ...
** Arthur Machen, British-born author (b. 1863)
** Jean-Richard Bloch, French critic, novelist and playwright (b. 1884)
* March 18 – William C. Durant, American automobile pioneer (b. 1861)
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
*1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen ends ...
** James A. Gilmore, American businessman and baseball executive (b. 1887)
** Prudence Heward, Canadian painter (b. 1896)
* March 20 – Victor Goldschmidt, Swiss geochemist (b. 1888)
* March 21 – Homer Lusk Collyer, American hermit brother (''Collyer brothers'') (b. 1881)
* March 23
** Archduchess Louise of Austria, Archduchess Louise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany (b. 1870)
** Ferdinand Zecca, French actor, producer, director and screenwriter (b. 1864)
*
March 25 – Chen Cheng-po, Taiwanese painter (b. 1895)
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
** Johnny Evers, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs), MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1881)
** Karol Świerczewski, Polish military leader (b. 1897)
*
March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– Manuel de Adalid y Gamero, Honduran composer (b. 1872)
April
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Kom ...
– King George II of Greece (b. 1890)
* April 5 – Petro Trad, Lebanese lawyer, politician, 14th Prime Minister of Lebanon and 5th President of Lebanon (b. 1876)
*April 6 - Herbert Backe, German Nazi general (b. 1896)
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
** Henry Ford, American industrialist, automobile manufacturer (b. 1863)
** Savvas the New of Kalymnos, Greek Orthodox priest and saint (b. 1862)
* April 8 – Collyer brothers, Langley Collyer, American hermit brother (b. 1885)
* April 9 – William Foden, American composer (b. 1860)
* April 10
** Charles Bally, Swiss linguist (b. 1865)
** John Ince (actor), John Ince, American actor (b. 1878)
* April 12 – Duke Robert of Württemberg (b. 1873)
* April 14
** Ayoub Tabet, 6th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1884)
** Salvador Toscano, Mexican director, producer and filmmaker (b. 1872)
* April 15 – Georg Friederici, German ethnologist (b. 1866)
* April 16
** Guido Donegani, Italian engineer, businessman and politician (b. 1877)
** Rudolf Höss, German commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp (executed) (b. 1900)
* April 18 – Jozef Tiso, Slovak politician, Roman Catholic priest, 1st Prime Minister of Slovakia and President of Slovakia (b. 1887)
* April 20 – King Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)
* April 21 – Heitor da Silva Costa, Brazilian engineer, designer and constructor (b. 1873)
* April 23 – Gyula Károlyi, Hungarian politician, 29th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1871)
* April 24 – Willa Cather, American novelist (b. 1873)
* April 25
** José María Reina Andrade, acting president of Guatemala (b. 1860)
** Ana Cumpănaș, Austro-Hungarian prostitute (b. 1889)
* April 26 – Francesco Paolo Finocchiaro, Italian painter (b. 1868)
* April 29
**Gheorghe Ciuhandu (priest), Gheorghie Ciuhandu, Romanian Orthodox priest, theologian, historian and advocate (b. 1875)
** Irving Fisher, American economist (b. 1867)
**Karel Čurda, Czech soldier and parachutist (b. 1911)
* April 30
** Francesc Cambó, Andorran politician (b. 1876)
** Almroth WSir Almroth Wright, British bacteriologist and immunologist (b. 1861)
May
* May 8 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American department store magnate (b. 1858)
* May 13 – Sukanta Bhattacharya, Bengali poet (b. 1926)
* May 14 – John R. Sinnock, 8th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint (b. 1888)
* May 15 – Miguel Abadía Méndez, Colombian politician, 12th President of Colombia (b. 1867)
* May 16
** Frederick Gowland Hopkins, Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, British biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1861)
** Michael Joseph Curley, American Roman Catholic bishop and reverend (b. 1879)
** Zhang Lingfu, Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1903)
* May 17
** George Forbes (New Zealand politician), George Forbes, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
** Seabiscuit, thoroughbred racehorse (b. 1933)
* May 18 – Lucile Gleason, American actress (b. 1888)
* May 20 – Philipp Lenard, Austrian physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
* May 23 – Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, Swiss writer (b. 1878)
* May 28 – August Eigruber, Nazi war criminal (executed) (b. 1907)
* May 30 – Georg Ludwig von Trapp, Austrian sailor, patriarch of the Von Trapp Family of ''The Sound of Music'' fame (b. 1880)
* May 31 – Adrienne Ames, American actress (b. 1907)
June
* June 6
** S. H. Dudley (singer), S. H. Dudley, American urban singer (b. 1864)
** Władysław Raczkiewicz, Polish politician, lawyer, diplomat and 5th
President of Poland
The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...
