1947

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Here is what was happening in the world.

January

• January 1 - British mines nationalized

• January 1 - Nigeria gains limited autonomy

• January 1 - The Canadian Citizenship Act goes into effect

• January 3 - Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time

• January 10 - United Nations takes control of the free city of Trieste

• January 15 - Elizabeth Short (the "Black Dahlia") is found murdered

• January 16 - Inauguration of Vincent Auriol as a president of France

• January 24 - Demetrios Maximos founds monarchist government in Athens

• January 25 - Philippine plane crashes in Hong Kong with $5 million worth of gold and money

• January 30 - February 8 - heavy blizzard in Canada buries towns from Winnipeg to Calgary

• January 31 - Communists take power in Poland.

February

• February 3 - In Snag, Yukon Territory, -63 degrees Celsius, lowest recorded temperature in North America.

• February 3 - Percival Prattis becomes the first black news correspondent allowed in the United States House of Representatives and Senate press gallery.

• February 5 - Boleslaw Bierut becomes president of Poland

• February 10 - Paris peace treaties signed between the World War II Allies and Italy, Hungary, Romaniam Bulgaria and Finland: Italy cedes most of Istria to Yugoslavia

• February 12 - A meteor creates a crater into Sikhote-Alin, Soviet Union

• February 17 - Propaganda: The Voice of America begins to transmit radio broadcasts into the Soviet Union.

• February 20 - State of Prussia ceases to exist

• February 20 - Explosion at the O'Connor Electro-Plating Co in Los Angeles, California - 17 dead, 100 buildings damaged, 22-foot crater

• February 21 - In New York City, Edwin Land demonstrates the first "instant camera", the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America.

• February 23 - International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is founded.

• February 28 - USA gives France a military base in Casablanca

• February 28 - In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with large loss of civilian lives.

March

• March 1 - The International Monetary Fund begins to operate.

• March 1 - Wernher von Braun marries his first cousin, 18-year-old Maria von Quirstorp.

• March 1 - Japanese city Tsushima, Aichi is founded

• March 6 - USS Newport News, the first air-conditioned naval ship, is launched from Newport News, Virginia.

• March 12 - The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism.

• March 15 - Hindus and Muslims clash in Punjab

• March 21 - Homer Collyer of the Collyer brothers is found dead in their house in Harlem, New York City. His brother is found April 8

• March 25 - A coalmine explosion in Centralia, Illinois kills 111.

• March 28 - WW2 Japanese booby trap explodes in Corregidor - 28 dead

• March 29 - Rebellion against French rule erupts in Madagascar

April

• April 1 - King George II of Greece dies of a heart attack, succeeded by his brother King Paul I.

• April 16 - The Texas City Disaster - Ammonium nitrate cargo of SS Grandcamp explodes in Texas City, Texas - 552 dead, 3000 injured, 200 lost, 20 city blocks destroyed

May

• May 1 - Gang of Salvatore Giuliano opens fire on a labor parade near Portella Della Ginestra, Sicily; Eleven killed, thirty wounded

• May 3 - New post-war Japanese constitution goes into effect.

• May 22 - Cold War: In an effort to fight the spread of Communism, President Harry S. Truman signs an act implementing the Truman Doctrine. The act granted $400 million in military and economic aid to Turkey and Greece.

June

• June 5 - Secretary of State Gen George Marshall outlines the Marshall Plan for U.S. aid to Europe.

• June 10 - Saab produces its first automobile.

• June 15 - Portuguese government orders 11 military officers and 19 university professors to resign accused of revolutionary activity

• June 20 - Bugsy Siegel found shot in the Beverly Hills mansion of Virginia Hill

• June 21 - A Seaman named Harold Dahl claims to have seen six UFOs near Maury Island. The next morning Dahl reports the first modern Men in Black encounter.

• June 21 - The Canadian Parliament voted unaminiously to pass several laws regarding displaced foreign refugees.

• June 23 - The United States Senate follows the United States House of Representatives in overriding U.S. President Harry S. Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act.

July

• July 1 - The Australian real estate franchise L. J. Hooker lists on the Australian Stock Exchange

• July 5 - Downed UFO allegedly found in the Roswell UFO incident, written about by Stanton T. Friedman.

