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Harry Truman becomes the first president to adress the nation on TV from the White House
On this day in 1947, President Harry S. Truman delivered the first televised presidental adress from the White House to a limited audience. There were only about 44,000 TV sets in U.S. homes. Five days earlier saw the first telecast of a world series game. -
Transistor is invented, spurring growth in computers and electronics
The first transistor was invented at Bell Laboratories by William Shockley. This was perhaps the most important electronics event of the 20th centurary. It later made the intergrated circuit and microprocessor that are the basis of modern electronics. -
President Eisenhower and Congress add the words ''Under God" pledge of allegiance.
in 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words under god to the pledge. At least 80% of Americans support the phrase. The language reflects America's civic culture and is not a religious statement. -
Polio vaccine announced to the world by Dr. Jonas Salk and Dr. Thomas Francis
Dr. Frances made the announcement to a crowd of scientists and reporters at the University of Michigan's Rackham Auditorium. This concluded two year national field trials of the poliomyelitis vaccine. Over 1,800,000 children participated in the field trials. -
thwThe first nuclear power plant in the U.S goes online at Shippingport, PA.
The Shippingport Atomic Power Station was the worlds first full-scale atomic elecric power plant devoted exclusively to peacetime uses. It also produced plutonium for military uses which was located near the present day Beaver Valley Nuclear Generating Station on the Ohio River in Beaver County. Pennyslvamia, USA, about 25 miles from Pittsburgh the reactor went online December 2, 1957. -
NASA is established
The official start of the National Aeronautics and Space Admisistration wa sthe beggining of a rich history of unique scientific and techonological acheivments in human space. It was formed as a result of the Spuntik crisis of confidence. NASA inherited the earlier National Advisory Committe for Aeronautics.
