1947
From Freepedia
| Years: 1944 1945 1946 - 1947(MCMXLVII) - 1948 1949 1950 | ||||||||||
| Decades: 1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s | ||||||||||
| Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
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1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar).
Contents |
Events
January
- January 1 - British mines nationalized
- January 1 - Nigeria gains limited autonomy
- January 1 - The Canadian Citizenship Act went 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 - Philippinean 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
February
- February 3 - In Snag, Yukon Territory, -63 degrees Celsius
- February 3 - Percival Prattis becomes the first African American 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, Romania and Bulgaria: 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-May
- 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 16 - The Texas City Disaster - Ammonium nitrate cargo of SS Grandcap explodes in Texas City, Texas - 552 dead, 3000 injured, 200 lost, 20 city blocks destroyed
- 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 MIB encounter.
- 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 7 - Downed UFO believed to be found in the Roswell UFO incident
- 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
Image:Flag of Pakistan.svg Image:Flag of India.svg
- 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
September-October
- 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 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 Organisation (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
- 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- Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth marries the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey, London.
rioting that spreads to Paris
- November 20 - In France, Ramadier resigns - 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 Morrison invents the Frisbee.
- Raytheon produces first commercial microwave oven.
- Women's suffrage is granted in Argentina.
Births
January
- January 2 - Jack Hanna, American zoologist
- January 6 - Sandy Denny, British vocalist (d. 1978)
- January 8 - David Bowie, English musician
- January 8 - Samuel Schmid, Swiss Federal Councilor
- January 11 - Bryan Robson, American football player
- January 16 - Laura Schlessinger, American psychologist and radio talk show host
- January 18 - Takeshi Kitano, Japanese film director and actor
- January 24 - Warren Zevon, American musician (d. 2003)
- January 29 - Linda B. Buck, American biologist
- January 30 - Les Barker, English poet
- 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 10 - Louise Arbour, Canadian jurist
- February 13 - Mike Krzyzewski, American basketball coach
- February 18 - Princess Christina of the Netherlands
- February 18 - Dennis DeYoung, American musician (Styx)
- February 20 - Peter Osgood, English footballer
- February 20 - Peter Strauss, American actor
- February 24 - Edward James Olmos, American actor
- February 25 - Lee Evans, American athlete
- February 25 - Doug Yule, American singer and musician (The Velvet Underground)
- February 27 - Gidon Kremer, Latvian violinist
March
- March 4 - Jan Garbarek, Norwegian musician
- March 6 - Kiki Dee, American singer
- March 6 - Dick Fosbury, American athlete
- March 6 - Rob Reiner, American actor, comedian, and producer
- March 7 - Matthew Fisher, British singer-songwriter, and producer
- March 7 - Walter Röhrl, German car racer
- March 8 - Carole Bayer Sager, American composer
- March 10 - Kim Campbell, Prime Minister of Canada (1993)
- March 12 - Kalervo Palsa, Finnish artist
- March 13 - Beat Richner, Swiss pediatrician and cellist
- March 14 - Pam Ayres, English poet
- 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 24 - Louise Lanctôt, Canadian terrorist and writer
- March 25 - Elton John, English singer
- March 27 - Walt Mossberg, American newspaper columnist
April
- April 1 - Alain Connes, French mathematician
- April 2 - Emmylou Harris, American singer
- April 2 - Camille Paglia, American writer
- April 6 - John Ratzenberger, American actor
- April 8 - Tom DeLay, American politician
- April 12 - Tom Clancy, American author
- April 12 - David Letterman, American entertainer
- 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 23 - Philip Schneider, American structural engineer
- April 25 - Johan Cruijff, Dutch footballer and coach
- April 29 - Olavo de Carvalho, Brazilian philosopher
May
- May 6 - Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher
- May 13 - Stephen R. Donaldson, American novelist
June
- June 4 - Viktor Klima, Chancellor of Austria
- June 6 - David Blunkett, British politician
- June 6 - Ada Kok, Dutch swimmer
- June 14 - Barry Melton, American musician (Country Joe and The Fish and The Dinosaurs)
- June 15 - John Hoagland, American war photographer (d. 1984)
- June 16 - -minu, Swiss columnist and writer
- June 19 - Salman Rushdie, Indian-born author
- June 20- The Duchess of Gloucester
- June 20 - Candy Clark, American actress
- June 21 - Shirin Ebadi, Iranian activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- 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 7 - Richard Beckinsale, British actor
- July 9 - O. J. Simpson, American football player, actor, and suspected murderer
- July 10 - Arlo Guthrie, American singer
- July 10 - Jackie Lane, British actress
- July 17 - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
- July 19 - Brian May, English guitarist (Queen)
- July 20 - Gerd Binnig, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- July 20 - Carlos Santana, Mexican guitarist
- July 21 - Co Adriaanse, Dutch football manager
- July 24 - Peter Serkin, American pianist
- July 30 - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-born actor, bodybuilder, and Governor of California
August
- August 10 - Ian Anderson, British musician (Jethro Tull)
- August 15 - Raakhee Gulzar, Indian actress
- August 19 - Gerard Schwarz, American conductor
- August 24 - Roger De Vlaeminck, Belgian road cyclist
- August 28 - Liza Wang, Hong Kong actress
September
- September 1 - Al Green, American politician
- September 3 - Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prime Minister of Norway
- September 17 - Tessa Jowell, British politician
- September 19 - Steve Bartlett, U.S. Congressman and Mayor of Dallas, Texas
- September 21 - Stephen King, American author
- September 22 - Norma McCorvey, American abortion plaintiff
- September 27 - Dick Advocaat, Dutch football manager
- September 30 - Marc Bolan, English musician (T Rex) (d. 1977)
October
- October 1 - Aaron Ciechanover, Israeli biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- October 5 - Brian Johnson, English singer
- October 14 - Lukas Resetarits, Austrian cabaret artist and actor
- October 17 - Gene Green, American politician
- October 19 - Giorgio Cavazzano, Italian comics artist and illustrator
- October 24 - Kevin Kline, American actor
- October 26 - Hillary Rodham Clinton, First Lady of the United States and Senator from New York
- October 26 - Trevor Joyce, Irish poet
November
- November 14 - P. J. O'Rourke, American journalist and satirist
- November 19 - Bob Boone, baseball player and manager
- November 19 - Lamar S. Smith, American politician
- November 24 - Dwight Schultz, American actor
December
- December 7 - Wendy Padbury, British actress
- December 8, Thomas R. Cech, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 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 21- Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist
- December 26 - Carlton Fisk, baseball player
- December 28 - Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican Major League Baseball player (d. 2000)
- December 29 - Ted Danson, American actor
- December 30 - Michael Burns, American actor
- December 30 - Jeff Lynne, British musician (Electric Light Orchestra)
Unknown date
- Florence Anthony, American poet
Deaths
- Emil J. Brach, American candy manufacturer (b. 1859)
- January 25 - Al Capone, American gangster (b. 1899)
- March 11 - Victor Lustig, Austrian-born con artist (b. 1890)
- 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 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)
- 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)
- 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 - Tristan Bernard, French writer and lawyer (b. 1866)
- December 7 - Nicholas M. Butler, American president of Columbia University, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1862)
- December 17 - J. N. Brønsted, Danish chemist (b. 1879)
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
