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Discover the Top 5 Fascinating Fun Facts from 1946: A Year of Surprises and Triumphs!

illustration of 1946
Dive into the treasure trove of 1946, where history and nostalgia collide to create a fascinating collection of fun facts that'll take you on a trip down memory lane.

1. Cannes Film Festival's Delayed Debut

Talk about an epic cliffhanger: the Cannes Film Festival was all set for its dazzling debut in 1939, only to be rudely interrupted by World War II – truly an unwelcome guest that outstayed its welcome! Unperturbed, it eventually rolled out the red carpet in 1946, finally allowing Rossellini's Rome, Open City to captivate audiences and win big, while establishing itself as the chic and prestigious alternative to its politically-charged Venetian counterpart.
Source => nww2m.com

2. ENIAC: The Curvy Computer

Back in the day when computers had more curves than Kim Kardashian: The ENIAC, a "Giant Brain" composed of 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors, and weighing more than a herd of elephants, dazzled the world as the first programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer in 1946, primarily used to whip up delicious artillery firing tables for the United States Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

3. First Mobile Phone Network: St. Louis Livin'

Before they could say "Can you hear me now?", people in 1946 were living in the future and chatting on the go: AT&T and Southwestern Bell launched the first commercial mobile phone network in St. Louis, Missouri, which allowed a whopping 250 subscribers to experience the freedom of wireless communication, with Motorola-built phones and interconnected through just six channels in the 150 MHz band.
Source => ericsson.com

4. Tupperware: Burping Its Way to Success

From chemist's burps to housewives' perks: In 1946, Earl Tupper, a chemist with a knack for frugality and odd noises, introduced the Tupperware "Wonder Bowl," a milky-white plastic container with a groundbreaking "burping seal" design that cost 39 cents. Initially met with confusion and skepticism, the Tupperware brand eventually found its groove by hosting lively Tupperware parties, amalgamating socializing with direct sales, and even showered its diamond-ring-earning saleswomen with sparkle.
Source => cnn.com

Vintage Arcade Dreams: Pre-Pac-Man Missile Command

5. Vintage Arcade Dreams: Pre-Pac-Man Missile Command

Before Mario met his princess and Sonic revved up for his first loop-de-loop, a duo of physicists played an arcade-style game of Missile Command with a vintage twist: In 1946, Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann invented the cathode-ray tube amusement device, the earliest known interactive electronic game simulating artillery shells arcing towards targets on a cathode-ray tube (CRT) screen, giving a whole new meaning to "blast from the past."
Source => en.wikipedia.org

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