3 years old, dies from falling down an abandoned well in San Marino, California. April 14 – The N'Ko alphabet is completed by Solomana Kante. April 15 – KPFA, the flagship station of the Pacifica Foundation, begins broadcasting in Berkeley, California. April 18 – The Republic of Ireland formally becomes a republic, and leaves the British Commonwealth. April 20 – Royal Navy frigate HMS Amethyst goes up the Yangtze River, to evacuate British Commonwealth refugees escaping the advance of Mao's Communist forces. Under heavy fire, she grounds off Rose Island. After an abortive rescue attempt on April 26, she anchors upstream. Negotiations with the Communists to let the ship leave drag on for weeks, during which time the ship's cat Simon raises the crew's morale. April 23 – Chinese Communist troops take Nanjing. April 26 – Transjordan changes its name to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. April 28 The 1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference issues the London Declaration, enabling India (and, thereafter, any other nation) to remain in the Commonwealth despite becoming a republic, creating the position of 'Head of the Commonwealth' (held by the ruling British monarch), and renaming the organization, from the 'British Commonwealth' to the 'Commonwealth of Nations'. Former First Lady of the Philippines Aurora Quezon, 61, is assassinated while en route to dedicate a hospital in memory of her late husband; her daughter and 10 others are also killed. May May 1 – Nereid, a moon of Neptune, is discovered by Gerard Kuiper. May 4 – Superga air disaster: A Fiat G.212 airliner of Avio Linee Italiane, carrying the entire Torino F.C. football team, crashes into the back wall of the Basilica of Superga, killing all 31 on board. May 5 – The Council of Europe is founded, by the signing of the Treaty of London. May 6 – EDSAC, the first practicable stored-program computer, runs its first program at Cambridge University. May 9 – Rainier III becomes Prince of Monaco, upon the death of his maternal grandfather Louis II. May 11 Israel is admitted to the United Nations, as its 59th member. Siam officially changes its French name to "Thaïlande" (English name to "Thailand"), having officially changed its Thai name to "Prated Thai" since 1939. May 12 – Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts the Berlin Blockade. May 16 – The Tokyo Stock Exchange resumes operations, after a four-year shutdown. May 20 The AFSA (predecessor