October 21, 2002

• I contend that the year 1947 was the most important year of the 20th century in terms of innovations and events which still resonate today.  Take flying saucers–please! Seriously, 1947 was the year that Kenneth Arnold saw the first modern flying saucers.  This was also the year the the aliens were supposedly secreted at Area 51.  In a related area, the first solid-state device was invented by Bell Labs in 1947, little gizmo called the transistor.  Oh, those cute shimmery holograph things–they were invented in 1947 as well.

  
  

  Socially, we saw some awesome upheavals in 1947.  As you may know, one of the more-overlooked injustices inflicted on black people is that many great athletes who played for Negro Leagues went unnoticed, unsung, by history.  That started to change in 1947, when Jackie Robinson signed up with  the Brooklyn Dodgers.

  
  

  India and Pakistan have been in the news a lot lately.  Guess when these two countries became independent–yep, 1947.  Also, the Taft-Hartley Act was passed that year (arguably one of the most important pieces of legislation ever, this act limited the power of unions), Truman came up with the Truman Doctrine, and Marshall came up with the Marshall Plan.  If you’re not familiar with these, you’ll have to look it up because I’m too lazy to do that right now.

  
  

  Henry Ford died that year–I bet you’ve heard of him.  He’s said to have left an estate of $600 million, I assume in 1947 dollars.  That is the year too that Mach 1 was first attained.  Did I mention the Dead Sea scrolls, which kind of revolutionized biblical scholarship?  They turned up in 1947 too.

  
  

  Finally, from my own narrow and selfish point of view, here is the most important event of 1947–I was born.  (Thanks, Mom!)

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