The Cold War Beginnings

The start of the Cold War which endured over four decades, from circa 1947 until the decline and eventual collapse of East European and Soviet state communism in the late 1980's.

More Information and Timeline For The Start Of The Cold War

1. 1945 to 1947 Following the End of World War The Soviet Union begins creating the Eastern Bloc which mostly included countries it had successfully taken back from Nazi Germany Control. "satellite states of the Soviet Union"

2. Following the end of World War II the allies divide a defeated Germany into occupation zones The Soviet Union controls Eastern Berlin and Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

3. Part of The Truman Doctrine The US Gives $400 million in aid to Greek and Turkish governments to help fight the growth in communism

4. The United States Government becomes committed to stop communism from infiltrating the United States through Trade Unions, Media and other influential organizations.

5. House Committee on Un-American Activities holds nine days of hearings into alleged communist propaganda and influence in the Hollywood motion picture industry

6. President Harry S. Truman issues Executive Order 9835 on March 21st establishing a sweeping loyalty investigation of federal employees

This is just a brief idea of how and when the Cold War Begins, the full extent includes so many other areas including Berlin Blockade ( 1948 - 1949 ), Korean War ( 1950 - 1953 ) Berlin Wall ( 1961 ), US Marshall Plan, Arms Race, Space Race, Communist attempt for Influence on Other Countries ( 1947 to 1980's )

Israel -- Independence

The United Nations votes in favor of the creation of an Independent Jewish State of Israel.

More Information and Timeline For Independent Jewish State of Israel

1. 1923 British rule of Palestine begins

2. 1923 Jews and Arabs lived together in Palestine

3. 1929 Following the anti-Semitism in Poland and Hungary ( 1923 - 1929 )more than 75,000 additional Jews emigrate to Palestine.

4. 1936 to 1939 As the number of Jewish settlers increase a large-scale Arab Revolt against Jewish Settlers occurs in Palestine

5. 1939 As the Nazi regime increases it's influence ( 1929 to 1939 ) in some European Countries an additional 250,000 Jews arrived in Palestine

6. 1939 and 1945 ( World War II ) during The Holocaust 6 million Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe are murdered in concentration camps and elsewhere.

7. After World War II ends 100's of thousands of Jews become displaced persons (refugees) with no homeland

8. 1945 to 1947 to win independence, underground Jewish militias waged a bitter guerilla war against the British including bombing attacks against British Military Headquarters

9. 1947 November 29th The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine recommended the partition of Palestine into two separate states, one Arab and one Jewish

10. The city of Jerusalem would be under the direct administration of the United Nations

11. 1948 The State of Israel declares independence on May 14th

The independent state of Israel has had and is still an considered an outcast in the area due to multiple borders with Arab countries, over the last 60 years a number of wars have been fought from the First Arab-Israeli War (1948-49) to today where guerilla / terrorist Arab organizations attack Jewish settlements and Israel responds using extreme military force, US Presidents and world leaders have all attempted to hold pace talks but while some Arab states including Palestine still do not recognize the state of Israel and Israel continues to use it's military superiority to build additional settlements it is difficult to see a negotiated settlement holding long term ( This Webmasters Personal View of the conflict )

India and Pakistan independence

India and Pakistan gain independence from Great Britain.

More Information and Timeline for India and Pakistan Independence.

India and Pakistan become independent nations on August 15 after the Indian Independence Bill goes into effect. The countries had previously been under British rule for over two hundred years. The independence movement in India began at the turn of the century and was largely influenced by Mohandas Gandhi and his efforts and non-violent resistance. Gandhi heralded the move by Britain as one of the "noblest acts" they have ever committed. While independence was celebrated throughout India and Pakistan, the two new countries also experienced sharp divisions between Hindus and Muslims and many episodes of violence within the more divided regions occurred, creating conflicts that still exist in those parts today.

USA -- Truman Doctrine

President Harry S. Truman outlines the Truman Doctrine to the United States Congress during March. Truman spoke on the importance of helping secure the democracies of foreign nations that were facing foreign and domestic authoritarian threats. His speech marked the beginning of the Cold War as it was directed towards stopping the spread of communism in Europe and blocking the Soviet Union’s influence in Greece and Turkey at the end of World War II. Truman vowed that the United States would fight against communism by providing economic, military, and political intervention to vulnerable nations.

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson took to the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers becoming the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball.

More Information and Timeline for Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson breaks the Major League Baseball color barrier when he is chosen to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 9th . Robinson was a pioneering figure in racial integration and civil rights when he became the first African-American player to play in the Major League since Moses Fleetwood in 1884. Robinson played his first game with the team on April 15th, . Robinson won the Rookie of the Year award in his first season and went on to be a legendary ballplayer. Although Robinson faced harsh discrimination, racism, and abuse from fans and other players, he made a point to remain calm and did not respond to any of the attacks until 1949 when he became an outspoken proponent of integration and equal civil rights.

United Kingdom -- Coal Industry Nationalized

1. The United Kingdom nationalizes its coal mines beginning in January .

2. The moves to nationalize the coal industry were made in July of the previous year with the passage of the “Coal Industry Nationalisation Act of 1946” which created the National Coal Board (NCB) to run the mines.

