At A Glance

31 August 1949 at a glance

Day of the week
31 August 1949 was a Wednesday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“Far Away Places” recorded by Bing Crosby and Joe Loss was No. 1 on David Kent's retrospective Australian chart. This chart was compiled later by David Kent from radio station charts.
Top Film of 1949
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1949 was Samson and Delilah.
Star sign
The star sign for 31 August is Virgo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 August 1949 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 August 1949 was First Quarter.

On this day: 31 August

  • 1939 Nazi Germany mounts a false flag attack on the Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day, thus starting World War II in Europe.
  • 1941 World War II: Serbian paramilitary forces defeat Germans in the Battle of Loznica.
  • 1943 USS Harmon, the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after a black person, is commissioned.
  • 1949 The retreat of the Democratic Army of Greece into Albania after its defeat on Gramos mountain marks the end of the Greek Civil War.
  • 1957 The Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) gains its independence from the United Kingdom.

Famous people born on 31 August

  • Richard Gere, American actor and producer (born 1949)
  • Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (born 1985)
  • Jalen Brunson, American basketball player (born 1996)
  • Caligula, Roman emperor (born 12)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1949 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1949 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 26 January – The Nationality and Citizenship Act is passed. Rather than being identified as subjects of Britain, the Act established Australian citizenship for people who met eligibility requirements.
  • 2 March – A cyclone crosses the Central Queensland coast impacting Gladstone and Rockhampton.
  • 16 March – Australia's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) is established, by order of the Directive for the Establishment and Maintenance of a Security Service.

Life in Australia in 1949

Prime Minister

Ben Chifley

Monarch

King George VI

Petrol (per litre)

$0.02

Loaf of Bread

$0.08

Average House

$2,200

Weekly Wage

$5.50

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1940s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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