Fun Facts of The Year 1948

Every human being on this planet starts somewhere. My life began in October of 1948. It was the Mid-Term of Presidency for Harry Truman. . .the rest is history. So, for those of us born around that time some clarity will tickle you. Others, may want to skip this lens, not wanting anyone to know you lived through this much history. I get a good laugh at that, not being one who even cares about age. Take it from me, youth is an overrated and overused word. The "real celebrities" are those who weather time, challenges, losses and still find things to celebrate every year. Sure, there are infinite possibilities to ruminate about, with finances and health issues looming.

I promise you, taking this walk will bring memories that will stir many emotions. Hang in there, buddy, it all gets better. Remember, there is a silver lining to every cloud. Actually, the silver is creeping up around the edges of my hair, right now. Let's get going!

Leap year started around the time of Julius Ceasar, in 45 B.C. This was called the Julian Calendar and was 12 months, 365 days with an extra day every 4th year. His mathematicians must have had fun playing with numbers, because they over-calculated by .0078 days

(11 minutes 14 seconds).

That tiny span caused the vernal equinox to fall around March 11 instead of March 21.

This was now the 16th Century when Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar, moved the date by 11 days and instituted a rule to include Leap Years. There is a leap year every 4 years.

A Century year will only be a Leap Year if it is divisible by 400. Bet you didn't know that! This calendar was deemed the Gregorian Calendar. More than 3,000 years will go by before a day is gained. Now, that's some fancy math, right?

The Arab-Israeli War

The climate of the Middle East remains as if in a tinderbox. There have been no winners after 63 years.

Your spin is as good as mine. There are probably, thousands of links to give food for fodder to this subject.

The fact of the matter is, the Establishment of the State of Israel (May 14, 1948). Unrest, on both sides continues.

Finding information online is ok. Having a book on the subject will get more information in your hands and head.

Finding out more information, in type, about the war. Going to articles and magazines covering the incidents.

Great Soul

Known as "Mahatma" (great soul) this peaceful giant, turned attorney, turned civil rights activist, turned prisoner became a representative of the National Congress in India. Resigned that post after, several more fasts.

His fasting for the unity of India in 1945, nearly killed him. Many more events of interest occurred and the links, provided will take you through a timeline journey through this whirlwind life of an enigma.

On January 30, 1948, a fanatic assassinated Gandhi as he went on his way to evening prayer ground at Birla House, Delhi. Unarmed and unafraid, the Great Soul laid down his life with a legacy of Love and and example of non-violence.

Find more information within the pages of a book. Save some cash by buying used.

Some of the movies, not all of the movies that were showing in 1948. Recognizing titles may jog a memory or two. Just for fun, try to think of what each movie was all about. Then look them up, by name or character actor to get a full description. You didn't expect me to give a synopsis in this small space, did you?

Try renting or buying them. This will be lots of fun and a walk down memory lane.