3. The NCB took over more than 1,500 mines that had been owned by 850 coal companies and the companies were paid £164,000,000 as compensation for the mines.

4. While in charge, the NCB increased production and tried to improve the working conditions of miners by adding benefits, raising wages, and cutting the work week to 5 days.

5. Over the years the demand for coal decreased and by 1994, the mines that remained were given back to the private sector.

United States -- Polaroid Camera Demonstrated

1. The Polaroid Land Camera is first demonstrated during February .

2. The camera’s inventor, Edwin Land, took the first instant photo with his innovative camera in New York at a meeting of the Optical Society of America.

3. The camera could take and develop a physical black and white photo in just 60 seconds and during the following year stores began selling it to the public for $89.95.

4. In 1963, Polaroid introduced the first color instant photo version of their film.

5. The Polaroid Land Camera became incredibly popular and Polaroid enjoyed success throughout the rest of the century until digital format cameras became the more mainstream option.

USA -- Sound Barrier Broken

Chuck Yeager, a United States Air Force Captain and World War II veteran, becomes the first person to break the sound barrier on October 14 News Events. Yeager made history while test flying the Bell X- 1 experimental rocket plane over Rogers Dry lake in California. He flew the plane just over Mach 1 at an altitude of over 40,000 feet. Yeager continued to fly at incredible speeds as a test pilot into the Sixties and retired as a brigadier general in 1975.

Polynesia --- Kon-Tiki expedition

Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands

More Information and Timeline For Kon-Tiki Expedition

1. Thor Heyerdahl believed that people from South America could have settled Polynesia in pre-Columbian times

2. The Kon-Tiki expedition was designed to prove that using materials and knowledge only available pre late 1400's the ocean voyage was possible

3. The Kon-Tiki was constructed out of balsa logs

4. The main sail was 15 ft by 18 ft on a yard of bamboo stems lashed together

5. Kon-Tiki was named after the Inca sun god, Viracocha, for whom "Kon-Tiki" was said to be an old name

5. The Kon-Tiki had six men on its crew including Thor Heyerdahl

6. Kon-Tiki lands on an uninhabited islet off Raroia Island in the Tuamotu group of Islands on August 7 after a 101 day, 4,300 mile journey across the Pacific Ocean proving that pre-historic peoples could have traveled from South America

Thor Heyerdahl's book about his experience became a bestseller. It was published in 1948 as The Kon-Tiki Expedition, many anthropologists dispute the claim, but regardless this was still a remarkable experiment and worthy of mention

Bell Laboratories invents the transistor

A research team at Bell Laboratories invents the transistor

More Information and Timeline for the Transistor

1. A research team including William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain is assembled in 1945 by Bell Laboratories to create a solid-state semi-conductor switch to replace vacuum tubes in electronics..

2. John Bardeen and Walter Brattain invent the very first point-contact transistor .

3. William Shockley invents the junction transistor to improve upon the original design in early 1948.

4. Bell unveils the invention in June of 1948.

5. The first commercial product to be sold that used transistors was the Sonotone hearing aid that was put on the market in 1952. It sold for about $230 and soon many competitors were coming up with cheaper and improved options.

6. In October of 1954, Texas Instruments introduced the first transistor radios to the market. The Regency TR1 opened the door for more improved and portable technology to be developed.

7. The transistor became a much faster, smaller, and more efficient way to run electronic devices and allowed all different types of new technologies to develop. Nearly all modern electronic devices, including computers, would not exist in the way that they do now without the transistor, making it arguably one of the most important inventions of the 20th century.

National Security Act of 1947

National Security Act is created.

More Information for the National Security Act

The National Security Act was created during July when president Harry S. Truman signed it into law. The act facilitated a major restructuring of the United States military with the creation of the Department of Defense in the wake of World War II. As part of the act the National Security Council (NSC) was created and served as a helpful tool for Truman and future presidents to coordinate and consult on foreign policy issues during the Cold War. Additionally, it created the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a civilian-based intelligence-collecting institution that is also used to completed secretive operations within foreign nations. The act became effective in September of that year and has remained a part of U.S. policy since.

"Miracle on 34th Street"

The classic holiday film "Miracle on 34th Street" premieres.

More Information for a Miracle on 34th Street

The popular holiday-themed film "Miracle on 34th Street" premieres in the United States during May . The classic film featured Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, and Natalie Wood in the starring roles. The film told the story of a man, "Kris Kringle," and his determination to prove to a cynical mother and her daughter that he was the real Santa Claus while working as a Macy's department store Santa. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won three, including Best Writing for Original Story and Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Edmund Gwenn.

The Spruce Goose

Howard Hughes Flying Boat ( The Spruce Goose ) takes off but will never go into production.

More Information for the Spruce Goose

Howard Hughes, movie producer and aviation magnate, conducted the first and only flight of the experimental H-4 Hercules wooden flying boat during November . Nicknamed the "Spruce Goose," the plane was the largest ever built with a 320 foot wingspan at a cost of over $23 million. Hughes successfully piloted the craft 70 feet in the air above water for about one mile at 80 miles per hour before landing in Long Beach Harbor. It was created to carry up to 750 military troops or two Sherman tanks but was never produced due to frame stability concerns.

Calendar For The Year 1947