1946 Trivia, Information, History, and Fun Facts
Quick Facts from 1946
- World Changing Event: ENIAC — the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer — was unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania on February 14, 1946. It was the first general-purpose electronic computer, weighing 30 tons, occupying 1,800 square feet, and containing 18,000 vacuum tubes. It could perform 5,000 additions per second — extraordinary for its time, laughable by modern standards.
- Influential Songs: “The Christmas Song” by Nat “King” Cole and “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” by various artists
- Must-See Movies: Duel in the Sun, It’s a Wonderful Life, Angel on My Shoulder, Notorious, The Best Years of Our Lives, and A Night in Casablanca
- Most Famous American: Bing Crosby
- Notable Book: The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Dr. Benjamin Spock, which told an entire generation of American parents to trust their instincts rather than follow rigid schedules. It sold 50 million copies over the following decades.
- U.S. Life Expectancy: Males — 64.4 years | Females — 69.4 years
- Teen dance/mixer admission: 25 cents
- The Funny Trio: Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour
- The Movie “Flop”: It’s a Wonderful Life was considered a box office disappointment upon its 1946 release. A clerical error placed it in the public domain in 1974, allowing local TV stations to broadcast it for free every Christmas. That accident turned it into one of the most beloved films in American history.
Top Ten Baby Names of 1946
Girls: Mary, Linda, Patricia, Barbara, Carol Boys: James, Robert, John, William, Richard
Fashion Icons and Sex Symbols
Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Gene Tierney, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable
The Quote
“The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.” — Albert Einstein, 1946
18th Academy Awards
The ceremony was held on March 7, 1946, at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, hosted by Jimmy Stewart, fresh from his military service in World War II.
The Lost Weekend won Best Picture, Best Director (Billy Wilder), Best Actor (Ray Milland), and Best Screenplay. It was groundbreaking for its unflinching portrayal of alcoholism — a subject Hollywood had carefully avoided.
Joan Crawford won Best Actress for Mildred Pierce. She accepted her award in bed, claiming illness, creating one of Hollywood’s most memorable and widely disputed Oscar moments.
Harold Russell — a WWII veteran who had lost both hands — won Best Supporting Actor for The Best Years of Our Lives, playing a returning veteran. He is the only person in Oscar history to win two Academy Awards for the same role, and the only non-professional actor to win a competitive Oscar.
Miklós Rózsa won Best Original Score for Spellbound, which featured a dream sequence designed by Salvador Dalí.
Time Magazine Person of the Year
James F. Byrnes — U.S. Secretary of State
Miss America
Marilyn Buferd, Los Angeles, CA
We Lost in 1946
H.G. Wells, author of The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine, died August 13, age 79
Gertrude Stein, author and art collector, died July 27, age 72
W.C. Fields, comedian and actor, died on December 25, age 66
Countee Cullen, Harlem Renaissance poet — died January 9, age 42
John Maynard Keynes, economist whose theories shaped the modern world economy, died April 21, age 62
Damon Runyon, writer and the inspiration for Guys and Dolls, died December 10, age 66
The DuMont Network — not dead yet in 1946, but fading
Albert Woolson — still alive in 1946 at age 96, the last surviving Union soldier of the Civil War (he died in 1956)
The Scandals
The Nuremberg Trials concluded on October 1, 1946, with 12 senior Nazi war criminals sentenced to death, 7 receiving prison terms, and 3 acquitted. Hermann Göring cheated the hangman by swallowing a cyanide capsule the night before his scheduled execution. The remaining condemned were hanged on October 16.
In the last mass lynching in American history, two Black couples — George and Mae Murray Dorsey, and Roger and Dorothy Malcom — were shot and killed by a mob of white men near Moore’s Ford Bridge in Georgia on July 25, 1946. No one was ever charged or convicted.
Isaac Woodard, a Black U.S. Army veteran, was beaten and permanently blinded by South Carolina police on the day of his honorable discharge in February 1946. The incident, brought to national attention by Orson Welles on his radio program, helped galvanize the civil rights movement and directly influenced President Truman’s decision to desegregate the military in 1948.
Howard Hughes nearly died on July 7, 1946, when his XF-11 experimental aircraft crashed into a Beverly Hills neighborhood due to a propeller malfunction. He suffered multiple fractures and severe burns. Doctors thought he would not survive. He not only survived but also personally redesigned the hospital bed during his recovery.
