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Harry Truman is inaugurated as U.S. president after being elected in 1948 to his own term; previously he was sworn in following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He authorized the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan during World War II, on August 6 and August 9, 1945, respectively.
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Television is becoming widespread (in black and white format) and becomes the most popular means of advertising.
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The Rosenbergs, Ethel and Julius, were convicted on March 29 for espionage.
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Santayana goodbye: George Santayana, philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist, dies on September 26.
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Roy Campanella, an African-American baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, receives the National League's Most Valuable Player award for the second time.
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"Rock Around the Clock" is a hit single released by Bill Haley & His Comets in May, spurring worldwide interest in rock and roll music.
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Disneyland opens on July 17 as Walt Disney's first theme park.
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Space Monkey: Able and Miss Baker return to Earth from space aboard the flight Jupiter AM-18.
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JFK blown away: President John F. Kennedy is assassinated on November 22 while riding in an open convertible through Dallas.
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Wheel of Fortune: A hit television game show which has been TV's highest-rated syndicated program since 1983.
