Famous birthdays, deaths and events of 1950
Birthdays January 1 - Morgan Fisher, English musician (Mott the Hoople) January 1 - Deepa Mehta, Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter January 3 - Victoria Principal , American actress January 5 - Ioan Petru Culianu, Romanian-born professor (d. 1991) January 5 - Chris Stein, American guitarist (Blondie) January 6 - Louis Freeh, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation January 7 - Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer and songwriter January 7 - Erin Gray , American actress January 7 - Ross Grimsley, American baseball player January 7 - Johnny Lever, Indian actor January 9 - David Johansen American singer, January 9 - Rio Reiser, German singer (d. 1996) January 13 - Bob Forsch, American baseball player January 13 - John McNaughton, American film director January 15 - Marius Trésor, French footballer January 16 - Debbie Allen, American dancer and choreographer January 16 - Brian Castro, Australian author January 16 - Damo Suzuki, Japanese singer (Can) January 17 - Luis López Nieves, Latin American writer January 18 - Gilles Villeneuve , Canadian race car driver (d. 1982) January 19 - Sébastien Dhavernas, Quebec actor January 20 - Liza Goddard, British actress January 20 - Edward Hirsch. American poet, January 20 - Chuck Lefley, Canadian ice hockey player January 21 - Billy Ocean, West Indian musician January 23 - Richard Dean Anderson , American actor January 23 - Danny Federici, American musician (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) January 23 - John Greaves, English musician (Henry Cow January 24 - Daniel Auteuil, French actor January 24 - Benjamin Urrutia, Ecuadorian-born American writer January 26 - Janet Lupo, American model January 27 - Derek Acorah, English spirit medium January 28 - Barbi Benton , American actress January 28 - Bob Hay, American songwriter and musician January 29 - Ann Jillian , American actress January 29 - Jody Scheckter, South African race car driver January 30 - Trinidad Silva, American actor (d. 1988) January 31 - Alexander Korzhakov, Boris Yeltsin's bodyguard February 1 - Mike Campbell, American guitarist and producer February 3 - Morgan Fairchild , American actress February 4 - Pamela Franklin, British actress February 6 - Natalie Cole , American singer February 8 - Cristina Ferrare, American former supermodel and actress February 10 - Mark Spitz , American swimmer February 12 - Michael Ironside, Canadian actor February 12 - Steve Hackett, English guitarist (Genesis) February 13 - Peter Gabriel , English musician (Genesis) February 14 - Roger Fisher, American musician (Heart) February 15 - Hark Tsui, Hong Kong film director February 16 - Kazuki Tomokawa, Japanese acid-folk singer February 16 - Roman Tam, Hong Kong famous singer (d. 2002) February 18 - John Hughes, American director February 18 - Cybill Shepherd , American actress February 19 - Andy Powell, British musician February 20 - Walter Becker, American guitarist (Steely Dan) February 20 - Ken Shimura, Japanese performer and actor February 22 - Julius Erving , American basketball player February 22 - Ellen Greene, American actress February 22 - Lenny Kuhr, Dutch singer February 22 - Miou-Miou, French actress February 22 - Genesis P-Orridge, English musician and performer February 22 - Julie Walters , English actress February 23 - Maxi, Irish singer and radio personality February 24 - George Thorogood , American Singer and Guitarist February 25 - Neil Jordan, Irish director February 25 - Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish alpine skier (d. 2006) February 26 - Jonathan Cain, American musician (Journey March 2 - Karen Carpenter , American singer and drummer (The Carpenters) (d. 1983) March 2 - Jeffrey Chodorow, American restaurateur and financier March 3 - Tim Kazurinsky, American actor and comedian March 4 - Ofelia Medina, Mexican actress and screenwriter March 7 - Iris Chacon, Puerto Rican singer and dancer March 7 - Billy Joe Dupree, American football player March 7 - Franco Harris, American football player March 9 - Doug Ault, baseball player (d. 2004) March 9 - Danny Sullivan, American race car driver March 11 - Bobby McFerrin , American singer March 11 - Jerry Zucker, American director March 12 - Jon Provost, American actor March 12 - Wheeler Winston Dixon, American filmmaker March 13 - William H. Macy , American actor March 14 - Rick Dees, American disc jockey March 15 - Jørgen Olsen, Danish singer March 16 - Kate Nelligan , Canadian actress March 17 - Patrick Adams, American record producer and songwriter March 18 - Brad Dourif , American actor March 18 - Rodney Milburn, American athlete (d. 1997) March 18 - Eiji Okuda, Japanese actor and film director March 18 - Larry Perkins, Australian racing driver March 18 - John Hartman, American drummer (Doobie Brothers March 20 - William Hurt , American actor March 20 - Carl Palmer, English drummer (Emerson March 21 - Roger Hodgson, English musician March 22 - Jocky Wilson, Scottish darts player March 23 - Anthony De Longis, American actor March 23 - Corinne Clery, French actress March 25 - Chuck Greenberg, American musician (Shadowfax) (d. 1995) March 26 - Teddy Pendergrass, American singer March 26 - Martin Short , Canadian comedian March 26 - Ernest Thomas, American actor March 26 - Alan Silvestri, American film score composer March 27 - Tony Banks, English musician (Genesis) March 27 - Lynn McGlothen, American baseball player (d. 1984) March 30 - Robbie Coltrane , Scottish actor and comedian March 31 - Ed Marinaro, American football player and actor March 31 - András Adorján, Hungarian chess player April 1 - Samuel Alito, U.S. Supreme Court Justice April 3 - Sally Thomsett, English actress April 4 - Christine Lahti , American actress April 5 - Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer (ABBA) April 5 - Miki Manojlović, Serbian actor April 8 - Grzegorz Lato, Polish footballer April 10 - Ken Griffey, Sr. April 10 - Barry M. Riemer, American author April 10 - Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (P-Funk and The Temptations) (d. 1992) April 10 - Akiko Wada, Japanese singer and television performer April 12 - David Cassidy , American singer and actor April 13 - Terry Lester, American actor (d. 2003) April 13 - Ron Perlman , American actor April 13 - William Sadler , American actor April 15 - Josiane Balasko, French actress April 15 - Amy Wright, American actress April 16 - David Graf, American actor (d. 2001) April 17 - L. Scott Caldwell, American actress April 17 - Bruce McNall, American former NHL team owner April 18 - Kenny Ortega, American film and TV producer and choreographer April 20 - Steve Erickson, American novelist April 22 - Peter Frampton , English musician April 22 - Zygi Wilf, owner of the Minnesota Vikings April 25 - Steve Ferrone, British drummer April 28 - Jay Leno, American comedian and television host April 28 - Willie Colón, Puerto Rican salsa legend April 29 - Phillip Noyce, Australian film director May 1 - Dann Florek, American actor May 1 - Danny McGrain, Scottish footballer May 2 - Lou Gramm, American vocalist (Foreigner) May 2 - Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan socialite May 4 - Darryl Hunt, English musician (The Pogues) May 5 - Googoosh, Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین) May 5 - Mary Hopkin, Welsh singer May 7 - Randall 'Tex' Cobb, American boxer and actor May 7 - Tim Russert, American television host (d. 2008) May 8 - Robert Mugge, American music documentary film maker May 11 - Dane Iorg, American baseball player May 12 - Bruce Boxleitner, American actor May 12 - Gabriel Byrne , Irish actor May 12 - Billy Squier, American singer May 13 - Stevie Wonder , American singer and musician May 13 - Danny Kirwan, British musician (Fleetwood Mac) May 15 - Nicholas Hammond, American actor May 16 - Ray Condo, Canadian rockabilly musician May 17 - Howard Ashman, American lyricist (d. 1991) May 18 - Thomas Gottschalk, German television show host May 18 - Mark Mothersbaugh, American composer May 20 - Yvon Lambert, French Canadian ice hockey player May 20 - Reinaldo Merlo, Argentine footballer May 22 - Bernie Taupin, English songwriter May 28 - Ian Bradley, British writer and academic May 28 - Jim Harris, American professional wrestler May 29 - Rebbie Jackson, American musician May 30 - Paresh Rawal, Indian actor May 31 - Gregory Harrison, American actor June 1 - Wayne Nelson, American musician (Little River Band) June 3 - Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter June 3 - Suzi Quatro , American musician and actress June 3 - Deniece Williams, American singer June 4 - Dagmar Krause, German singer (Slapp Happy June 4 - George Noory, American radio personality June 4 - Kevin Woodford, English celebrity chef June 5 - J. J. Bittenbinder, American television host and author June 5 - Ronnie Dyson, American singer and actor (d. 1990) June 5 - Abraham Sarmiento, Jr. June 6 - Chantal Akerman, Belgian film director June 7 - Gary Graham American actor, June 8 - Kathy Baker , American actress June 8 - Sonia Braga , Brazilian actress June 10 - Elias Sosa, Major League Baseball pitcher June 11 - Lynsey De Paul, British singer and songwriter June 11 - Graham Russell, British guitarist and vocalist (Air Supply) June 13 - Michael Stark, Australian actor June 13 - Gerd Zewe, German footballer June 17 - Lee Tamahori , New Zealand film director June 18 - Jackie Leven aka Sir Vincent Lone Scottish singer and songwriter, June 19 - Ann