Pop Culture Facts and History
ENIAC, unveiled on February 14, 1946, was the first general-purpose electronic computer. It weighed 30 tons, occupied an entire room, and cost $487,000 to build — roughly $7.5 million today. Its first assignment was computing hydrogen bomb calculations.
The bikini was unveiled by French designer Louis Réard on July 5, 1946, at a Paris swimming pool. He named it after Bikini Atoll, site of a U.S. nuclear test four days earlier — suggesting the swimsuit would cause an explosion of a different kind. No respectable model would wear it, so Réard hired a Parisian showgirl named Micheline Bernardini. The bikini did not reach mainstream American culture until the early 1960s.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed their first show together at Club 500 in Atlantic City on July 25, 1946. They went on to become the most popular comedy duo in America, earning millions before their acrimonious split in 1956.
Mobster Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip on December 26, 1946. It was the first luxury resort-casino in Las Vegas — and the beginning of what the Strip would become. Siegel was murdered in 1947 before he could enjoy the success.
The Havana Conference — a summit of American organized crime bosses — was held in Cuba in December 1946, chaired by Lucky Luciano and attended by figures including Meyer Lansky, Frank Costello, and Vito Genovese. They discussed dividing criminal territory, settling disputes, and managing Bugsy Siegel’s troubled Flamingo project. Frank Sinatra was also present, though his exact role was disputed.
The Adventures of Superman radio show began reading the Ku Klux Klan’s secret codes, rituals, and passwords on air in 1946, turning the organization into a national laughingstock. Klan membership dropped precipitously within weeks. Superman fought actual bigotry — and won.
Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini became the first American citizen to be canonized as a Catholic saint in 1946.
The Mensa Society was founded in Oxford, England, in 1946, with the sole membership requirement being an IQ in the top 2% of the population.
7-Eleven changed its name from Tote’m Stores in 1946 to reflect its new extended hours — 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. At the time, those hours were considered extraordinary.
Stella Pajunas-Garnand set the world record for fastest typing on an IBM electric typewriter in 1946 — 216 words per minute. The average typist manages 50 to 80.
The United States offered to purchase Greenland from Denmark for $100 million in 1946. Denmark declined. The United States has periodically floated the idea ever since.
Song of the South was released by Disney in 1946. It has never been released on home video in the United States due to its racially offensive depictions of Black Americans. Disney effectively buried it.
Walt Disney voiced Mickey Mouse from the character’s debut in 1928 through 1946 — 18 years — before handing the role to sound effects artist Jimmy MacDonald.
The first credit card was invented in 1946 by John C. Biggins of the Flatbush National Bank of Brooklyn — a “Charg-It” card usable only at local merchants. The modern credit card industry grew from this idea.
Tupperware was invented by Earl Silas Tupper in 1946 and first sold in department stores. Sales were modest until a single-mother saleswoman named Brownie Wise pioneered the Tupperware Party model in the early 1950s, turning it into a cultural phenomenon.
Tide laundry detergent, Almond Joy candy bars, Benadryl, and the Osterizer blender all debuted in 1946. The postwar consumer economy was just getting started.
Avis Car Rental, Best Western Hotels, Estée Lauder, Fidelity Investments, and Iams Pet Foods were all founded in 1946.
Three future U.S. presidents were born in 1946: Bill Clinton (August 19), George W. Bush (July 6), and Donald Trump (June 14). No other year in American history has produced three presidents.
In a letter written August 28, 1946, Orville Wright — co-inventor of the airplane — wrote to a friend: “I once thought the aeroplane would end wars.”
The first Cannes Film Festival was held on September 24, 1946, showcasing films from 21 countries. It had originally been scheduled for September 1939 but was canceled when World War II broke out.
Project Diana — run by the U.S. Army Signal Corps on January 10, 1946 — successfully bounced radar waves off the Moon and received the return signal, proving that communication between Earth and outer space was possible. It effectively opened the Space Age.
The first NBA game was played on November 1, 1946 — the New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68–66 before 7,090 fans at Maple Leaf Gardens. The league was then called the Basketball Association of America.
Christian Dior opened his fashion house in Paris in 1946. His landmark “New Look” collection — featuring rounded shoulders, cinched waists, and full skirts — debuted in 1947 and redefined women’s fashion for a decade.
The Dwarf Grill — predecessor to Chick-fil-A — was founded in College Park, Georgia in 1946 by S. Truett Cathy.
Orson Welles brought Isaac Woodard’s blinding by police to national attention on his radio program, demonstrating that radio could be used as a tool for social justice, not just entertainment.
