Historical Events in May 1947

  • May 1 Cleveland Indians abandon League Park (venue for weekday games) to play all MLB games at Municipal Stadium
  • May 1 Lt General Hoyt S Vandenberg, USA, ends term as 2nd head of CIA
  • May 1 Radar for commercial & private planes 1st demonstrated
  • May 1 Rear Admiral Roscoe H Hillenkoetter, USN, becomes 3th director of CIA
  • May 2 Eugene O'Neill's "Moon for the Misbegotten" premieres in NYC
  • May 3 73rd Kentucky Derby: Eric Guerin aboard Jet Pilot wins in 2:06.8

Event of interestEvent of Interest

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

Emperor of Japan Hirohito
Emperor of Japan
Hirohito
  • May 5 Mississippi Valley flooding kills 16 & causes $850M in damage
  • May 5 Pulitzer prize awarded to Robert Penn Warren (All the King's Men)
  • May 7 "Kraft Television Theater" premieres on NBC

Event of interestEvent of Interest

May 7 General MacArthur approves Japanese constitution

US WWII General Douglas MacArthur
US WWII General
Douglas MacArthur
  • May 7 Paraguayian government unleashes contra revolt

Event of interestEvent of Interest

May 8 A movement among Card players to protest its 1st meeting with Jackie Robinson & the Dodgers is aborted by a talk from owner Sam Breadon

Baseball Player Jackie Robinson
Baseball Player
Jackie Robinson

Event of interestEvent of Interest

May 8 Polish resistance fighter Witold Pilecki, who had volunteered to be imprisoned in Auschwitz to gain information about the Holocaust, is arrested by Polish communist police

Polish Resistance Fighter Witold Pilecki
Polish Resistance Fighter
Witold Pilecki
  • May 10 "Chocolate Soldier" closes at Century Theater NYC after 69 performances
  • May 10 72nd Preakness: Doug Dodson aboard Faultless wins in 1:59

  • May 11 BF Goodrich announced the development of tubeless tire (Akron Ohio)
  • May 11 Laos accepts constitution for parliamentary democracy
  • May 13 US Senate approved the Taft-Hartley Act limiting the power of unions

Event of interestEvent of Interest

May 16 Billie Holiday is arrested in her New York apartment for possession of narcotics

Jazz Musician Billie Holiday
Jazz Musician
Billie Holiday
  • May 17 "Street Scene" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 148 performances
  • May 18 A's catcher Warren Rosar catches his 147th game without an error
  • May 22 "Truman Doctrine" goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece
  • May 22 1st US ballistic missile fired
  • May 23 PC Hooft prize forms for literature
  • May 25 Coal dust explosion rocks Centralia Coal Co's Mine #5 killing 111
  • May 30 Indianapolis 500: Mauri Rose wins in 4:17:52.159 (187.228 km/h)
  • May 31 79th Belmont: Ruperto Donoso aboard Phalanx wins in 2:29.6
  • May 31 Communists seize power in Hungary
  • May 31 Eastern DC-4 crashes between Ft Deposit & Perryville Md, kills 53
  • May 31 Italian government of Gasperi forms