Wilson, American musician June 21 - Anne Carson, Canadian poet June 21 - Joey Kramer, American drummer and percussionist (Aerosmith) June 21 - Vasilis Papakonstantinou, Greek singer and musician June 21 - Gérard Lanvin, French actor June 24 - Mercedes Lackey, American author June 24 - Nancy Allen , American actress June 25 - Nitza Saul, Israeli actress June 30 - Leonard Whiting, British actor July 3 - Ewen Chatfield, New Zealand cricketer July 4 - David Jensen, Canadian-born British radio DJ July 5 - Huey Lewis , American musician (Huey Lewis and the News) July 5 - Michael Monarch, American guitarist (Steppenwolf) July 11 - Bruce McGill , American actor July 11 - Bonnie Pointer, American singer (Pointer Sisters) July 12 - Eric Carr, American drummer (Kiss) (d. 1991) July 12 - Gilles Meloche, Canadian ice hockey player July 13 - George "Pinky" Nelson, American astronaut July 14 - Gwen Guthrie, American singer (d. 1999) July 15 - Arianna Huffington, Greek-born newspaper columnist July 16 - Dennis Priestley, English darts player July 16 - Tom Terrell, musicologist July 17 - Derek de Lint , Dutch actor July 17 - P.J. Soles, German-born American actress July 18 - Jerome Barkum, American football player July 18 - Glenn Hughes, American singer (Village People) (d. 2001) July 18 - Kostas Eleftherakis, Greek footballer July 19 - Freddy Moore, American songwriter July 20 - Tantoo Cardinal, Canadian actress July 20 - Naseeruddin Shah , Indian actor July 21 - Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer July 23 - Blair Thornton, Canadian guitarist (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) July 23 - Alan Turner, Australian cricketer July 26 - Susan George , English actress July 26 - Nelinho, Brazilian footballer July 26 - Rich Vogler, American race car driver (d. 1990) July 27 - Simon Jones, English actor July 28 - Shahyar Ghanbari, Iranian poet July 30 - Frank Stallone, American singer and actor July 31 - Lane Davies, American actor July 31 - Steve Miller, American writer August 1 - Jim Carroll, American poet and actor August 1 - Bunkhouse Buck, American professional wrestler August 2 - Sue Rodriguez, Canadian assisted suicide advocate (d. 1994) August 3 - John Landis, American film director August 6 - Dorian Harewood, American actor August 10 - Rémy Girard, Canadian actor August 11 - Erik Brann, American musician (Iron Butterfly) (d. 2003) August 12 - Jim Beaver, American actor and writer August 15 - Tommy Aldridge, American musician August 16 - Hasely Crawford, Trinidadian athlete August 16 - Marshall Manesh, Iranian-born American actor August 16 - Jeff Thomson, Australian cricketer August 19 - Graeme Beard, Australian cricketer August 21 - Patrick Juvet, Swiss singer August 22 - Ray Burris, baseball player August 25 - Charles Fambrough, American jazz musician August 26 - Benjamin Hendrickson, American actor (d. 2006) August 27 - Charles Fleischer, American actor August 29 - Doug DeCinces, American baseball player September 1 - Dr. Phil McGraw, American talk show host September 2 - Rosanna DeSoto, American actress September 2 - Michael Rother, German musician (Neu! September 2 - Yuen Wah , Chinese actor and stuntman September 3 - Doug Pinnick, American bassist and singer (King's X) September 4 - Doyle Alexander, American baseball player September 4 - Ehteshamuddin, Pakistani cricketer September 5 - Paul William Roberts, Canadian writer September 7 - Julie Kavner, American actress September 8 - Zachary Richard, American singer and songwriter September 10 - Joe Perry, American musician September 11 - Bruce Doull, Australian rules footballer September 11 - Amy Madigan, American actress September 11 - Barry Sheene, British motorcyclist (d. 2003) September 14 - Paul Kossoff, British guitarist (Free) (d. 1976) September 14 - Masami Kuwashima, Japanese race car driver September 14 - Michael Nifong, American attorney September 16 - Loyd Grossman, American television presenter September 17 - Fee Waybill, American musician (The Tubes) September 18 - Shabana Azmi , Indian actress September 18 - Darryl Sittler, Canadian ice hockey player September 18 - Anna Deavere Smith, American actress and playwright September 21 - Bill Murray , American actor September 22 - Kirka, Finnish singer (d. 2007) September 24 - Alan Colmes, American talk show host September 24 - Mohinder Amarnath, Indian cricketer September 24 - Kristina Wayborn, Swedish actress September 27 - Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Japanese actor September 28 - Laurie Lewis, American musician September 28 - John Sayles , American director and screenwriter September 30 - Renato Zero, Italian musician October 1 - Randy Quaid , American actor October 1 - Jeane Manson, American singer and actress October 2 - Persis Khambatta, Indian actress (d. 1998) October 2 - Ian McNeice, English actor October 2 - Mike Rutherford, English musician (Genesis) October 3 - Pamela Hensley , American actress October 4 - Meg Bennett, American writer and actress October 5 - 'Fast' Eddie Clarke, English guitarist (Motörhead October 5 - Jeff Conaway, American actor October 5 - Edward P. Jones, American writer October 6 - David Brin, American author October 6 - Thomas McClary, American guitarist (Commodores) October 8 - Robert Kool Bell, American musician (Kool & the Gang) October 9 - Jody Williams, American teacher and aid worker October 9 - Brian Downing, former baseball player October 10 - Nora Roberts, American novelist October 12 - Susan Anton , American actress October 12 - Robin Askwith, English actor October 12 - Caroline Ellis, English actress October 12 - Kaga Takeshi, Japanese actor October 17 - Howard Rollins, American actor (d. 1996) October 18 - Om Puri , Indian actor October 18 - Wendy Wasserstein, American playwright (d. 2006) October 18 - Sheila White, English actress October 20 - Tom Petty , American musician October 21 - Ronald McNair, American astronaut (d. 1986) October 24 - Steven Greenberg, American composer October 24 - Rawly Eastwick, American baseball player October 25 - Chris Norman, English singer October 27 - Fran Lebowitz, American writer October 28 - Ludo Delcroix, Belgian cyclist October 31 - John Candy , Canadian comedian and actor (d. 1994) October 31 - Jane Pauley, American news anchor November 1 - Dan Peek, American guitarist (America) November 3 - Joe Queenan, American writer November 3 - Massimo Mongai, Italian writer November 4 - Charles Frazier, American author November 4 - Markie Post , American actress November 6 - Chris Glen, Scottish bassist The Sensational Alex Harvey Band November 8 - Mary Hart, American television personality November 10 - Debra Hill, American screenwriter and film producer (d. 2005) November 11 - Mircea Dinescu, Romanian poet November 11 - Ed Ordynski, Australian rally driver November 13 - Mary Lou Metzger, American singer (The Lawrence Welk Show) November 13 - Gilbert Perreault, Canadian ice hockey player November 16 - David Leisure, American actor November 16 - John Swartzwelder, American television writer and novelist November 17 - Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver and race team owner November 18 - Graham Parker, English singer November 18 - Rudy Sarzo, Cuban bass guitarist (Quiet Riot) November 18 - Eric Pierpoint, American actor November 21 - Stephen Geyer, American film & television songwriter November 21 - Alberto Juantorena, Cuban athlete November 22 - Art Sullivan, Belgian singer November 22 - Lyman Bostock, American baseball player (d. 1978) November 22 - Steven Van Zandt, American musician November 22 - Tina Weymouth, American musician (Talking Heads November 25 - Alexis Wright, Australian author November 27 - Gran Hamada, Japanese professional wrestler November 28 - Ed Harris , American actor November 30 - Chris Claremont, British comic book writer December 1 - Keith Thibodeaux, American actor and drummer December 2 - Bob Kevoian, American radio personality December 2 - Amin Saikal, Afghan-Australian academic December 5 - Camarón de la Isla, Spanish flamenco singer (d. 1992) December 5 - Osvaldo Golijov, Argentine-born composer December 6 - Joe Hisaishi, Japanese composer December 6 - Sonia Manzano, American actress and writer December 8 - Tim Foli, American baseball player December 8 - Dan Hartman, American musician (Edgar Winter Group) (d. 1994) December 9 - Joan Armatrading, St. Kitts-born English singer December 10 - Tom Towles, American actor December 11 - Christina Onassis, American heiress (d. 1988) December 12 - Rajnikanth , Indian actor December 12 - Billy Smith, Canadian ice hockey player December 13 - Wendie Malick , American actress December 16 - Claudia Cohen, American gossip columnist and socialite (d. 2007) December 16 - Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist (d. 2006) December 18 - Gillian Armstrong, Australian film director December 18 - Randy Castillo, American drummer (Ozzy Osbourne) (d. 2002) December 18 - Leonard Maltin, American film critic December 21 - Jeffrey Katzenberg, American film producer December 21 - Lillebjørn Nilsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter December 24 - Dana Gioia, American poet December 25 - Manny Trillo, baseball player December 25 - Yehuda Poliker, Israeli singer-songwriter December 27 - Roberto Bettega, Italian footballer December 27 - Terry Bozzio, American drummer (Missing Persons) December 28 - Alex Chilton, American musician (Box Tops) December 28 - Øivind Blunck, Norwegian comedian and actor December 29 - Jon Polito , American actor December 30 - Lewis Shiner, American sci-fi/fantasy author
