Ex-President Ephraim Katzir DiesCIE+
Ephraim Katzir immigrated to Palestine with his family at the age of 9. He goes on to serve as Chief Scientist of the Israel Defense Forces and later as President of Israel.
Shamir Fires Weizman Over PLO ContactCIE+
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir dismisses Science Minister Ezer Weizman as a consequence of his contact with the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization).
Zalman Shazar Is Elected as Israel’s Third PresidentCIE+
Shazar, a drafter of Israeli’s declaration of Independence who had helped Jews make Aliyah from Russia in the 1920s, becomes Israel’s third President.
President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Dies
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Israel’s second President and celebrated historian, passes away at the age of 78.
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Is Inaugurated as Israel’s Second PresidentCIE+
At the end of the traditional thirty-day mourning period for Israel’s first President Chaim Weizmann, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi is inaugurated as Israel’s second President in a Knesset ceremony.
First President Chaim Weizmann DiesCIE+
Chaim Weizmann, a leader of the Zionist movement and the first president of the State of Israel, dies in Rehovot after a yearlong illness.
El Al Is FoundedCIE+
El Al, Israel’s national airline, is officially incorporated about seven weeks after a repainted military plane used the name while bringing Chaim Weizmann home for Switzerland.
Shimon Peres Is BornCIE+
The only politician in Israeli history to hold the positions of both President and Prime Minister, Shimon Peres is born in Belorussia to Yitzchak and Sara Perski.
5th Israeli President Yitzhak Navon Is Born
Yitzhak Navon, Israel’s fifth president, is born in Jerusalem.
Chaim Weizmann Joins British AdmiraltyCIE+
Chaim Weizmann, first President of Israel, then working as a chemist in Manchester, England, is appointed to the British Admiralty as an Honorary Technical Adviser on acetone supplies.