(b. 1885)
** José Marques da Silva, Portuguese architect (b. 1869)
* June 9
** Augusto Giacometti, Italian painter (b. 1877)
** J. Warren Kerrigan, American actor (b. 1879)
* June 11 – Richard Hönigswald, Hungarian-born American philosopher (b. 1875)
* June 12 – Cosme Damião, former Portuguese football player and manager (b. 1885)
* June 14 – Albert Marquet, French painter (b. 1875)
* June 17 – Maxwell Perkins, American literary editor (b. 1884)
* June 18
**Alfred Allen (actor), Alfred Allen, American actor (b. 1866)
** Richard Cooper (actor), Richard Cooper, British actor (b. 1893)
** Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese rear admiral, convicted war criminal (executed) (b. 1898)
**John Henry Patterson (author), John Henry Patteron, Anglo-Irish soldier, hunter and author (b. 1867)
* June 19 – Kōsō Abe, Japanese admiral, convicted war criminal (executed) (b. 1892)
* June 20 – Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (assassinated) (b. 1906)
* June 22 – Jim Tully, American vagabond, pugilist and writer (b. 1891)
* June 24 – Bartolomeo Pagano, Bartolome Pagano, Italian actor (b. 1878)
* June 26 – R. B. Bennett, 11th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1870)
* June 28 – Franciszek Mączyński, Polish architect (b. 1874)
July
* July 7 – José Luis Tamayo, 20th President of Ecuador (b. 1858)
* July 12 – Jimmie Lunceford, American jazz musician (b. 1902)
* July 15
** Walter Donaldson, American songwriter (b. 1893)
** Brandon Hurst, American stage, screen veteran (b. 1866)
** Henry Kolker, American actor (b. 1874)
* July 17
** Raoul Wallenberg, Swedish diplomat, humanitarian (presumed dead on this date) (b. 1912)
** Prince Sisowath Youtevong, 4th Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1913)
* July 18 – Fumio Hayashi (doctor), Fumio Hayashi, Japanese physician (b. 1900)
* July 19 –
Aung San
Aung San (, ; 13 February 191519 July 1947) was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his go ...
, Burmese nationalist (assassinated) (b. 1915)
* July 21 – Patriarch Yousef VI Emmanuel II Thomas (b. 1852)
* July 23
** Alice Fischer (actress), Alice Fischer, American actress (b. 1869)
** Ángel Roffo, Argentine doctor (b. 1882)
*July 25 - Kathleen Scott, British sculptor and wife of explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott (b. 1878)
* July 26 – Archbishop Leontios of Cyprus (b. 1896)
* July 29
** Leo Stein, American art collector, critic (b. 1872)
** George Bausewine, American baseball player, umpire (b. 1869)
* July 30
** Joseph Cook, Sir Joseph Cook, 6th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1860)
** Fedir Krychevsky, Ukrainian painter (b. 1879)
August
* August – Teresa Magbanua, Filipino general (b. 1868)
* August 3
** José Pardo y Barreda, Peruvian politician, 51st Prime Minister of Peru and 2-time President of Peru (b. 1864)
** Vic Willis, American baseball player (Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves), MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1876)
* August 7 – Anton Denikin, Russian military leader (b. 1872)
* August 9 – Carlo Romanelli, Italian sculptor (b. 1872)
* August 10 – Antonio Sciortino, Maltese sculptor (b. 1879)
* August 15 – Claudio Granzotto, Italian Roman Catholic religious professed and blessed (b. 1900)
* August 17 – Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke (b. 1865)
* August 20
**Franz Cumont, Belgian archaeologist, historian (b. 1868)
**James Harbord, American general (b. 1866)
* August 21 – Ettore Bugatti, Italian car designer, founder of Bugatti (b. 1881)
* August 23 – Hasmik (actress), Hasmik, Soviet actress (b. 1878)
* August 29
** Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (gored) (b. 1917)
** Kōtarō Nakamura, General of the Imperial Japanese Army (b. 1881)
September
* September 1 – Frederick Russell Burnham, American Scout, father of the international Scouting movement (b. 1861)
* September 8 – Victor Horta, Belgian Art Nouveau architect (b. 1861)
* September 9 – Ananda Coomaraswamy, Ceylonese-born American philosopher (b. 1877)
* September 10 – Hatazō Adachi, Japanese general (suicide) (b. 1890)
* September 11
**Robert Lee Bullard, American general (b. 1861)
**Alice Keppel, mistress of Edward VII (b. 1868)
* September 20
**Fiorello H. La Guardia, Mayor of New York (b. 1882)
**Jantina Tammes, Dutch plant biologist (b. 1871)
* September 21
** Harry Carey (actor), Harry Carey, American film actor (b. 1878)
** Vasily Glagolev, Soviet general (b. 1896)
* September 26 – Hugh Lofting, British-born writer (b. 1886)
* September 27 – Luigi Barlassina, Patriarch of Jerusalem (b. 1872)
October
* October 1
** Olive Borden, American actress (b. 1906)
** Gregorio Martinez Sierra, Spanish writer, poet, dramatist and director (b. 1881)
* October 2 – P. D. Ouspensky, Soviet mathematician (b. 1878)
* October 3 – Ernest L. Riebau, American politician (1895)
* October 4 – Max Planck, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858)