Ed Waldmire Jr. invented the corn dog on a stick in 1946 and opened the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, Illinois. He originally wanted to call his creation the “Crusty Cur.” His wife talked him out of it, and the world is a better place.
The De Beers diamond company launched its “A Diamond Is Forever” advertising campaign in 1946 — arguably the most successful ad campaign in history, single-handedly creating the modern tradition of diamond engagement rings.
The Tom and Jerry short “The Cat Concerto” — featuring Tom performing Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 while Jerry lives inside the piano — won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1946.
During production of the noir classic The Big Sleep (1946), neither director Howard Hawks, screenwriters William Faulkner and Leigh Brackett, nor star Humphrey Bogart could figure out whether a key character had been murdered or had committed suicide. They contacted author Raymond Chandler. He didn’t know either. The film was released with the mystery unresolved. Critics praised it anyway.
The Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington on March 21, 1946 — the first African American player in the modern NFL, reintegrating professional football 13 years before the American League did the same in baseball.
The first Formula One race was held on September 1, 1946, in Turin, Italy, and was won by Achille Varzi.
Holiday World — originally called Santa Claus Land — opened in Santa Claus, Indiana on August 3, 1946. It was the first theme park in American history, predating Disneyland by nine years.
The Habit
Reading Baby and Child Care by Dr. Benjamin Spock
Christmas Gifts, Toys, and First Appearances of 1946
Magic 8 Ball (originally called the Syco-Seer), Lionel Trains with steam, Streater Steam Shovel toy truck
Nobel Prize Winners
Physics — Percy Williams Bridgman
Chemistry — James B. Sumner, John Howard Northrop, and Wendell Meredith Stanley
Medicine — Hermann Joseph Muller
Literature — Hermann Hesse
Peace — Emily Greene Balch and John Mott
Economics — Prize not yet established (first awarded 1969)
Popular and Best-Selling Books of 1946
Arch of Triumph — Erich Maria Remarque
B.F.’s Daughter — John P. Marquand
The Black Rose — Thomas B. Costain
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care — Dr. Benjamin Spock
East River — Sholem Asch The Foxes of Harrow — Frank Yerby
The Hucksters — Frederic Wakeman Sr.
The Iceman Cometh — Eugene O’Neill
The King’s General — Daphne du Maurier
The Littlest Angel — Charles Tazewell
The Miracle of the Bells — Russell Janney
The River Road — Frances Parkinson Keyes
This Side of Innocence — Taylor Caldwell
The Snake Pit — Mary Jane Ward
Broadway in 1946
Born Yesterday (play) opened February 4, 1946, and ran until December 31, 1949 Annie Get Your Gun (musical) opened May 16, 1946, and closed February 12, 1949 — featuring Irving Berlin’s “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” which became the anthem of American show business
Best Film Oscar Winner
The Lost Weekend, directed by Billy Wilder, won Best Picture at the 18th Academy Awards in 1946, presented for the 1945 film year. Its unflinching depiction of alcoholism shocked audiences and helped establish that Hollywood films could tackle serious social issues.
The Bomb
Movie: Duel in the Sun — produced by David O. Selznick at enormous expense and called “Lust in the Dust” by critics. It made money but was widely considered overwrought. Radio: The Jack Benny Program remained dominant, but television was visibly threatening radio’s grip on American entertainment for the first time.
