360What happened in 1949?
3 moments from 1949 on 360n60, each told in 60 words or fewer.
- On this day · 11 May 1949
Siam is renamed Thailand
On 11 May 1949, the Kingdom of Siam officially changed its name to Thailand, meaning 'land of the free'. The name had first been adopted in 1939, then changed back. Thailand, the only Southeast Asian country never colonised by a European power, is now a major tourism destination.
- On this day · 8 June 1949
George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is published
On 8 June 1949, George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was published in London. It imagined a future in which 'Big Brother' watches everyone and the truth is constantly rewritten. Words from the book, such as 'Big Brother' and 'doublethink', entered everyday language.
- 1949 · from Germany is reunified
Germany is divided into two states