What Happened in 1948

Gatow Air Disaster of 1948

The aircraft was circling Gatow in preparation for landing when the DC-3 collided head on with the Russian Air Force Yakovlev 3 fighter, which was... Read more

Operation Nachshon

Operation Nachshon was an Israeli military operation during the 1947-1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine. Its objective was to open up the... Read more

World Health Organization (WHO) Founded

When the United Nations was formed in 1945, there was a significant need for organizations to be created that would take charge globally of matters... Read more

Claude Harmon wins the 12th Masters Tournament

The winner of the 1948 Masters was Claude Harmon. You might not recognize that name. After all, Harmon's only win on the PGA Tour was ... the 1948... Read more

"The Big Clock" Is Released

The Big Clock is a 1948 film noir thriller directed by John Farrow, based on the novel of the same name by Kenneth Fearing. The black-and-white... Read more

Deir Yassin massacre

The Deir Yassin massacre took place on April 9, 1948, when around 120 fighters from the Irgun and Lehi Zionist paramilitary groups attacked Deir... Read more

Hadassah medical convoy massacre

The Hadassah medical convoy massacre took place on April 13, 1948, when a convoy, escorted by Haganah militia, bringing medical and fortification... Read more

Toronto Maple Leafs win Stanley Cup

The 1948 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Detroit Red Wings and the defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs... Read more

"Hamlet" Is Released

Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Olivier's... Read more

Israel declares independence from Britain

The Israeli Declaration of Independence made on 14 May 1948 (5 Iyar, 5708), the day the British Mandate expired, was the official announcement that... Read more

Arab-Israeli War

The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known by the Israelis as the War of Independence and War of Liberation, and by Palestinians as the Catastrophe, was the... Read more

Vanport City Flood

At about 4:17 PM the western (railroad) dike burst, sending a 10 ft (3.0 m) wall of water into the area of Vanport College. Because of the numerous... Read more

The Altalena Affair

The Altalena Affair was a violent confrontation that took place in June 1948 between the newly-formed Israel Defense Forces and the Irgun, a... Read more

United Airlines Flight 624 Crashes, Killing 43

The airplane, named "Mainliner Utah", arrived in Chicago at 09:52 en route from Los Angeles to New York. After a 52-minute turnaround, the DC-6... Read more

"Oliver Twist" Is Released

Oliver Twist (1948) is the second of David Lean's two film adaptations of Charles Dickens novels. Following the success of his 1946 version of... Read more

"A Foreign Affair" Is Released

A Foreign Affair (1948) is a film directed by Billy Wilder, starring Marlene Dietrich, Jean Arthur and John Lund. The film was produced by Charles... Read more

The 'Miss Macao' Crashes in the First Hijacking of a Commercial Aircraft

Fantastic but true." With those three words, spoken 60 years ago this month, the managing director of Cathay Pacific Airways introduced Hong Kong... Read more

Games of the XIV Olympiad Held in London, United Kingdom

The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London,... Read more

Babe Ruth dies

Shortly after he attended the Yankee Stadium anniversary event, Ruth was back in the hospital. He received hundreds of well-wishing letters and... Read more

Northwest Airlines Flight 421 Crashes, Killing 37

Northwest Airlines Flight 421 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Chicago, Illinois to Minneapolis, Minnesota that crashed on 29 August... Read more

'Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose' is Published

True to the title, Thidwick is a big hearted moose who has a hard time saying the word “no” when anyone imposes on his generosity. His inability to... Read more

The Presley Family moves to Memphis

In September 1948, the Presley family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, allegedly because Vernon—in addition to needing work—had to escape the law for... Read more

"The Red Shoes" Is Released

The Red Shoes (1948) is a British feature film about ballet, written, directed and produced by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger,... Read more

'Intruder In The Dust' Is Published

The novel focuses on Lucas Beauchamp, a black farmer accused of murdering a white man. He is exonerated through the efforts of black and white... Read more

"Red River" Is Released

Red River is a 1948 Western film directed by Howard Hawks, giving a fictional account of the first cattle drive from Texas to Kansas along the... Read more