Born in 1950

What things cost in 1950

1950 figures are annual averages of the published monthly (or quarterly) values. “Today’s dollars” uses the Consumer Price Index for September 2026; “latest” is the most recent published price. Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, via FRED. Average retail prices are only published from 1976 on; 1950 has the CPI alone.

Who was in charge in 1950

United States

Harry S. Truman (President)

United Kingdom

George VI (King); Clement Attlee (Prime minister)

Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin (General Secretary); Nikolay Shvernik (Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet); Joseph Stalin (Chairman of the Council of Ministers)

People's Republic of China

Mao Zedong (Chairman; paramount leader); Mao Zedong (Chairman); Zhou Enlai (Premier)

French Fourth Republic

Vincent Auriol (President); Georges Bidault, then Henri Queuille, then René Pleven (Prime minister)

Allied-occupied Germany

John J. McCloy, then Brian Robertson, then André François-Poncet, then Ivone Kirkpatrick (High Commissioner)

East Germany

Wilhelm Pieck (President); Otto Grotewohl (Chairman)

West Germany

Theodor Heuss (President); Konrad Adenauer (Chancellor)

State of Japan

Hirohito (Emperor)

From Wikipedia’s List of state leaders in the 20th century (1901–1950) (revision 1377869146), each name checked against Wikidata. Every country in 1950 →

Famous people born in 1950

• 17 September – Narendra Modi, politician and Prime Minister of India source
• November 23 – Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senator from New York from 1999 source
• May 23 – William Barr, United States Attorney-General source
• July 9 — Viktor Yanukovych, 4th President of Ukraine source
• January 1 – Wayne Bennett, Australian rugby league player and coach source
• February 8 - Manfred Milinski, biologist source
• July 19 – Freddy Moore, musician (died 2022) source
• March 12 – Javier Clemente, Spanish football player, manager source
• January 3 – Victoria Principal, actress (Dallas) source
• February 26 – Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand source
• 14 January – Rambhadracharya, Hindu religious leader source
• Date unknown — María Loreto Elba Rojas Bruschetta, lawyer and judge in Puebla; (died 2018) source
• May 13 – Stevie Wonder, African-American musician source
• March 9 – Danny Sullivan, American race car driver source
• November 22 – Steven Van Zandt, American singer, songwriter, musician, producer, actor, and activist. source

What happened in 1950

• January 6 – The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China; the Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with Britain in response. source
• January 24 – Cold War: Klaus Fuchs, German émigré physicist, confesses to a British MI5 interrogator that he is a Soviet spy: for seven years, he passed top secret data on U.S. and British nuclear weapons research to the Soviet Union. Fuchs is formally charged on February 2. source
• 4 January – A decree is passed amending petroleum law. source
• February 8 – A payment is first made by Diners Club card, in New York, United States (the first use of a charge card). source
• 22 February – Halvor Møgster, Olympic sailor (born 1875) source
• January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: Aeroflot Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 aboard are killed, including almost the entire national ice hockey team (VVS Moscow) of the Soviet Air Force – 11 players, as well as a team doctor and a masseur. source
• 17 March – 1950 Campeonato Profesional: The División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano (DIMAYOR) announces that all teams in the tournament must wear jersey numbers and follow the predetermined times for matches from now on. source
• Food and fuel shortages and the Tzena (Austerity program) leads to a growing black market. source