A Summary of 1948 Newspaper Headlines
30th January 1948
Indian pacifist and leader Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated by Nathuram Godse.
February 21, 1948
The stock car racing organization NASCAR is founded by Bill France Sr. with other drivers meeting at the Streamline Hotel, Daytona Beach, Florida.
March 8, 1948
McCollum v. Board of Education: The United States Supreme Court rules that religious instruction in public schools violates the U.S. Constitution.
April 3, 1948
President Harry Truman signs the Marshall Plan, which authorizes $15 billion in aid for 16 countries.
7th April 1948
The World Health Organisation is established by the United Nations.
June 12, 1948
Women in the Air Force (WAF) is created.
22nd June 1948
The ship ‘Empire Windrush’ brings the first group of several hundred black immigrants to Tilbury near London from the Caribbean countries. This is the start of multiculturalism in Britain.
June 24, 1948
The Berlin Blockade begins. In response, the United States orders the launch of Operation Vittles, the U.S. action of the Berlin Airlift.
28th June 1948
David Lean’s “Oliver Twist“, based on Charles Dickens’ famous novel, premieres in the United Kingdom. The film is banned for three years in the United States due to alleged anti-Semitism in the depiction of Fagin.
July 26, 1948
President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981, ending racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces.
29th July 1948
The 1948 Summer Olympics begin in London. The Olympic Games had previously been on a twelve-year hiatus due to the Second World War.
9th September 1948
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is formally declared, with Kim Il-sung as Prime Minister.
September 29, 1948
Laurence Olivier’s film version of “Hamlet” opens in the United States.
5th October 1948
The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake kills 100,000 people in the Soviet Union.
2nd November 1948
Democratic incumbent Harry S. Truman defeats Republican Thomas E. Dewey and ‘Dixiecrat’ Strom Thurmond in the 1948 presidential election.
12th November 1948
In Tokyo, an international war crimes tribunal sentences seven Japanese military and government officials to death, for their roles in the Second World War. One of those executed is General Hideki Tojo.
14th November 1948
Birth of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne.
Our 1948 newspaper headlines feature notorious events that are now instantly associated with this year. The World Health Organisation was established to promote healthy practices all over the world. A defining moment, the United Nations came together to create the United Declaration of Human Rights after the atrocities of WWII, stating all humans are entitled to fair treatment, dignity and human rights regardless of personal characteristics.
Not found what you’re looking for? If you want an exact newspaper about particular events or persons, you can contact research@historic-newspapers.co.uk for in-depth articles.
Gandhi Assassination Newspaper Coverage
Despite the promise of economic change, the year also witnessed its share of sadness. The Gandhi assassination newspaper became a major headline of the year, where Mahatma Gandhi, the pacifist and activist leader of the Indian Independence movement against British rule, was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. These are some of the major events that made the headlines during this year.
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