Milestone Birthday: Remembering When . . 1946

Jeff Daley

Milestone Birthday remembering when –  The events during the year of my birth in 1946 are interesting, to say the least.

It is interesting to compare the happenings of today to those that took placed when I came into this world.

Milestone Birthday – A Nostalgic Look of 1946

1946 World News

Micheline Bernardini, 1946, Paris

• Europe and Japan begin the process of rebuilding.
• The United Nations holds its first session
• The bikini swimsuit, named after Bikini Atoll and the atomic explosions debuted in Paris, France.
• Cannes Film Festival debuts in France
• Winston Churchill gives his “Iron Curtain” speech

1946 National News

• WWII veterans, making use of the provisions of the G.I. Bill of Rights, head to college in record numbers,
• Birth rates jump to over 1.4 million in one year with the return of WWII veterans.
• The United States gives the Philippines Independence.
• AT&T announces the first car phones.
• Alaskans voted in favor of statehood.
• The U.S. Army makes radar contact with the Moon for the first time.
• Heisman Trophy Winner Glenn Davis from Army

1946 Interesting Facts

Miss America, Marilyn Buferd

• POTUS – Harry Truman
• Vice President of the United States – None
• Miss America – Marilyn Buferd (Los Angeles, CA)
• Speaker of the House – Sam T. Rayburn (D)
• Life Expectancy – 62.9 years

1946 Cost of Living

Living

• New Home = $5,600
• Average Income = $2,500 per year
• New Car = $1,125
• Harvard University Tuition = $450 per year
• Gasoline = 15 cents per gallon
• First Class postage = 3 cents

Food

• Vitamin D Milk = 70 cents per gallon
• Ground Coffee = 50 cents per pound
• Bacon = 47 cents per pound
• Eggs = 22 cents per dozen
• Fresh Ground Hamburger = 40 cents per pound
• Fresh Baked Bread = 10 cents per loaf

Movies

• The Best Years of our Lives (Academy Award Winner)
• Notorious
• My Darling Clementine
• Song of the South
• The Big Sleep
• It’s a Wonderful Life