* October 6 – Leevi Madetoja, Finnish composer (b. 1887)
* October 10 – Jo Mora, Uruguayan-born American cartoonist (b. 1876)
* October 12
** James Farley (actor), James Farley, American actor (b. 1882)
** Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton, Sir Ian Hamilton, British general (b. 1853)
* October 13 – Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield, British economist, social reformer (b. 1859)
* October 16 – Anna B. Eckstein, German peace campaigner (b. 1868)
* October 17 – John Halliday (actor), John Halliday, American actor (b. 1880)
* October 18
** Harry C. Bradley (actor), Harry C. Bradley, American actor (b. 1869)
** Massimo Terzano, Italian cinematographer (b. 1892)
* October 20 – Albert Howard, Sir Albert Howard, English botanist and organic farming pioneer (b. 1873)
* October 23 – Carl Shelton, American gangster (b. 1888)
* October 24 – Dudley Digges (actor), Dudley Digges, Irish actor (b. 1879)
* October 27 – María Teresalina Sánchez, Spanish Franciscan religious sister, missionary and martyr (b. 1918)
* October 29 – Frances Cleveland, First Lady of the United States (b. 1864)
November
* November 6 – Ernie Adams (actor), Ernie Adams, American actor (b. 1885)
* November 7 – Sándor Garbai, Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1879)
* November 8
** Mariano Benlliure, Spanish sculptor (b. 1862)
** Constantin Sănătescu, Romanian general, statesman and 44th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1885)
* November 15 – Eduard Ritter von Schleich, German fighter ace, air force general (b. 1888)
* November 16 – Giuseppe Volpi, Italian businessman, politician (b. 1877)
* November 17 – Josaphat Kotsylovsky, Ukrainian Roman Catholic bishop, martyr and blessed (b. 1876)
* November 20 – Georg Kolbe, German sculptor (b. 1877)
* November 28
** W. E. Lawrence, American actor (b. 1896)
** Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, French general (b. 1902)
* November 30 – Ernst Lubitsch, German film director (b. 1892)
December
* December 1
** Aleister Crowley, British occultist (b. 1875)
** G. H. Hardy, British mathematician (b. 1877)
* December 2 – Franz Xaver Schwarz, German Nazi politician (executed) (b. 1875)
* December 3 – Heinrich Hetsch, German physician, microbiologist (b. 1873)
* December 4
** Margaret Butler (sculptor), Margaret Butler, New Zealand sculptor (b. 1883)
** Walter Walker (actor), Walter Walker, American actor (b. 1864)
* December 6 – Tadashige Daigo, Japanese admiral (executed) (b. 1891)
* December 7
** Tristan Bernard, French writer, lawyer (b. 1866)
** Nicholas Murray Butler, American president of Columbia University, Nobel Peace Prize recipient (b. 1862)
** Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft, British politician (b. 1881)
* December 9 – John Kelly (actor), John Kelly, American actor (b. 1901)
* December 10 – Pierre Petit de Julleville, French Roman Catholic priest, bishop and eminence (b. 1876)
* December 12 – Huda Sha'arawi, Egyptian feminist (b. 1879)
* December 13
** Nicholas Roerich, Russian painter (b. 1874)
** Juan Bautista Vargas Arreola, Mexican general during Mexican Revolution (b. 1890)
* December 14
** Stanley Baldwin, British Conservative politician, 3-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
** Edward Higgins, General of The Salvation Army (b. 1864)
* December 15 – Arthur Machen, British writer (b. 1863)
* December 17
** Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted, Danish chemist (b. 1879)
** Christos Tsigiridis, Greek engineer (b. 1877)
* December 20
** Benigno Aquino Sr., Filipino politician (b. 1894)
** Luigi Chiarelli, Italian playwright (b. 1880)
* December 23 – Ziauddin Ahmad, Indian educationalist and politician (b. 1878)
* December 25 – Gaspar G. Bacon, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1886)
* December 27 – Johannes Winkler, German rocket pioneer (b. 1897)
* December 28 – King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (b. 1869)
* December 29 – Han van Meegeren, Dutch painter, forger (b. 1889)
* December 30 – Alfred North Whitehead, British mathematician, philosopher (b. 1861)
Date unknown
* Ayoub Tabet, 6th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1884)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Edward Victor Appleton
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Robert Robinson (organic chemist), Sir Robert Robinson
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Carl Ferdinand Cori, Gerty Cori, Bernardo Houssay
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – André Gide
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – The Friends Service Council (UK) and The American Friends Service Committee (USA), on behalf of the Religious Society of Friends
References
External links
Pathe newsreel, 1947. Experimental snowplough. Pathe says 'Grantham' but the station name 'Dowlais top' in Wales can be clearly seen
Stories from the winter of 1947
{{DEFAULTSORT:1947
1947,