1948

From top to bottom, left to right: The Israeli Declaration of Independence establishes the State of Israel, sparking the 1948 Arab–Israeli War; Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated in New Delhi; the 1948 Summer Olympics open in London, the first since World War II; the Berlin Blockade begins, leading to the U.S.-led Airlift; the Malayan Emergency erupts against British forces; the 1948 United States presidential election sees Harry S. Truman's surprise victory; the Treaty of Brussels is signed, forming a Western defense alliance; the Jeju uprising in South Korea is brutally suppressed; and the 1948 Fukui earthquake devastates Japan.