Historical Events in 1947
- Jan 2 Mahatma Gandhi begins march for peace in East Bengal
- Feb 12 French fashion designer Christian Dior presents his first influential collection, named the "New Look"
- Feb 20 Earl Mountbatten of Burma appointed as last viceroy of India to oversee the move to independence
- Feb 28 February 28 Massacre: Anti-government uprising in Taiwan is violently put down by Chiang Kai-shek and his Kuomintang-led Republic of China government with the loss of 18,000-28,000 lives. Marks the beginning of the White Terror.
- May 3 Japan's post-war constitution goes into effect, granting universal suffrage, stripping Emperor Hirohito of all but symbolic power and outlawing Japan's right to make war
- May 31 Communists seize power in Hungary
- Jun 5 US Secretary of State George Marshall outlines the "Marshall Plan" to rebuild Western Europe
- Jul 7 Alleged and disputed Roswell UFO incident
- Aug 14 Pakistan gains independence from Great Britain
- Aug 15 India gains independence from Great Britain, remains a dominion until 1950
- Aug 17 The Radcliffe Line, the border between Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan is revealed
- Sep 18 The Central Intelligence Agency officially comes into existence after being established by President Truman in July
- More Events in 1947
1947 in Film & TV
- Oct 5 Harry Truman makes the 1st Presidential address televised from the White House
- Nov 6 NBC's "Meet the Press" debuts - US's longest running TV show
- Nov 24 The US House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities finds "Hollywood 10" in contempt because of their refusal to reveal whether they were communists
- Nov 25 The 1st systematic Hollywood blacklist is instituted, denying employment to American entertainment professionals due to alleged Communist ties or sympathies
- Dec 27 1st "Howdy Doody Show" (Puppet Playhouse), telecast on NBC
1947 in Sport
- Apr 15 Jackie Robinson becomes 1st African-American to play in US major league baseball (Dodgers)
- Aug 31 NY Giants set season record for HRs by a club 183 (en route to 221)
- Oct 2 New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra hits the first pinch-hit home run in Baseball World Series history off Ralph Branca in the 7th inning of a 9-8 loss to the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 3
- Dec 14 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is founded in Daytona Beach, Florida
Did You Know?
1st version of Anne Frank's diary "Het Achterhuis" published in The Netherlands
On June 25, 1947
David Bowie
Elton John
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Barbara Bach
Elizabeth Short
Al Capone
Henry Ford
Bugsy Siegel
Stanley Baldwin
Victor Emmanuel III1947 in Pictures
Famous Weddings in 1947
- Mar 1 Rocket engineer Wernher von Braun (34) weds Maria Luise von Quistorp (18) at a Lutheran church in Landshut, Bavaria, Germany
- May 17 NBA center George Mikan (22) weds college sweetheart Patricia Lu Daveny
- Jun 7 US Senator Edward W. Brooke (27) weds first wife Remigia Ferrari-Scacco
Famous Divorces in 1947
- Nov 1 Film director D. W. Griffith (72) divorces actress Evelyn Baldwin (37) after 11 years of marriage
- Nov 10 American "Gilda" actress Rita Hayworth (28) divorces American actor-director-wunderkind Orson Welles (32) after just over 4 years of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces in 1947
George Marshall
Loretta Young
Ronald Colman
Clement Attlee
Harry Truman
Joseph Stalin