At A Glance

12 April 1948 at a glance

Day of the week
12 April 1948 was a Monday.
Top Film of 1948
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1948 was Easter Parade.
Star sign
The star sign for 12 April is Aries.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 12 April 1948 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for April is Diamond.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 12 April 1948 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 12 April

  • 1934 The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed.
  • 1937 Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.
  • 1945 World War II: The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reaches Tangermünde—only 80 kilometres from Berlin.
  • 1955 The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
  • 1961 Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first crewed orbital flight, Vostok 1.

Famous people born on 12 April

  • Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress (born 1994)
  • Claire Danes, American actress (born 1979)
  • Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer (1971–2024)
  • Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian (born 1946)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1948 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1948 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 January – British Railways created when the government nationalizes the railway industry.
  • 4 January – Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
  • 1 February – The Malayan Union is restructured as the Federation of Malaya
More events of 1948 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1948

Prime Minister

Clement Attlee

Monarch

George VI

Pint of Beer

5p

Loaf of Bread

3p

Average House

£1,250

Weekly Wage

£6.50

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.

Tim Curry19 April 1946ActorView their day →Charles III14 November 1948King of the United KingdomView their day →Freddie Mercury5 September 1946Singer & songwriterView their day →Paul McCartney18 June 1942Musician & member of the BeatlesView their day →David Bowie8 January 1947Musician & actorView their day →John Lennon9 October 1940MusicianView their day →Jeffrey Archer15 April 1940Author & politicianView their day →George Harrison25 February 1943Musician & member of the BeatlesView their day →

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

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