The following events occurred in November 1946:
November 1, 1946 (Friday) In what the National Basketball Association (NBA) credits as its first game, the New York Knicks defeated the Toronto Huskies 68–66. The only game scheduled for the opener of what was then called the Basketball Association of America took place in Canada. Ossie Schectman of the Knicks scored the first points in the first game."Do you know who scored THE FIRST BASKET in the NBA?" , TheFirstBasket.com; Charles Rosen, The First Tip-off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2008) p1; "Knickerbockers Squeeze to 68-66 Win in Opener", Milwaukee Journal, November 2, 1946, pB-2 The night before, the first exhibition game of the season for the National Basketball League (which would merge with the BAA to form the NBA) saw the pro debut of George Mikan, who scored 19 points for the Chicago Gears in a 55-50 loss to the Rochester Royals."Mikan Scores 19 Points, But Gears Bow to Royals Before Crowd of 3,500", Schenectady (NY) Gazette, November 1, 1946, p22 At Kraków, Archbishop Adam Sapieha personally ordained 26-year-old Karol Wojtyla as a Roman Catholic priest. Father Wojtyla's career would see him rise through the hierarchy of the Church, becoming Pope John Paul II in 1978.Edward Renehan, Pope John Paul II (Infobase Publishing, 2006) p32 In what has been described as "the beginning of modern accelerator technology",Hans Günter Dosch Beyond the Nanoworld: Quarks, Leptons, and Gauge Bosons (A K Peters, Ltd., 2008) p61 a beam of alpha particles was accelerated at the synchrotron in Berkeley, California, to generate an unprecedented 350 MeV of energy.
November 2, 1946 (Saturday) The derailment of a train killed 28 people in the Soviet occupation zone in Germany near Leipzig, between Altenburg and Zeitz."28 Die in Rail Wreck", Pittsburgh Press, November 2, 1946, p1 "Rumors Are Flying" by Frankie Carle hit #1 on the Billboard Honor Roll of Hits. Born: Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer; in Venice (d. 2001) Steve Bender, German Eurodisco musician for the group Dschinghis Khan, in Munich, U.S. occupation zone of Germany Died: Thomas L. Bailey, 58, Governor of Mississippi, died at the executive mansion in Jackson
November 3, 1946 (Sunday) The new Constitution of Japan, which included that nation's renunciation of war, was promulgated by proclamation of the Emperor Hirohito, who had been allowed to keep the Chrysanthemum Throne in return for dropping all claims of divinity. The instrument took effect, by its terms, on May 3, 1947."Hirohito Hails New Constitution", Pittsburgh Press, November 3, 1946, p1 Grant Kohn Goodman and Barry D. Steben, America's Japan: The First Year, 1945-1946 (Fordham University Press, 2005) p75
November 4, 1946 (Monday) The November 16, 1945, charter establishing UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, took effect after Greece became the 20th nation to ratify it.J. C. Aggarwal and S. P. Agrawal, Documentation Encyclopaedia of UNESCO and Education (Concept Publishing Company, 1991) p5 Gabriel González Videla was inaugurated as the 25th President of Chile.Salvatore Bizzarro, Historical Dictionary of Chile (Scarecrow Press, 2005) p324 Born: Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States from 2001-2009; as Laura Lane Welch in Midland, Texas Robert Mapplethorpe, controversial American photographer; in New York City (d. 1989)
November 5, 1946 (Tuesday) In the 1946 U.S. midterm Congressional elections, the Republican Party captured control of both houses from the Democrats."LANDSLIDE GIVES GOP CONGRESS AND STATE", Pittsburgh Press, November 6, 1946, p1 In the Senate, a 56-39 advantage for the Democrats gave way to a 51-45 Republican majority, while in the House of Representatives, the Democrats' 242-191 lead was reversed, with the Republicans up 246 to 188. Freshmen Congressmen included Republican Richard M. Nixon of California's 12th district, and Democrat John F. Kennedy of the Massachusetts 11th. The Boston Celtics very first home game was preceded by the first smashing of a glass backboard. Boston's Chuck Connors, who would also play major league baseball and become a TV star in The Rifleman, accidentally tore down a poorly fitted rim.John J. Fontanella, The Physics of Basketball (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006) p129 Born: Gram Parsons (stage name for Ingram Connor III), American country singer; in Winter Haven, Florida (d. 1973) Herman Brood, Dutch rock musician and painter; in Zwolle (d. 2001)
November 6, 1946 (Wednesday)
The day after the Republican takeover of both houses of Congress, U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas proposed that his fellow Democrat, President Harry S. Truman, should resign to make way for a Republican. Fulbright's proposal, endorsed by the Atlanta Constitution and the Chicago Sun, was that Arthur H. Vandenberg, U.S. Senator from Michigan, be made U.S. Secretary of State (at the time, the Vice-President's office was vacant and the Secretary was next in line for the presidency), after which Truman would step down in favor of President Vandenberg."Sen. Fulbright Says Truman Should Resign", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 7, 1946, p1 Truman did not dignify Fulbright's suggestion with a response, but the White House let it be known that the idea would be ignored."Truman Won't Resign, Will Ignore Suggestion-- White House Believes Proposal Unworthy Of Presidential Denial", Miami Daily News, November 7, 1946, p1 Born: Sally Field, American TV and film actress; in Pasadena, California
