1946

1946 was a year in the Gregorian calendar marked by postwar reconstruction, decolonization, and the emergence of a new international order. In politics, science, and culture, it featured notable milestones and transitions that shaped the mid-20th century.

Events included the first session of the United Nations General Assembly, held January 10–24 in London, with 51 member states addressing postwar issues. On January 1, Britain nationalized the Bank of England as part of postwar financial reform. In February, ENIAC, the first electronic general‑purpose computer, was publicly demonstrated for the first time at the University of Pennsylvania.

The year also featured a defining moment in the Cold War: on March 5, Winston Churchill delivered the Iron Curtain speech in Fulton, Missouri. In April, the Tokyo Trials began to prosecute Japanese wartime leaders. The summer brought nuclear weapons demonstrations at Bikini Atoll, with the Able and Baker detonations conducted in July 1946. On July 4, 1946, the Philippines achieved full independence from the United States.

Cultural and institutional developments followed. The first Cannes Film Festival convened in September 1946. The World Bank opened for business in 1946 (the first loans would follow in 1947). In October, France adopted a new constitution, establishing the French Fourth Republic. Later that month, the Nuremberg Trials delivered verdicts against major Nazi figures, underscoring postwar accountability.

1946 thus marked a transitional moment: it consolidated new international structures, anticipated the Cold War, and accelerated technological and cultural innovations that would shape the decade to come.