February 17
February 17
Voice of America begins broadcasts to Russia
With the words, “Hello! This is New York calling,” the U.S. Voice of America (VOA) begins its first radio broadcasts to the Soviet Union. The VOA effort was an important…
A Year In History: 1947
This Year in History:
1947
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
March 12
March 12
President Truman announces the Truman Doctrine
In a dramatic speech to a joint session of Congress, President Harry S. Truman asks for U.S. assistance for Greece and Turkey to forestall communist domination of the two nations.…
March 22
March 22
President Truman orders loyalty checks of federal employees
In response to fears and Congressional investigations into communism in the United States, President Harry S. Truman issues an executive decree establishing a sweeping loyalty investigation of federal employees. As…
April 9
April 9
The Journey of Reconciliation—considered the first Freedom Ride—sets out from D.C.
On April 9, 1947, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) sends 16 Black and white activists on a bus ride through the American South to test a recent Supreme Court…
April 15
April 15
Jackie Robinson becomes first African American player in Major League Baseball
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson, age 28, becomes the first African American player in Major League Baseball’s modern era when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete…
April 16
April 16
Bernard Baruch popularizes the term “Cold War”
Multimillionaire and financier Bernard Baruch, in a speech given during the unveiling of his portrait in the South Carolina House of Representatives, coins the term “Cold War” to describe relations between…
April 16
April 16
Fertilizer explosion kills 581 in Texas
A giant explosion occurs during the loading of fertilizer onto the freighter Grandcamp at a pier in Texas City, Texas, on April 16, 1947. Nearly 600 people lost their lives…
April 25
April 25
President Truman inaugurates White House bowling alley
President Harry S. Truman officially opens the first White House bowling alley on April 25, 1947. The two‑lane bowling alley, situated in the West Wing, had been constructed earlier that…
May 3
May 3
New Japanese constitution goes into effect
On May 3, 1947, Japan’s postwar constitution goes into effect. The progressive constitution granted universal suffrage, stripped Emperor Hirohito of all but symbolic power, stipulated a bill of rights, abolished…
May 11
May 11
B.F. Goodrich Co. announces development of tubeless tire
On May 11, 1947, the B.F. Goodrich Company of Akron, Ohio, announces it has developed a tubeless tire, a technological innovation that would make automobiles safer and more efficient. The…
June 5
June 5
U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall calls for aid to Europe
In one of the most significant speeches of the Cold War, Secretary of State George C. Marshall calls on the United States to assist in the economic recovery of postwar…
June 20
June 20
Bugsy Siegel, organized crime leader, is killed
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, the man who brought organized crime to the West Coast, is shot and killed at his mistress Virginia Hill’s home in Beverly Hills, California. Siegel had been…
July 1
July 1
“Mr. X” article on Soviet Union appears in Foreign Affairs
State Department official George Kennan, using the pseudonym “Mr. X,” publishes an article entitled “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” in the July edition of Foreign Affairs. The article focused on…
July 2
July 2
Soviet Union rejects Marshall Plan assistance
Soviet Foreign Minister V. M. Molotov walks out of a meeting with representatives of the British and French governments, signaling the Soviet Union’s rejection of the Marshall Plan. Molotov’s action…
July 9
July 9
First female army officer is appointed
In a ceremony held at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, General Dwight D. Eisenhower appoints Florence Blanchfield to be a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, making her the first…
July 18
July 18
Harry S. Truman signs second Presidential Succession Act
On July 18, 1947, President Harry S. Truman signs the Presidential Succession Act. This act revised an older succession act that was passed in 1792 during George Washington’s first term.…
July 26
July 26
President Truman signs the National Security Act
President Harry S. Truman signs the National Security Act, which becomes one of the most important pieces of Cold War legislation. The act established much of the bureaucratic framework for…
August 7
August 7
Norwegian explorer completes 4,300‑mile ocean voyage in wooden raft
On August 7, 1947, Kon‑Tiki, a balsa wood raft captained by Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl, completes a 4,300‑mile, 101‑day journey from Peru to Raroia in the Tuamotu Archipelago, near Tahiti.…
August 15
August 15
India and Pakistan win independence
The Indian Independence Bill, which carves the independent nations of India and Pakistan out of the former Mogul Empire, comes into force at the stroke of midnight on August 15,…
August 23
August 23
First Little League World Series champion crowned
On August 23, 1947, the first Little League World Series championship game—the culmination of a three‑day tournament in Williamsport, Pa.—features teams from Pennsylvania. Before roughly 2,500 fans, Maynard, a team…
