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Indian Independance
The Indian Independence Act 1947 was as an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan. The Act received the royal assent on 18 July 1947, and Pakistan came into being on August 14, and India on August 15, as two new countries. -
Creation of Israel
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman recognized the new nation on the same day. -
Berlin Airlift
In June 1948, the Russians closed all highways, railroads and canals from the west. This, they believed, would make it impossible for the people who lived there to get food or any other supplies and would eventually drive Britain, France and the U.S. out of the city for good. -
Korean War
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when around 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War -
Launch of Sputnik
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. The spacecraft, named Sputnik after the Russian word for “satellite,” was launched at 7:28 PM. Sputnik had a diameter of 22 inches and weighed 184 pounds and circled Earth once every hour and 36 minutes, traveling at 18,000 miles an hour.
