April 29, 1949: The British Commonwealth Is Founded

April 29, 1949: The Commonwealth of Nations, popularly (if incorrectly) known as the British Commonwealth, is founded through the London Declaration. It was the United Kingdom's attempt to replace the British Empire, which was disintegrating in the wake of World War II.

At the dawn of the 20th Century, 1 out of every 4 people on planet Earth lived under British law and rule. It was said that "The Sun never sets on the British Empire." But Canada had a semi-separation in 1926, and India and Pakistan each declared its independence in 1947.

Member states have no legal, diplomatic or military obligations to one another -- at least, not through the Commonwealth, though they may be tied together in other alliances. But they are connected through their use of the English language and other historical ties. Citizenship of a Commonwealth country affords benefits in some member countries, particularly in the U.K.

The Commonwealth Charter defines their shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, as promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games, formerly the Empire Games, a kind of mini-Olympics held in the even-numbered years between Olympiads.

The head of the Commonwealth is the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II reigns over 15 member states, known as the Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda (that's one country), Australia, the Bahamas, Belize (formerly British Honduras), Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis (one country), Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (one country), the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and, the seat of the Commonwealth, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (including 4 countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland).

There are 36 other member nations which are republics: Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), Barbados, Botswana, Cameroon, Cyprus, Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic), Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Togo, Trinidad and Tobago (one country), Uganda, Vanuatu and Zambia. 

And 5 other member nations have their own monarchs: Brunei, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Malaysia and Tonga.

With the formation of the Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland severed its last formal ties with Britain.

According to the most recent census, about 2.4 billion people live in the Commonwealth, about 30 percent of the world's population.

UPDATE: Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022. Her son became King Charles III. It has been suggested that some Commonwealth nations were fans not so much of the monarchy as they were of the Queen herself, and might begin to break away and become republics.

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April 29, 1949 was a Friday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-1 at Yankee Stadium. Dick Kryhoski, playing 1st base for the Bronx Bombers, had perhaps the finest game of his career, going 2-for-4, with his 1st major league home run, and 3 RBIs.  Joe DiMaggio was injured and did not play. Ted Williams went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The New York Giants beat the Boston Braves, 10-9 at Braves Field in Boston. Bill Rigney doubled Bobby Thomson home with the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. 

* The Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2 at Ebbets Field. Both Dodger runs came on solo home runs by Roy Campanella. Jackie Robinson went 0-for-4.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Washington Senators, 6-5 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-3 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-1 at Briggs Stadium (later renamed Tiger Stadium) in Detroit.

* The Chicago Cubs beat their arch-rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Smoky Burgess singled Phil Cavarretta home in the bottom of the 12th inning. Stan Musial went 0-for-4 with a walk.

* And the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns were not scheduled.