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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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Studebaker, a popular car company, begins its financial downfall
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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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North Korea and South Korea declare war after Northern forces stream south on June 25.
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Sugar Ray Robinson, a champion welterweight boxer
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Dwight D. Eisenhower is first elected as U.S. president, winning by a landslide margin of 442 to 89 electoral votes
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Rocky Marciano defeats Jersey Joe Walcott, becoming the world Heavyweight champion
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George Santayana, philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist, dies on September 26
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Joseph Stalin dies on March 5, yielding his position as leader of the Soviet Union
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Sergei Prokofiev, the composer, dies on March 5, the same day as Stalin