• July 10 - Princess Elizabeth announces engagement to Philip Mountbatten

• July 11 - Exodus (ship) departs France to Palestine with 4500 Jewish Holocaust survivor refugees

• July 18 - Following wide media and UNSCOP coverage, Exodus (ship) is captured by British troops and refused entry to Palestine in the port of Haifa

• July 18 - President Harry S. Truman signs the Presidential Succession Act into law which places the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tempore next in the line of succession after the United States Vice President.

• July 19 - Murder of Burmese nationalist Aung San

• July 24 - 100 year anniversary of Brigham Young leading 148 Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley, resulting in the establishment of Salt Lake City.

• July 26 - Cold War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs the National Security Act into United States law creating the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the National Security Council.

• July 29 - After being shut off on November 9, 1946 for a refurbishment, ENIAC, one of the world's first digital computers, is turned on after a memory upgrade. It will remain in continuous operation until October 2, 1955.

• July 30 - Thor Heyerdahl sails with Kon-Tiki

August

• August 5 - Netherlands stops political actions in Indonesia

• August 7 - Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after a 101 day, 4,300 mile journey across the Pacific Ocean proving that pre-historic peoples could have traveled from South America.

• August 7 - The Bombay Municipal Corporation formally takes over the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).

• August 9 - Beginning the 6 Scout World Jamboree - see Jamboree Scout 1947 (in French)

• August 14 - Pakistan gains independence from the British Empire under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. While the transition is officially at midnight on this day, Pakistan celebrates its independence on August 14 compared to India on the 15th. Muhammad Ali Jinnah became the first Governor General of Pakistan.

• August 15 - Following decades of nonviolent resistance and periodic civil unrest from 1919, India gains independence from the British Empire. Pakistan splits from India. Jawaharlal Nehru takes office as first Prime Minister of India.

• August 15 - The Khan of Baluchistan declares independence (acceeds to Pakistan in 1948)

• August 16 - In Greece, General Markos Vafiadis takes over

• August 23 - Prime Minister of Greece Dimitrios Maximos resigns.

• August 27 - When the French government lowers the bread ration to 200 grams, it causes riots in Verdun and Le Mans

• August 31 - Communists take power in Hungary.

September

• September 4-September 21 - Hurricane in southeast Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama - 51 killed

• September 9 - "First actual case of (a computer) bug being found" - a moth lodged in a relay of a Mark II computer at Harvard.

• September 13 - Nehru suggests transfer of 4 million Hindus and Muslims between India and Pakistan.

• September 18 - The United States Army Air Forces, along with some components of the United States Navy's air arm, becomes the United States Air Force.

October

• October 14 - American test pilot, Captain Chuck Yeager flies a Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound, the first man to do so in level flight.

• October 20 - The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 begins

• October 30 - The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which is the foundation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is founded.

November

• November 2 - In California, Designer Howard Hughes performs the maiden flight of the Spruce Goose; the largest fixed-wing aircraft ever built (flight lasted only eight minutes).

• November 2 - Earthquake in Chilean Andes - 233 dead

• November 10 - Arrest of four steel workers in Marseille begins a communist rioting that spreads to Paris

• November 16 - 15,000 demonstrate in Brussels against the relatively short sentences of Nazis.

• November 16 - British begin to withdraw their troops from Palestine.

• November 20- The Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King George VI marries the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey, London.

• November 20 - Paul Ramadier resigns as Prime Minister of France - he is succeeded by Robert Schuman. Schuman calls 80,000 reservists to quell the rioting miners

• November 24 - Red Scare: The United States House of Representatives votes 346 to 17 to approve citations of contempt of U.S. Congress against the so-called Hollywood 10 after the 10 had refused to co-operate with the House Un-American Activities Committee concerning allegations of Communist influence in the movie industry, (the 10 were blacklisted by Hollywood movie studios the next day).

• November 25 - New Zealand ratifies the Statute of Westminster and thus becomes independent of legislative control by the United Kingdom.

• November 27 - In Paris, police occupy editorial offices of communist newspapers.

• November 29 - The United Nations General Assembly votes to partition Palestine between Arabs and Jews.

December

• December 3 - French communist strikers derail Paris-Tourcoing Express train because of false rumors that it was transporting soldiers - 21 dead

• December 3 - Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire opens on Broadway.

• December 4 - French interior minister Jules Moch secures emergency measures against riots after six days of violent arguments in the national assembly

• December 9 - French labour unions calls off the general strike and begin negotiations with the French government

• December 23 - the Transistor is invented.

