A conference inParis between France, the UK and the USSR broke up after the Soviets rejected theMarshall Plan, which Britain and France accepted. Soviet Foreign MinisterVyacheslav Molotov warned that Europe would be split into eastern and western blocs if Britain and France acted alone; his UK counterpartErnest Bevin declared that Britain had faced threats before and would not be deterred.[2]
TheAK-47 assault rifle went into production in the Soviet Union.[6]
Spanish voters approved Franco's law of succession ina referendum, the first time the Spanish people had been allowed a chance to vote in 11 years. The result was reported as 95.1 percent in favor.[3]
TheHostages Trial began inNuremberg. Twelve German generals of theBalkan Campaign were put on trial as those responsible for the hostage-taking of civilians and the wanton shooting of those hostages, as well as executions of arbitrarily designated "partisans".
Representatives of 16 nations opened a conference in Paris to discuss implementation of theMarshall Plan.[2]
Two British Army sergeants in Palestine were kidnapped in retaliation for death sentences imposed on threeIrgun members convicted of leading the May 4Acre Prison break.[3]
Cuban Labor MinisterCarlos Prío Socarrás and SenatorEduardo Chibás fought a saberduel in the National Capitol inHavana. Chibás had been challenged to the duel by Socarrás after he harshly criticized the Labor Minister in a radio broadcast. Chibás sustained cuts to his face, left side and right arm while Socarrás was bruised in the right side.[12]
British authorities in Palestine imposed martial law onNetanya, where the two British soldiers were kidnapped two days earlier.[13]
Tămădău Affair: A number of deputies of theNational Peasants' Party inRomania were arrested at theTămădău airport nearBucharest as they were waiting for airplanes to transport them out of the country. They would be charged with trying to overthrow the government.
A United Nations Security Council debate on a proposed international police force ended in a deadlock after the Americans and Soviets failed to agree on how much each of the participating states would be expected to contribute.[13]
Hungarian Interior MinisterLászló Rajk presented Parliament with a new electoral law containing several provisions beneficial to the Communists. Most significantly, the law extended the life of the Communist-dominated National Election Committee, which had the authority to decide which parties and candidates would be allowed to run.[13]
TheHouse of Lords passed a bill with unprecedented speed when theIndian independence bill was rushed through three readings and a report stage all in the same day. The bill now only required Royal Assent to become law.[15]
17-year-old Herbert E. Kolb, aFred Harvey Company employee, lost his balance and fell 950 feet (290 m) to his death from the edge of Hopi Point inGrand Canyon National Park. The search for Kolb's body may have led to the discovery ofuranium ore in the Grand Canyon.[16]
Born:Camilla, Queen of the United Kingdom; née Camilla Shand inLondon, England
Died:Raoul Wallenberg, 34, Swedish architect, businessman, diplomat and politician (died under mysterious circumstances in Moscow prison)
TheSSExodus reachedHaifa and fought British naval authorities for an hour and a half in an effort to stop them from boarding. The 4,515 Jews aboard were transferred to three waiting ships to be sent toCyprus. 3 Jews died in the hospital.[1]
After a gun battle, Burmese police in Rangoon arrested 20 leaders of theMyochit Party, including former prime ministerU Saw, on charges of planning the previous day's murders.[7]
At 6 p.m. Pacific Time, 3,500 engineers of theSouthern Pacific Railroad went on strike for higher pay and changes in working conditions. A compromise settlement was reached seven hours after the strike began.[19]
During Operation Product, Dutch forces captured the port city ofCirebon on Java.[7]
It was announced thatAmerican Federation of Musicians headJames C. Petrillo had agreed to drop his ban on amateur radio broadcasting and record-making by high school and military bands, as long as the broadcasts and records were for the exclusive use of schools, colleges and universities.[21]
20-year-old student pilot Carl Lange, aUnited States Navy veteran ofWorld War II, suffered a fatalskull fracture when he struck a power line while flying anAeronca Champion aircraft and crashed in anOhio hayfield. His instructor survived the crash. Stephen Koenig Armstrong and his sons, 16-year-old futureastronautNeil Armstrong and his brother Dean, were driving nearby and attempted to render assistance. According to some accounts, Lange died in Neil Armstrong's arms.[24]
The Norwegian cargo shipOcean Liberty exploded near the French port ofBrest when a fire on board set off the cargo ofammonium nitrate, killing at least 26 people and injuring hundreds more.[25]
English swimmerTom Blower completed the first swimming of theNorth Channel between Ireland and Scotland, achieving the feat in 15 hours and 26 minutes.
Dakota VT-CLA, aDouglas C-47 Skytrain carrying medical supplies to the national government of Indonesia, was shot down over Ngoto,Bantul with only one survivor of the nine aboard. The Dutch initially denied complicity but would eventually pay restitution.
The Sergeants affair: the bodies of the two British Army soldiers kidnapped on July 12 were found hanging from eucalyptus trees inBnei Zion. Messages were pinned to their shirts saying they had been executed as spies. As one body was being taken down, abooby trap went off. Enraged British soldiers began a rampage inTel Aviv, attacking civilians, looting and damaging shops. Five Jews were killed when a bus was fired upon.[1][7]
