The following events occurred in September 1949:
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- A fire swept through Chongqing, China that killed 1,700 people and gutted upwards of 10,000 homes by the time it burned out eighteen hours later. The fire, which originated in the city's slum district, was mysterious in origin although the Nationalists quickly rounded up suspected Communists and would eventually execute one for arson.[1]
- General Douglas MacArthur issued a 3,000-word statement declaring that four years of "fully and faithfully" complying with Allied occupation had merited Japan the right to a peace treaty.[2]
- The 3rd Cannes Film Festival opened.
- The film noir The Third Man starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard premiered at the Plaza Theatre in London.[3]
- The film noir White Heat starring James Cagney premiered in New York City.[4]
- Born: Moira Stuart, British newsreader and presenter in London, England
- A Douglas DC-3 exploded and crashed at Sault-au-Cochon, Quebec when a bomb went off in the forward baggage compartment, killing all 23 aboard. The bomb was planted by Albert Guay in a plot to kill his wife; he and two accomplices would be hanged for their crimes.[14]
- More than 5,200 operating employees of the Missouri Pacific Railroad went on strike.[15]
- Edwin Alonzo Boyd, leader of the notorious Boyd Gang, committed his first bank robbery when he robbed a North York branch of the Bank of Montreal.
- Born:
- John Curry, figure skater, in Birmingham, England (d. 1994)
- Joe Theismann, NFL quarterback and sportscaster, in New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, 6th President of Indonesia, in Tremas, Pacitan Regency, Indonesia
- Eight high-ranking Hungarian officials including László Rajk were indicted in Budapest on charges of plotting with US and Yugoslavian agents to overthrow the Communist government.[16]
- Miss Arizona Jacque Mercer was crowned Miss America 1949.
- Born:
- Don Muraco, professional wrestler, at Sunset Beach, Hawaii
- Bill O'Reilly, journalist, writer and political commentator, in New York City
- Tony Proudfoot, Canadian Football League player, teacher, coach and broadcaster, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (d. 2010)
- Died: Wiley Blount Rutledge, 55, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
- Greek War Minister Panagiotis Kanellopoulos threatened to strike Albania and other Communist neighbors if they continued to serve as bases for Greek guerilla forces.[17]
- As the Soviet Union celebrated "Tank Day", an editorial by Semyon Bogdanov in Pravda claimed that the Russians had invented the first tank in May 1915, a year and a half before the British first fielded them.[18]
- Died: Henri Rabaud, 75, French conductor and composer
- Theodor Heuss became the 1st President of West Germany.
- The Soviet Union cast seven vetoes to deny United Nations membership to Portugal, Jordan, Italy, Finland, Ireland, Austria and Ceylon.[20]
- 4-year-old Karen Lee Anderson of Grand Coulee Dam, Washington, was fatally burned in Black Sand Basin at Yellowstone National Park when she pulled away from the adult holding her hand and fell into a hot spring.[21]
- Born: Rick Dempsey, baseball player, in Fayetteville, Tennessee; John W. Henry, businessman and owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, in Quincy, Illinois
- Died: August Krogh, 74, Danish zoo physiologist and Nobel laureate
- The Romanian newspaper Scînteia accused Marshal Tito of planning to invade Romania and help overthrow Hungary's Communist government.[22]
- New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey ordered a special grand jury investigation into the Peekskill riots, claiming that Communists provoked the September 4 disturbance.[23]
- 63-year-old Minnie Edith Kindig of Long Beach, California, fainted and fell 500 feet (150 m) to her death when she approached the edge of Yaki Point in Grand Canyon National Park.[24]
- Born: Eikichi Yazawa, singer-songwriter, in Hiroshima, Japan
- Died: Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen, 48, German politician and German Resistance figure (car accident); Pandeli Evangjeli, 90, 7th Prime Minister of Albania
- The British government devaluated the pound sterling by 30%, from $4.03 US to $2.80. Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Stafford Cripps delivered a 29-minute radio speech announcing the move, explaining that it was necessary to bring in more foreign dollars in exchange for British exports.[27]
- Members of the International Typographical Union voted to end a 22-month long strike against Chicago's newspapers and accept a new contract.[28]
- A Rage To Live by John O'Hara topped The New York Times Fiction Best Seller list.
- Born: Mo Mowlam, politician, in Watford, England (d. 2005); Peter Shilton, footballer, in Leicester, England
- Died: Frank Morgan, 59, American actor
- Nineteen countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland, France, India, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, followed Britain in devaluing their currencies against the US dollar.[29]
- Born:
- Richard Rogler, Kabarett artist, in Selb, West Germany
- Ernie Sabella, American actor, in Westchester County, New York
- Twiggy, British model, actress and singer, née Lesley Hornby in Neasden, England
- Sidney Wicks, American basketball player, in Los Angeles, California
- Died: Will Cuppy, 65, American humorist; Nikos Skalkottas, 45, Greek composer
- President Truman issued a terse statement announcing that the US government had "evidence that within recent weeks an atomic explosion occurred in the U.S.S.R."[33]
- Born:
- László Rajk and two co-defendants were sentenced to death for plotting to overthrow the Hungarian government.[34]
- Quebec jeweller Albert Guay was formally charged with murder for the Quebec Airways explosion of September 9.[35]
- The Ningxia Campaign ended in Communist victory.