• December 30 - King Michael of Romania abdicates

Unknown Dates

• Prussia is legally abolished in March by the Allied Control Council following World War II and the establishment of the Oder-Neisse line as Germany's eastern border.

• The House Un-American Activities Committee begin their investigations of communism in Hollywood.

• Cambridge University begins to admits women as full students.

• Mikhail Kalashnikov designs the AK-47 assault rifle.

• Walter Frederick Morrison invents the Frisbee.

• Raytheon produces first commercial microwave oven.

• Women's suffrage is granted in Argentina.

• The people's Republic of Mahabad the 2nd kurdish state in kurdish history in Iran is conquered by Iranian forces. The leaders where hanged at the Chuwarchira Square in Mahabad.

• In acave in and around the Wadi Qumran (near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea), several tall pottery jars containing leather scrolls are discovered, which later became known as the Dead Sea scrolls. ^[1]

Famous Boomer Birthdays

January

• January 2 - Ai, American poet

• January 2 - Jack Hanna, American zoologist

• January 3 - Patricia Anthony, American author

• January 8 - David Bowie, English musician

• January 11 - Tom Netherton, American singer

• January 16 - Laura Schlessinger, American psychologist and radio talk show host

• January 24 - Warren Zevon, American musician (d. 2003)

• January 29 - Linda B. Buck, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

• January 30 - Steve Marriott, British musician (The Small Faces) (d. 1991)

• January 31 - Nolan Ryan, baseball player

February

• February 1 - Jessica Savitch, American journalist (d. 1983)

• February 2 - Farrah Fawcett, American actress

• February 2 - Melanie, American singer

• February 3 - Paul Auster, American novelist

• February 4 - Dan Quayle, Vice President of the United States

• February 5 - Darrell Waltrip, American race car driver and broadcaster

• February 13 - Mike Krzyzewski, American basketball coach

• February 18 - Princess Christina of the Netherlands

• February 18 - Dennis DeYoung, American musician (Styx)

• February 20 - Peter Strauss, American actor

• February 24 - Edward James Olmos, American actor

• February 25 - Doug Yule, American singer and musician (The Velvet Underground)

March

• March 6 - Kiki Dee, American singer

• March 6 - Dick Fosbury, American athlete

• March 6 - Rob Reiner, American actor, comedian, and producer

• March 7 - Richard Lawson, American actor

• March 14 - Billy Crystal, American actor and comedian

• March 15 - Ry Cooder, American guitarist

• March 19 - Glenn Close, American actress

• March 20 - John Boswell, American historian (d. 1994)

• March 25 - Elton John, British singer

• March 27 - Walt Mossberg, American newspaper columnist

April

• April 2 - Emmylou Harris, American singer

• April 2 - Camille Paglia, American literary critic

• April 6 - John Ratzenberger, American actor

• April 8 - Tom DeLay, American politician

• April 11 - Deem Bristow, American video game actor (d. 2005)

• April 12 - Tom Clancy, American author

• April 12 - David Letterman, American entertainer

• April 15 - Mike Chapman, record producer and songwriter (Nicky Chinn) and producer (Suzi Quatro, Sweet, Blondie)

• April 16 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player

• April 18 - Kathy Acker, American author (d. 1997)

• April 18 - James Woods, American actor

• April 19 - Murray Perahia, American pianist

• April 21 - Iggy Pop, American rock musician (The Stooges)

• April 21 - John Weider, British rock musician (Eric Burdon and the Animals, Family)

May

• May 6 - Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher

• May 4 - Theda Skocpol, American Sociologist

• May 13 - Stephen R. Donaldson, American novelist

June

• June 14 - Barry Melton, American musician (Country Joe and The Fish and The Dinosaurs)

• June 15 - John Hoagland, American war photographer (d. 1984)

• June 20 - Candy Clark, American actress

• June 22 - David Lander, American actor and baseball scout

• June 22 - Pete Maravich, American basketball player (d. 1988)

• June 22 - Mike Stone, American football player

• June 28 - Mark Helprin, American writer

July

• July 2 - Larry David, American actor, writer, producer, and director

• July 3 - John William Carter, son of U. S. President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter

• July 7 - Rob Townsend, British rock drummer (Family)

• July 9 - Mitch Mitchell, drummer for The Jimi Hendrix Experience

• July 9 - O. J. Simpson, American football player, actor, and suspected murderer

• July 10 - Arlo Guthrie, American singer

• July 17 - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

• July 19 - Brian May, English guitarist (Queen)

