Birth of Jimmy Greaves
Birth of Jimmy Greaves
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1949 in Great Britain
Explore 111 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1949.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1949
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 111 unique records.
111Unique records
1 of 3Page
37Named events on this page
27Named people on this page
10Places on this page
February
March
Carlisle United Managerial Beginning
Shankly accepted the managerial post at Carlisle United after his playing career, beginning the coaching journey that eventually took him to Liverpool.
Trade Embargo at London
Argues for a trade embargo with Eastern Europe
BBC Cosmology Broadcast
Hoyle used the expression Big Bang during a BBC radio discussion while criticizing finite-age cosmology.
Birth of David Paul Greenfield
Birth of David Paul Greenfield, later keyboard player with The Stranglers.
Big Bang
Popularises the phrase Big Bang while criticising cosmologies with an initial dense state.
April
Manifesto
Issues his draft manifesto for the Conservative Party, "The Right Road For Britain"
NATO
Supports the creation of NATO as a cornerstone of Western security policy
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
Signs the Treaty establishing the NATO alliance
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
Signs the Treaty establishing the NATO alliance
Treaty of NATO
Signs the Treaty establishing the NATO alliance
Treaty of North Atlantic
Participation of the United States was thought necessary both to counter the military power of the USSR and to prevent the revival of nationalist militarism, so talks for a new military alliance results in the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington, D.C. on 4 April 1949. It included the five Treaty of Brussels states plus the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland
May
Nationalisation of Gas
Public area gas boards take control of Britain's gas undertakings.
Council of Europe
The Statute of the Council of Europe is signed in London by ten founding states, advancing the European cooperation Churchill had publicly advocated after the war.
Council of Europe Advocacy
Welcomes the creation of a Council of Europe consistent with his postwar campaign for closer European cooperation.
Statute of Council of Europe
Sees ten European governments sign the London Statute establishing the Council of Europe with a Committee of Ministers and Consultative Assembly.
Berlin Blockade Ends after 327 Days
The lifting of restrictions ends the prolonged confrontation while Western air supply has kept the city functioning.
Blockade of Berlin
The Berlin blockade ends after 327 days
Birth of William Scott Bruford
Birth of William Scott Bruford, later Yes drummer and progressive rock innovator.
Birth of Richard Christopher Wakeman
Birth of Richard Christopher Wakeman, later Yes keyboard player and solo artist.
June
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Publishes Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
States that Nineteen Eighty-Four is not an attack on socialism or the Labour Party.
Birth of Alan White
Birth of Alan White, later Yes drummer after earlier work with John Lennon.
Labour Party Letter
Explains that Nineteen Eighty-Four is not an attack on democratic socialism.
July
Birth of Geezer Butler
Birth of Geezer Butler, later Black Sabbath bassist and lyricist.
Birth of Terence Michael Butler
Birth of Terence Michael Butler, later Black Sabbath bassist, lyricist and founding member.
Birth of Steve Peregrin Took
Birth of Steve Peregrin Took, born Stephen Ross Porter
August
Birth of Hugh Alan Cornwell
Birth of Hugh Alan Cornwell, later guitarist, vocalist and founding member of The Stranglers.
September
Sterling Devaluation
Cripps announces devaluation of sterling from 4.03 to 2.80 United States dollars.
Sterling Devaluation
Britain devalues sterling from 4.03 to 2.80 dollars while remaining inside the Bretton Woods fixed-rate system anchored to the dollar's official gold value.
University College Hospital
Moves to University College Hospital in London.
October
Marriage to Sonia Brownell
Marries Sonia Brownell in hospital.
Death of John Robert Clynes
Death of John Robert Clynes
Lieutenant
Appointed Lieutenant, 1st, on board the HMS Chequers
December
NHS Charges Power
Secures power to introduce charges, though implementation is delayed.
Other events (month unknown)
1949 FA Cup Final Two Goals
Scores twice against Leicester City in the FA Cup final, giving Wolves a commanding advantage on the way to victory.
1949 FA Cup Winning Captain
Captains Wolverhampton Wanderers in their FA Cup final victory over Leicester City, providing leadership from the heart of defence.
1984
Publication of "1984"
A Place In The Sun
Taylor begins filming George Stevens A Place In The Sun. Before Conspirators 1949 release, a Time cover article called her "a jewel of great price, a true star sapphire", and the leader among Hollywoods next generation of stars
Agricultural Wages Act
Agricultural Wages Act 1949 consolidates agricultural wage regulation
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.