Tech & Science · 1946
Dawn of the Digital and Atomic Age
In 1946, a world emerging from global conflict pivoted toward unprecedented technological leaps, pushing scientific boundaries into outer space and computing. From bouncing radar off the Moon to revealing the giant ENIAC computer, the dawn of peace ignited a transformative modern revolution.
- February 14, 1946 | Philadelphia, USA
ENIAC Computer Unveiled
The University of Pennsylvania publicly reveals ENIAC, the world's first operational general-purpose electronic digital computer, capable of solving complex calculations at unprecedented speeds.
- January 10, 1946 | New Jersey, USA
Project Diana Moon Radar Bounce
US Army Signal Corps engineers successfully bounce radar signals off the Moon and detect the echo, marking the birth of radar astronomy and the opening of space communication.
- October 24, 1946 | New Mexico, USA
First Photo of Earth from Space
A 35mm motion picture camera mounted on a V-2 rocket launched from White Sands captures the first photograph of Earth taken from an altitude above 60 miles.
- June 17, 1946 | St. Louis, USA
First Commercial Mobile Phone Service
AT&T and Southwestern Bell inaugurate the first commercial mobile telephone service, allowing calls to be placed from moving automobiles via radio equipment.
- July 1, 1946 | Bikini Atoll
Operation Crossroads Atomic Tests
The United States conducts the first postwar atmospheric nuclear weapon tests at Bikini Atoll to measure atomic blast and radiation effects on naval vessels.
- November 13, 1946 | New York, USA
First Successful Cloud Seeding
General Electric scientist Vincent Schaefer drops dry ice into a cloud over the Adirondack Mountains, successfully generating the first artificial snowfall.
- 1946 | Harvard & Stanford, USA
Discovery of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Physicists Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell independently demonstrate nuclear magnetic resonance in liquids and solids, laying the groundwork for modern MRI scanners.
- 1946 | Massachusetts, USA
Tupperware Consumer Launch
Earl Tupper introduces his flexible polyethylene food containers featuring patented airtight seals to retail stores, revolutionizing home food storage.
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