Historical eventJune 81949

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian political novel by the English writer George Orwell about life under a fictional totalitarian government, was published.

Everything on June 8Original source

In context

When
Wednesday, June 8 194977 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1940s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1948.

What happened

Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian political novel by the English writer George Orwell about life under a fictional totalitarian government, was published.

June 8 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1949Nineteen Eighty-Four
  2. 1992World Oceans Day
  3. 1995Captain (United States O-3)
  4. 2001Mamoru Takuma
  5. 20042004 transit of Venus
  6. 20072007 New South Wales storms
  7. 2007Space Shuttle Atlantis
  8. 2007Newcastle, New South Wales
  9. 2008Akihabara massacre
  10. 20092009 imprisonment of American journalists by North Korea
  11. 2023Donald Trump

Also in 1949

  • June 14Albert II (monkey)Albert II, a rhesus monkey, rides a V-2 rocket to an altitude of 134 km (83 mi), thereby becoming the first mammal and first monkey in sp…
  • October 14Smith Act trials of Communist Party leadersThe first of the Smith Act trials concluded in New York City, with eleven leaders of the Communist Party of the United States found guilt…
  • January 5State of the UnionIn his State of the Union speech, U.S. president Harry S. Truman (pictured) announced: "Every segment of our population, and every indivi…
  • August 29List of nuclear weapons tests of the Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear weapons test, detonating the 22-kiloton RDS-1.
  • March 10Mildred GillarsMildred Gillars, nicknamed Axis Sally, was convicted of treason for working with the Nazis as a broadcaster.
  • May 12Cold WarCold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.
  • March 30Cold WarCold War: A riot breaks out in Austurvöllur square in Reykjavík, when Iceland joins NATO.
  • May 9Rainier III of MonacoRainier III became Prince of Monaco, beginning a 56-year reign, which would make him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.

Everything we record for 1949 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Nineteen Eighty-Four”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/nineteen-eighty-four-1949-june-8, accessed October 24, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Nineteen Eighty-Four happen?

June 8 1949 — 77 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.