November 7, 1946 (Thursday) A major reform of the Japanese writing system was ordered by that nation's Ministry of Education, which eliminated 70% of the kanji symbols that could be used in legal documents, newspapers and magazines. Effective November 16, a list of 1,850 kanji was made from 6,000 traditional ones, with plans to reduce the number further to 881. Words formerly rendered in kanji were replaced with the hiragana syllabic system."Jap Language Cut To 1,800 Characters", Miami Daily News, November 7, 1946, p1; J. Marshall Unger, Literacy and Script Reform in Occupation Japan: Reading Between the Lines (Oxford University Press US, 1996) p58 Birzhan and Sara, composed by Mukan Tulebaev with a libretto by Khazhim Djumaliev, the first Kazakh language opera, was performed for the first time, making its debut on October Revolution Day at the opera house of Alma-Ata in the Soviet Union's Kazakh SSR (now Almaty in Kazkhstan). "Tulebaev's opera 'Birzhan and Sara'", Belcanto.ru Born: Milton Lee Olive, African-American Medal of Honor recipient; in Chicago (killed in Vietnam, 1965)
November 8, 1946 (Friday)
Viola Desmond, a Black Canadian businesswoman and operator of a beauty college, challenged racial segregation in the town of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and began the racial civil rights movement in Canada."Viola Desmond", by Russell Bingham, in The Canadian Encyclopedia Rather than sitting in the balcony section set aside for minorities, Mrs. Desmond sat in the whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre and then refused to leave. She was arrested, spent the night in jail and was charged with tax evasion for paying a two-cent sales tax on a 20 cent ticket rather than the three-cent tax on a 40 cent ticket. Starting on November 19, 2018, Mrs. Desmond's image replaced that of Sir John A. Macdonald on the Canadian ten-dollar note."New vertical $10 bank note featuring iconic Canadian Viola Desmond now in circulation", Bank of Canada press release, November 19, 2018 The government of Japan expelled from office 162,915 persons who had held posts during World War II, ranging from village employees to prefecture chiefs. The names were supplied by Brigadier General Courtney Whitney of the American occupational government."160,000 JAP LEADERS OUSTED", Miami Daily News, November 8, 1946, p1
November 9, 1946 (Saturday) Dubbed the "Game of the Century", the first ever between college football's two highest ranked teams, took place before a crowd of 74,000 at New York's Yankee Stadium, with #1 Army facing #2 Notre Dame. The game ended in a 0-0 tie, but brought Army's 25 game winning streak to a halt.Stuart Miller, The 100 Greatest Days in New York Sports (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006) pp97-100 "Army, Irish Slug To 0-0 Tie In Thriller Before 74,000", Miami Daily News, November 10, 1946, p1 The Lockheed R6V Constitution, at 92 tons the largest airplane up to that time, made its first flight."92-Ton Constitution Makes Maiden Flight", Miami Daily News, November 10, 1946, p1
November 10, 1946 (Sunday)
In voting for France's National Assembly, the French Communist Party (PCF) received a plurality in taking 182 of the 627 seats."French Vote Communists Into Power", Daytona Beach Morning Journal, November 11, 1946, p1 At least 1,400 people were killed in an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 in the Ancash Region of Peru. Hardest hit was the village of Quiches in the Sihuas Province, and the city of Moyobamba."Earthquakes of Peru", USGS.gov A team led by Igor Kurchatov began work on assembling the Soviet Union's first nuclear reactor.Richard Rhodes, Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb (Simon and Schuster, 1996)p272 The very first Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust wetland reserve, created by Sir Peter Scott, opened at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire.David Evans, A History of Nature Conservation in Britain (Psychology Press, 1997) p88 Born: Alaina Reed Hall; American TV actress, as Bernice Reed in Springfield, Ohio (d. 2009) Died: Nguyen Van Thinh, President of Cochin-China, hanged himself at his apartment in Saigon after being unable to meet with French Indochina Commissioner Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu.Oscar Chapuis, The Last Emperors of Vietnam: From Tu Duc to Bao Dai (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000) p145
November 11, 1946 (Monday) Margaret Truman, the 22-year-old daughter of the President of the United States, made her operatic debut, singing at the opening of the 62nd season of the Metropolitan Opera in New York."Margaret Truman Helps Opera To Colorful Start", Miami Daily News, November 11, 1946, p1 Born: Corrine Brown, African-American Congresswoman from 1993 to 2017; in Jacksonville, Florida Died: Nikolai Burdenko, 70, Soviet pioneer in neurosurgery
November 12, 1946 (Tuesday) The Disney film Song of the South, first to combine live action with animation and most popular movie of 1946, premiered at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.Leonard Maltin, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons (New American Library, 1987) p369 In Chicago, a branch of the Exchange National Bank (now part of the LaSalle Bank) opened "Autobank", a set of ten drive-up teller windows.Homer Williams, Building Type Basics for Banks and Financial Institutions (John Wiley and Sons, 2010) p33; "First Complete Autobank Opens on La Salle St.", Chicago Tribune, November 13, 1946, p2 Died: Madan Mohan Malaviya, 84, Indian patriot
November 13, 1946 (Wednesday) Meteorologist Vincent Schaefer, a researcher for the General Electric company, made the first successful test of cloud seeding as a means of weather control. Taking off in an airplane from Schenectady, New York, Schaefer dropped six pounds of dry ice pellets into the clouds at 14,000 feet over Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Within two minutes, snow flakes began falling. The snow didn't reach the town below, evaporating at about 11,000 feet, but Schaefer, who had earlier discovered a laboratory process for artificially making snow, demonstrated that the process could be duplicated on a large scale.Kristine C. Harper, Weather and Climate: Decade by Decade (Infobase Publishing, 2007) pp93-94; "Snow From a Cloud Produced by Science", Milwaukee Journal, November 14, 1946, p1 Born: Wanda Coleman, African American author; in Los Angeles (d. 2013)
November 14, 1946 (Thursday)