• July 20 - Carlos Santana, American (Mexican-born) guitarist

• July 30 - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-born actor, bodybuilder, and Governor of California

August-September

• August 10 - Ian Anderson, British musician (Jethro Tull)

• September 14 - Sam Neill, New Zealand actor

• September 21 - Stephen King, American author

• September 30 - Marc Bolan, English rock musician (T. Rex) (d. 1977)

October

• October 6 - Gail Farrell, American singer

• October 13 - Sammy Hagar, American singer

• October 24 - Kevin Kline, American actor

• October 26 - Hillary Rodham Clinton, First Lady of the United States and Senator from New York

• October 29 - Richard Dreyfuss, American actor

November

• November 10 - Glen Buxton, American guitarist (Alice Cooper) (d. 1997)

• November 14 - P. J. O'Rourke, American journalist and satirist

• November 19 - Lamar S. Smith, American politician

• November 24 - Dwight Schultz, American actor

• November 24 - Johnny Zell, American musician

• November 25 - John Larroquette, American actor

December

• December 9 - Tom Daschle, U.S. Senator

• December 14 - Christopher Parkening, American guitarist

• December 18 - Rod Piazza, American musician

• December 16 - Vincent Matthews, American athlete

• December 26 - Carlton Fisk, baseball player

• December 29 - Ted Danson, American actor

• December 30 - Michael Burns, American actor

• December 30 - Jeff Lynne, British musician (Electric Light Orchestra)

• December 31 - Tim Matheson, American actor

Deaths

January-April

• January 20 - Andrew Volstead, American politician (b. 1860)

• January 25 - Al Capone, American gangster (b. 1899)

• February 27 - Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1868)

• March 11 - Victor Lustig, Austrian-born con artist (b. 1890)

• March 12 - Walter Samuel Goodland, Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1862)

• March 18 - William C. Durant, American automobile pioneer (b. 1861)

• March 19 - Prudence Heward, Canadian painter (b. 1896)

• March 20 - Victor Goldschmidt, Swiss geochemist (b. 1888)

• March 30 - Arthur Machen, Welsh-born author (b. 1863)

• April 1 - King George II of Greece (b. 1890)

• April 7 - Henry Ford, American automobile manufacturer (b. 1863)

• April 20 - King Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)

• April 24 - Willa Cather, American novelist (b. 1873)

May-December

• May 8 - Harry Gordon Selfridge, American department store magnate (b. 1858)

• May 16 - Frederick Hopkins, English biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (b. 1861)

• May 17 - George William Forbes, Prime Minister of New Zealand

• May 20 - Philipp Lenard, Austrian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)

• May 24 - C. F. Ramuz, Swiss writer (b. 1878)

• June 26 - Richard Bedford Bennett, eleventh Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1870)

• July 19 - Aung San, Burmese nationalist (assassinated) (b. 1915)

• July 30 - Joseph Cook, sixth Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1860)

• October 4 - Max Planck, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858)

• October 6 - Leevi Madetoja, Finnish composer (b. 1887)

• October 29 - Frances Cleveland, wife of President Grover Cleveland (b. 1864)

• November 25 - Léon-Paul Fargue, French writer (b. 1876)

• December 1 - Aleister Crowley, British occultist (b. 1875)

• December 1 - G. H. Hardy, British mathematician (b. 1877)

• December 7 - Nicholas M. Butler, American president of Columbia University, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1862)

• December 7 - Tristan Bernard, French writer and lawyer (b. 1866)

• December 14 - Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)

• December 14 - Edward Higgins, the 3rd General of The Salvation Army (b. 1864)

• December 17 - J. N. Brønsted, Danish chemist (b. 1879)

• December 28 - Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (b. 1869)

• Emil J. Brach, American candy manufacturer (b. 1859)

Nobel Prizes

• Physics - Edward Victor Appleton

• Chemistry - Sir Robert Robinson

• Medicine - Carl Ferdinand Cori, Gerty Cori, Bernardo Houssay

• Literature - André Gide

• Peace - The Friends Service Council (UK) and The American Friends Service Committee (USA), on behalf of the Religious Society of Friends

Fictional References

• The 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit was set in Hollywood, 1947.

• In the Futurama episode Roswell That Ends Well, Fry accidental put metal in the microwave and everyone in Planet Express went back to July 9, 1947.

• In Back to the Future Part III, Doc Brown said that suitable parts for his time-circuits are invented.

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