January 17 – The firstVolkswagen Beetle to arrive in the United States, a 1948 model, is brought toNew York City by Dutch businessman Ben Pon. Unable to interest dealers or importers in the Volkswagen, Pon sells the sample car to pay his travel expenses. Only two 1949 models will be sold in America that year, convincing Volkswagen chairmanHeinrich Nordhoff that the car has no future in the U.S. (TheVW Beetle goes on to become the greatest automobile phenomenon in American history.)
March 26 – The first half ofGiuseppe Verdi's operaAida, conducted by conductorArturo Toscanini, and performed in concert (i.e. no scenery or costumes), is telecast byNBC, live fromStudio 8H atRockefeller Center. The second half is telecast a week later. This is the only completeopera that Toscanini ever conducts ontelevision.
April 13 – The 6.7 MwOlympia earthquake affected the Puget Sound region of western Washington with a maximumMercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), causing eight deaths and $25 million in damage.
August 5 –United States Department of State published The China White Paper as Department of State Publication 3573, entitled "United States Relations With China, With Special Reference to the Period 1944–1949."[2]
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