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1948 Slowly the fashions were becoming more daring with the Bikini gaining in popularity slowly and the first prefab post war housing to solve housing shortages were starting to appear both in Europe and the USA as they could be built quickly to accommodate the growing need and were cheap to build and for people to buy , the quality was not great but they did enable the baby boom after the war years by providing young couples with a home to start their family. In Europe the cold war took a new turn when the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin in Germany and the US countered with an 11 month airlift of food and supplies. Also due to demand and inflationary pressure prices rose and many believed that governments should bring back some price controls. And Televisions are appearing in more and more homes. Cost Of Living, - Other News, Facts and Events, - Movies, TV and Music, - Technology, - Born This Year, World Leaders,



How Much things cost in 1948
Yearly Inflation U.S.A. 7.74% UK 6.6%

Average Cost of new house $7,700.00

Average wages per year $2,950.00

Cost of a gallon of Gas 16 cents

Average Cost of a new car $1,250.00

Loaf of Bread 14 cents

LB of Hamburger Meat 45 cents

Science and Mechanics Magazine 20 cents

Movie Ticket 60 Cents

Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling

Average House Price 1,751







What Events Happened in 1948

UK
  • Nationalisation of UK railways to form British Railways
India
  • Indian pacifist and leader Mahatma Gandhi is murdered on 26th January by a Hindu extremist
Israel
  • Israel is declared as an independent state.
Netherlands
  • The Land Rover Series I is shown for the first time at the Amsterdam Car Show
UK
  • Western European Treaty is signed
U.S.
  • The Foreign Assistance Act ( The Marshall Plan ) is agreed to provide more than $13 billion in aid to war torn Europe between 1948 and 1951
UN
  • The UN creates the WHO World Health Organization
UN
  • The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration on Human Rights
UK
  • British National Health Service Act creating the NHS Created
Pakistan
  • India attacks the Pakistan City of Hyderabad
World
  • Instances of Polio ( Infantile Paralysis ) increase around the world.
Germany
  • The United States and Great Britain begins a massive airlift of food, water, and medicine on June 26th to the citizens of West Berlin following the Soviet Blockade.
Burma
  • Burma Gains Independence
Australia
  • Holden cars starts manufacture in Australian
U.S.
  • NASCAR holds its first race for modified stock cars at Daytona Beach
Russia
  • Earthquake in Turkmenistan USSR Kills 110,000
Ecuador
  • 6.7 magnitude earthquake hits Ecuador in the Andes creating landslides burying 100,000 homes
Sri Lanka
  • Sri Lanka Gains Independence From Great Britain
South Africa
  • The National Party of the Dutch Afrikaners begins the policy of apartheid in South Africa
UK
  • The Summer Olympics are held in London, England
Switzerland
  • The Winter Olympic Games are held in St. Moritz, Switzerland




Technology

  • Porsche is founded


  • 1 million households own Televisions was 5,000 just 3 years earlier




    • Inventions Invented by Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use ) 1948

    Random Access Storage Device For Computer England by Freddie William's team
    Long Playing Record USA made of vinyl and played at 33 rpm
    Velcro Switzerland by George deMestral
    Transistor Radio USA from Bell Laboratories


Popular Culture

The game of Scrabble is introduced by James Brunot ( was an earlier invention by Alfred Butts in the 30's ) they saw the game when called Lexiko and started making it in their home and changed the name to Scrabble

  • FILM The Red Shoes


  • FILM The Road to Rio


  • FILM Easter Parade


  • Musical South Pacific Opens on Broadway



Born This Year

John Ritter News And Events From September 17th

Johnny Ramone News And Events From October 8th

Rick Parfitt More What Happened on October 12th

Chris de Burgh This Day In History October 15th

Glenn Frey More What Happened on November 6th

Prince Charles This Day In History November 14th

Alice Cooper February 4th -- Allen Park, Michigan, U.S.

Al Gore March 31st -- Washington, D.C., U.S.

Samuel L. Jackson December 21st -- Washington, D.C., U.S.

Jean-Michel Jarre August 24th -- Lyon, France

Samuel L. Jackson December 21st -- Washington, D.C., U.S.

Andrew Lloyd Webber March 22nd -- Kensington, London, England

Olivia Newton-John September 26th -- Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

Ozzy Osbourne December 3rd -- Aston, Birmingham, West Midlands, England

Terry Pratchett April 28th -- Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England

Donna Summer December 31st -- Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

James Taylor March 12th -- Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.






Major World Political Leaders

Australia Prime Minister Ben Chifley

Brazil President Gaspar Dutra

Canada Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King till November 15
Canada Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent from November 15,

France Prime Minister Vincent Auriol From 16 January

India Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru From 15 August

Italy Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi

Japan Prime Minister Tetsu Katayama Till 10 March
Japan Prime Minister Hitoshi Ashida From 10 March
Japan Prime Minister Hitoshi Ashida Till 15 October
Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida From 15 October

Mexico President Miguel Alemán Valdés

Russia / Soviet Union
General Secretary of the Central Committee Joseph Stalin

South Africa Prime Minister Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts Till 4 June
South Africa Prime Minister Daniel François Malan From 4 June

United States President Harry S. Truman

United Kingdom Prime Minister Clement Attlee


Political Elections


United States Presidential Election 1948 Harry S. Truman (Democratic) Defeats Thomas E. Dewey (Republican) and Strom Thurmond (States' Rights Democratic) and Henry A. Wallace (Progressive/Labor)


The Information above is taken from our new page that gives world leaders from 1920 to current.
WorldLeaders