- Died: Pierre de Bréville, 88, French composer
- Moscow radio broadcast a statement by TASS acknowledging for the first time that the USSR had an atomic weapon. The statement added that "despite the existence in this country of an atomic weapon, this country adopts and intends to adopt in the future its former position in favor of prohibition of the atomic weapon."[36]
- During the early hours of the morning at the El Morocco nightclub in Manhattan, actor Humphrey Bogart allegedly shoved a woman to the floor for trying to snatch a 3-foot high stuffed toy panda bear that he had bought for his son. Bogart later told the press that he had merely wrestled the panda back from the woman and that while she may have fallen down, "she looked as if she'd been drinking too many Coca-Colas."[37][38] An assault charge against Bogart was later dismissed.[39]
- Born: Pedro Almodóvar, filmmaker, in Calzada de Calatrava, Spain
- After two years of negotiations, the USSR agreed to return 30 small naval vessels obtained from the United States during World War II under Lend-Lease.[43]
- Prohibition in Oklahoma was upheld in a special state election. This was the fifth failed attempt to repeal prohibition in the state, with similar referendums in 1908, 1910, 1936 and 1940 all going down in defeat as well.[44]
- The flag of the People's Republic of China was adopted.
- Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox reached base safely for the 84th consecutive game, establishing a major league baseball record that still stands.[45]
- Born: Mike Schmidt, baseball player, in Dayton, Ohio
- Died: David Adler, 67, American architect
Nash, Jay Robert (1976). Darkest Hours. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 117. ISBN 9781590775264.
Parrott, Lindesay (September 2, 1949). "Japan Merits Peace Treaty, MacArthur Says in Tribute". The New York Times: 1.
Durdin, Tillman (September 4, 1949). "China's Reds Take Base in Northwest". The New York Times: 1.
Graham, Frederick (September 4, 1949). "DeBona Wins Bendix Trophy Race; 470 M.P.H. Sets Air Meet Record". The New York Times: 1.
"48 Hurt In Clashes At Robeson Rally; Buses Are Stoned". The New York Times: 1, 3. September 5, 1949.
Raymond, Jack (September 8, 1949). "Germans Open Parliament, Demand End to Dismantling". The New York Times: 1.
"Colombian Deputy Killed In Congress Gun Battle". The New York Times: 3. September 9, 1949.
Blair, William M. (September 10, 1949). "Rail Strike Ties Up 7,200-Mile System Of Missouri Pacific". The New York Times: 1.
"Tank Invented by Russians, Says Pravda". Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago: Part 3, p. 1. September 12, 1949.
"Deranged Jewish Youth Threatens Israel Parliament". The Washington Post. September 13, 1949. p. 1.
Rosenthal, A. M. (September 14, 1949). "7 Russian Vetoes Cast In Half Hour". The New York Times: 12.
"Romanian Invasion Plot Is Charged Against Tito". Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. September 14, 1949. p. 2.
Egan, Leo (September 15, 1949). "Governor Orders Grand Jury Study Of Robeson Rioting". The New York Times. p. 1.
Gallup, George (September 17, 1949). "Bob Hope Rated Favorite Comedian; Berle Second on His TV Popularity". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky: 14.
Daniell, Raymond (September 19, 1949). "Britain Cuts Pound 30% To $2.80 To Spur Exports To Dollar Area; 8 Sterling Nations Follow Suit". The New York Times: 1.
Horne, Louther S. (September 19, 1949). "Chicago ITU Ends 22-Month Strike". The New York Times: 14.
"Canadian Dollar Cut 10%; Franc Minimum 350 To $1; 19 Currencies Now Lower". The New York Times: 1. September 20, 1949.
Hamilton, Thomas J. (September 21, 1949). "Romulo Is Elected U.N. Assembly Head At Opening Meeting". The New York Times: 1, 6.
Sullivan, Walter (September 22, 1949). "Communist Regime Set Up For China". The New York Times: 1.
"Truman Appoints Marshall President of the Red Cross". The New York Times: 1. September 23, 1949.
"Atom Blast In Russia Disclosed; Truman Again Asks U.N. Control; Vishinsky Proposes A Peace Pact". The New York Times: 1. September 24, 1949.
"Hungarians Doom Rajk In Spy Trial; Tito Charges Plot". The New York Times: 1. September 25, 1949.
"Soviet Union Has 'Atomic Weapon,' Moscow Says as to U. S. Statement". The New York Times: 1. September 25, 1949.
"Bogey Belittles 'Battle' in Bar With Beauty Over Panda". The Washington Post. September 29, 1949. pp. 1, 10.
"1949-48". PlaneCrashInfo. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
Harry, Levin (September 25, 1949). "The Timeless Old Soldier". The New York Times: Section 7, p.3, 33.
"Drys Defeat Repeal In Oklahoma, Rural Vote Topping City Wets". The New York Times: 1. September 28, 1949.
"London and Prague Sign 5-Year Trade Pact; Czechs Also Will Play Off Big Part of Debt". The New York Times: 6. September 29, 1949.
"Russia Ends Pact With Yugoslavia; Envoys Sole Link". The New York Times: 1. September 30, 1949.
McLaughlin, Kathleen (October 1, 1949). "Berlin Lift Ends In 277,264th Flight". The New York Times: 7.
Sullivan, Walter (October 1, 1949). "Mao Heads Peiping Regime; Program Supports Moscow". The New York Times: 1.