Top Movies of 1946
- Song of the South
- The Best Years of Our Lives
- Duel in the Sun
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- The Razor’s Edge
- Anna and the King of Siam
- The Yearling
- Notorious
- The Jolson Story
- A Night in Casablanca
Most Popular Radio Shows of 1946
(Television had fewer than 10,000 sets in American homes in 1946 — radio was still the dominant home entertainment medium)
- Fibber McGee and Molly (NBC)
- Jack Benny Program (NBC)
- Bob Hope Show (NBC)
- The Fred Allen Show (NBC)
- Lux Radio Theatre (CBS)
- The Lone Ranger (ABC)
- The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show (NBC)
- Suspense (CBS)
- The Jack Haley Show (NBC)
- Amos ‘n’ Andy (NBC)
Biggest Pop Artists of 1946
The Andrews Sisters, Count Basie and His Orchestra, Tex Beneke, Connee Boswell, Les Brown and His Orchestra, Frankie Carle and His Orchestra, Hoagy Carmichael, Nat “King” Cole, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, Helen Forrest, Arthur Godfrey, Dick Haymes, Phil Harris, Woody Herman and His Orchestra, Eddy Howard, The Ink Spots, Harry James and His Orchestra, Louis Jordan, Sammy Kaye, Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, Peggy Lee, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, Tony Martin, Johnny Mercer, Vaughn Monroe, Pied Pipers, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, Margaret Whiting
1946 Billboard Number One Songs
(The Billboard chart in 1946 tracked “Best Sellers in Stores” — chart structure was less formalized than modern charts)
Most popular songs of 1946 included:
To Each His Own — Eddy Howard / Ink Spots / Tony Martin (multiple versions charted simultaneously)
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) — Nat “King” Cole
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah — James Baskett (from Song of the South)
Oh! What It Seemed to Be — Frankie Carle / Frank Sinatra
Five Minutes More — Frank Sinatra
Prisoner of Love — Perry Como
Rumors Are Flying — Frankie Carle
The Gypsy — The Ink Spots
They Say It’s Wonderful — Frank Sinatra / Annie Get Your Gun cast
Sunday, Monday or Always — Bing Crosby
Sports Champions of 1946
World Series: St. Louis Cardinals (defeated Boston Red Sox in 7 games — Ted Williams’ only World Series appearance)
NFL Champions: Chicago Bears
NBA: First season played as the Basketball Association of America — Cleveland Rebels won the first BAA championship
Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens
U.S. Open Golf: Lloyd Mangrum
U.S. Open Tennis — Men: Jack Kramer | Women: Pauline Betz
Wimbledon — Men: Yvon Petra | Women: Pauline Betz
NCAA Football: Notre Dame
NCAA Basketball: Oklahoma A&M
Kentucky Derby: Assault (Triple Crown winner — Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes)
FIFA World Cup: Not held in 1946 (suspended during WWII — resumed in 1950)
FAQ — 1946 History, Facts, and Trivia
Q: What was the first general-purpose computer?
A: ENIAC — the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer — was unveiled on February 14, 1946, at the University of Pennsylvania. It weighed 30 tons, occupied 1,800 square feet, and contained 18,000 vacuum tubes.
Q: What famous swimwear debuted in 1946? A: The bikini was unveiled by French designer Louis Réard on July 5, 1946, named after Bikini Atoll where the U.S. had just tested an atomic bomb. No professional model would wear it — Réard hired a showgirl instead.
Q: What classic Christmas movie flopped in 1946?
A: It’s a Wonderful Life was considered a box office disappointment upon its 1946 release. A copyright error placed it in the public domain in 1974, allowing TV stations to broadcast it for free every Christmas, turning it into a beloved holiday classic.
Q: What famous hotel opened in Las Vegas in 1946?
A: Mobster Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel on December 26, 1946 — the first luxury resort-casino on the Las Vegas Strip and the beginning of modern Las Vegas. Siegel was murdered in 1947.
Q: How many U.S. presidents were born in 1946?
A: Three — Bill Clinton (August 19), George W. Bush (July 6), and Donald Trump (June 14). No other year in American history has produced three presidents.
Q: What comedy duo formed in 1946?
A: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed their first show together at Club 500 in Atlantic City on July 25, 1946, launching one of the most successful comedy partnerships in entertainment history.
Q: What was the Baby Boom?
A: Following the end of World War II, birth rates in the U.S. surged dramatically as returning veterans married and started families. The Baby Boom generation — born roughly 1946 to 1964 — became the largest and most culturally influential generation in American history.
Q: What new products were launched in 1946?
A: Tide laundry detergent, Tupperware, Almond Joy candy bars, Benadryl, and the Osterizer blender all debuted in 1946. Avis Car Rental, Best Western Hotels, and Estée Lauder were also founded that year.
Q: What sports milestone happened in 1946?
A: The first NBA game was played on November 1, 1946 — the New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68–66. The Los Angeles Rams also signed Kenny Washington, reintegrating professional football 13 years before baseball’s integration.
Q: What advertising slogan launched in 1946 changed culture?
A: De Beers launched its “A Diamond Is Forever” campaign in 1946, virtually single-handedly creating the modern tradition of diamond engagement rings. It is widely considered one of the most effective advertising campaigns in history.
More 1946 History and Trivia Resources
Most Popular Baby Names (BabyCenter.com)
Popular and Notable Books (popculture.us)
Broadway Shows that Opened in 1946
1946 Calendar, courtesy of Time and Date.com
Fact Monster
Forties Nostalgia
1940s, Infoplease.com World History
1946 in Movies (according to IMDB)
Retrowaste Vintage Culture
1940s Slang
Wikipedia 1946
The Cold War