Deaths January 2 - Emil Jannings, Swiss actor and the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor (b. 1884) January 3 - Emil Jannings, Swiss actor (b. 1884) January 21 - George Orwell, British writer (b. 1903) January 22 - Corinne Luchaire, French actress (b. 1921) January 22 - Alan Hale, Sr. January 29 - Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1885) February 10 - Marcel Mauss, French sociologist (b. 1872) February 13 - Rafael Sabatini, Italian author (b. 1875) February 14 - Karl Guthe Jansky, American Discoverer of cosmic radio waves (b. 1905) March 4 - Adam Rainer, the only man in recorded human history ever to have been both a dwarf and a giant (b. 1899) March 10 - Marguerite De La Motte, American actress (b. 1902) March 19 - Edgar Rice Burroughs, American author (b. 1875) April 3 - Kurt Weill, German composer (b. 1900) April 7 - Walter Huston, Canadian-born actor (b. 1884) April 8 - Vaslav Nijinsky, Polish-born ballet dancer (b. 1890) May 10 - Belle da Costa Greene, librarian July 1 - Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, Swiss musician (b. 1865) July 6 - Fats Navarro, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1923) July 12 - Elsie de Wolfe, American socialite and interior decorator (b. 1865) July 29 - Joe Fry, British racing driver (b. 1915) August 25 - Earl Caddock, professional wrestler (b. 1888) September 16 - Pedro de Cordoba, American actor (b. 1881) October 5 - Frederic Lewy, German neurologist (b. 1885) October 9 - George Hainsworth, National Hockey League goaltender (b. 1895) October 13 - Ernest Haycox, American writer (b. 1899) October 19 - Edna St. Vincent Millay, American poet (b. 1892) October 23 - Al Jolson, American singer and actor (b. 1886) November 2 - George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer November 4 - Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player (b. 1887) November 16 - Bob Smith, American doctor November 20 - Francesco Cilea, Italian composer (b. 1866) November 25 - Johannes Vilhelm Jensen, Danish writer December 1 - E. J. Moeran, English composer (b. 1894) December 2 - Dinu Lipatti, Romanian pianist (b. 1917) December 5 - Shri Aurobindo, Indian guru (b. 1872) December 25 - Neil Francis Hawkins, British fascist (b. 1903)
Events January 1 - The state of Ajaigarh is ceded to the Government of India. January 6 - The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with the UK in response. January 7 - A fire at the Mercy Hospital in Davenport, Iowa, kills 41 people. January 14 - The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight. January 17 - The Great Brinks Robbery January 21 - Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury. January 23 - The Knesset passes a resolution that states Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. January 26 - India promulgates its constitution forming a republic and Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as its first president. Republic Day. January 31 - President Harry S. Truman announces a program to develop the hydrogen bomb. February 9 - Second Red Scare: Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States State Department of being filled with Communists. February 15 - The Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China sign a mutual defense treaty. March 1 - Cold War: Klaus Fuchs is convicted of spying for the Soviet Union by disclosing top secret atomic bomb data. March 7 - Cold War: The Soviet Union issues a statement denying that Klaus Fuchs served as a Soviet spy. March 16 - Communist Czechoslovakia's ministry of foreign affairs asked nuncios of Vatican to leave the country. March 17 - University of California, Berkeley researchers announce the creation of element 98, which they name "Californium". April 8 - India and Pakistan sign the Liaquat-Nehru Pact. April 19 - Argentina becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty. April 27 - Apartheid: In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed formally segregating races. April 28 - Bhumibol Adulyadej marries Queen Sirikit after their quiet engagement in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 19, 1949. May 1 - Guam is organized as a United States commonwealth. May 5 - Bhumibol Adulyadej is crowned as King Rama IX of Thailand. May 9 - Robert Schuman presents his proposal on the creation of an organized Europe, indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. This proposal, known as the "Schuman declaration", is considered by some people to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union. May 9 - L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health is released. May 13 - The first round of the Formula 1 World Championship