On 16 July 1950, in the newly built Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, before a crowd of nearly 200,000, the largest ever at a football match, Brazil needed only a draw against Uruguay in the deciding match of the final round to win its first World Cup. Brazil scored first, but Uruguay came back, with Juan Schiaffino equalising and Alcides Ghiggia scoring the winning goal 11 minutes from the end, 2-1. The silence in the stadium was legendary. The defeat, known in Brazil as the Maracanazo, was a national trauma. Brazil won its first World Cup eight years later, in 1958, with the 17-year-old Pele.
Before and after
- 16 June 1950Construction of Maracanã Stadium
- from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953Korean War
- 28 June 1950Seoul National University Hospital Massacre
- 9 July 1950Birth of Viktor Yanukovych
- 16 July 1950Uruguay wins the 1950 World Cup in the Maracana
- from 4 August 1950 to 18 September 1950Battle of Pusan Perimeter
- 11 August 1950Birth of Steve Wozniak
- 17 August 1950Hill 303 massacre
- from 15 September 1950 to 19 September 1950Battle of Inchon
More in Society, economy & sport
- 16 November 1945Founding of UNESCO
- 7 April 1948Founding of World Health Organization
- 4 April 1949Founding of NATO
- 1959HIV/AIDS
- 1 November 1993Founding of European Union
- from 15 November 2019 to 5 May 2023COVID-19 pandemic
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.