is held at Silverstone. May 29 - St. Roch, first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia . June 6 - Turkey: The Adhan in Arabic is legalized. June 8 - Sir Thomas Blamey becomes the only Field Marshal in Australian history. June 25 - The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea. June 27 - The United States decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War. June 28 - Seoul is captured by troops from North Korea. July 2 - Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Japan burns down. July 2 - Henri Queuille is elected the seventh Prime Minister of the Fourth French Republic. July 4 - The first broadcast by Radio Free Europe. July 5 - Korean War: Task Force Smith July 5 - Zionism: The Knesset passes the Law of Return which grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel. July 11 - Pakistan joins the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank. July 20 - Cold War: In Philadelphia, Harry Gold pleads guilty to spying for the Soviet Union by passing secrets from atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs. July 24 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station begins operations with the launch of a Bumper rocket. August 15 - Srikakulam district is formed in Andhra Pradesh, India. August 18 - Julien Lahaut, the chairman of the Communist Party of Belgium is assassinated by far-right elements. August 22 - Althea Gibson becomes the first black competitor in international tennis. August 24 - Edith Sampson becomes the first black U.S. delegate to the UN. August 25 - President Harry Truman orders the US Army to seize control of the nation's railroads to avert a strike. September 3 - "Nino" Farina becomes the first Formula One Drivers' champion after winning the 1950 Italian Grand Prix. September 4 - First appearance of the "Beetle Bailey" comic strip. September 4 - Darlington Raceway is the site of the inaugural Southern 500, the first 500-mile NASCAR race. September 15 - Korean War: United States forces land at Incheon, Korea. September 21 - George Marshall sworn in as the 3rd Secretary of Defense of United States. September 24 - Forest fires black out the sun over portions of Canada and New England. A Blue moon (in the astronomical sense) is seen as far away as Europe. September 26 - United Nations troops recapture Seoul from the North Koreans. September 26 - Indonesia is admitted to the United Nations. October 2 - Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz is first published October 11 - Television: CBS's mechanical color system is the first to be licensed for broadcast by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. October 19 - The military of the People's Republic of China takes control of the town of Chamdo in eastern Tibet. November 1 - Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempt to assassinate US President Harry S. Truman at Blair House. November 8 - Korean War: United States Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shoots down two North Korean MiG-15s in the first jet aircraft-to-jet aircraft dogfight in history. November 13 - General Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, President of Venezuela, is assassinated in Caracas. November 17 - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was enthroned as Tibet's head of state at the age of fifteen. November 25 - The "Storm of the Century", a violent snowstorm, paralyzes the northeastern United States and the Appalachians, bringing winds up to 100 mph and sub-zero temperatures. Pickens, West Virginia, records 57 inches of snow. 323 people die due to the storm. November 25 - The People's Republic of China joins the Korean War, sending thousands of troops across the Yalu river border to fight United Nations forces. November 26 - Korean War: Troops from the People's Republic of China launch a massive counterattack in North Korea against South Korean and American forces (Battle of Chosin Reservoir), ending any hopes of a quick end to the conflict. November 29 - Korean War: North Korean and Chinese troops force United Nations forces to retreat from North Korea. December 9 - Harry Gold is sentenced to thirty years in jail for helping Klaus Fuchs pass information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union. His testimony is later instrumental in the prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. December 12 - Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services. December 16 - President Harry S. Truman declares a state of emergency, after Chinese troops enter the fight with communist North Korea in the Korean War. December 25 - The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951. December 28 - The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park.