1. Johnny Belinda

   Drama

   Jane Wyman and Lou Ayres

2. Unfaithfully Yours

   Comedy

   Rex Harrison and Linda Darnell

3. The Naked City

   Drama, Crime, Mystery, Film Noir

   Barry Fitzgerald and Howard Duff

4. Easter Parade

   Musical,Romance

   Judy Garland and Fred Astair

5. Snake Pit

   Drama

   Olivia DeHaviland and Mark Stevens

6. The Three Musketeers

   Action,Adventure,Drama,Romance

   Lana Turner and Gene Kelly

7. The Red Shoes

   Drama,Romance,Music

   Victoria Page

8. The Treasure of Sierra Madre

   Action,Adventure,Drama,Western

   Bruce Benet and Tim Holt

9. Red River

   Action,Adventure,Western

   John Wayne and Montgomery Cliff

10. Hamlet

    Drama,Thriller

    Edmond Knight and Anthony Quayle

11. The Fallen Idol

    Drama,Thriller

    Ralph Richardson and Gerard Heinz

12. Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

    Horror,Sci-Fi,Comedy

    Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

13. 3 Godfathers

    Drama,Western

    John Wayne and Pedro Armendariz

14. Key Largo

    Drama,Thriller,Crime,Film Noir

    Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson

15. Oliver Twist

    Adventure,Drama,Crime

    Robert Newton and Alec Guinness

16. Call Northside 777

    Drama,Crime,Film Noir

    James Stewart and Richard Conte

17. Macbeth

    Drama

    Orson Wells and Jeannette Nolan

18. Pecos Bill

    Western,Animated,Short

    Roy Rogers and Bob Nolan

19. Sorry, Wrong Number

    Drama,Thriller,Film Noir

    Barbary Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster

20. Words And Music

    Biography,Comedy,Music

    June Allison and Perry Como

21. Command Decision

    Drama,War

    Clark Gable and Walter Pigeon

22. June Bride

    Comedy

    Bette Davis and Fay Bainter

23. Boy With The Green Hair

    Drama,Family

    Pat O'Brien and Robert Ryan

24. London Belongs To Me

    Drama

    Richard Attenborough and Alastair Sim

25. Fury At Furnace Creek

    Western

    Victor Mature and Colleen Gray

26. Road House

    Drama,Film Noir

    Ida Lupino and Cornel Wilde

27. Iron Curtain

    Thriller,Biography

    Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney

28. Ladies Of The Chorus

    Musical

    Adele Jergens and Marilyn Monroe

29. If You Knew Susie

    Comedy

    Eddie Cantor and Joan Davis

Try your hand at finding that movie that once held your attention. You know you want to laugh, cry or be thrilled. Singing along with your long-lost songs which people forgot to include in this generation of moviegoers. See the actors at their best and youngest builds. Some, before they were even famous.

Inside the Search box, type the name of the movie you are looking for. Let Amazon find it for you. The prices will be reasonable. These are the treasures we look for. Of course they are!

Award Winning Writers

Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: James A. Michener - Tales of the South Pacific

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: W. H. Auden: The Age of Anxiety

Remember This?

August13,1948 Satchel Paige is the first black pitcher in an American League game: Cleveland Indians (he shuts out Chicago).

October 9,1948 Larry Doby is the first black player to hit a home run in a World Series game.

October 10, 1948 Satchel Paige is the first black pitcher to pitch in a World Series game, he appears in relief and pitches 2/3 of an inning.

World Series 1948, Indians vs Braves. A full house and bases are loaded. The rest is History!

We have come so far. Just dream of something, along the lines of appliances. You can find it as fast and the thought you just had.

LP Recording

The jury is still out on who created the 1st Doo Wop song and when it was played. My mother was careful about playing records. They were made of vinyl and were fragile. When dropped, they shattered. These were 78" records.

At the onset of 1948 the 33 1/3 LP was king. They were made of a more flexible vinyl and had smaller needles to make them play. 45's were the smallest and more popular with teens, so I heard. Because they could skip buying lunch and get that song they heard "spinning" on the radio, just last night.

Young people, almost never think of the quality of sound when they are in the midst of the time at hand. 1948 was no different. So people put up with the scratchy needle on the record or the static, which was ignored. The beat, the melody and the way the music , either made them snuggle up to someone or break out in a frenzied dance move, was all that mattered to them.

It has been said that the Orioles had the first Doo Wop Hit, in 1948 "It's Too Soon To Know". Although the term 'doo wop' didn't officially become common until 1956 (I was nine years old, by then).

You can't get those songs out of your head. Go ahead, they make great gifts for friends or family, too.

How Many Did You Play

Remember what was fun, parlor games and board games. Let's take time to remember what some of those games were. There was nothing like the electric games of today to hold us captive for hours. But we did manage to have some fun.

Girls loved their dolls, from the fancy dancy, dressed up with long gown dolls to paper dolls. Hard plastic heads and arms, with stuffed bodies. Or hard plastic all the way down the body.

The paper dolls could come from cartoons, to movie characters or actresses, or even the look of the Armed Services. We loved our dolls and tried to take them everywhere with us.

Boys loved their train sets and how many cars they got each year to add to the last set. Sometimes they would get another engine, because they wore out the first one. Trains were not cheap, even in those days.

I hear you can pick one one on eBay, if you're lucky.

Finding good places to assist with lens creation is "all over the place", here at Squidoo. Here are some of the places that have helped me to hone my skills.

An Excellent Backlink Spot

I like making it possible for my articles to be found . Writing on List My Five is crazy fun and easy. Just choose a subject to list five things about. Describe what you are talking about and add a link. It's that simple.

Here is a link to one of my writings: http://listmyfive.com/the-year-was-born-1948. It comes up in Entertainment and Media. No pictures are required and an honest submission of your own work is all there is to it.

Picture By Kozzi.com

To find more information about things I have written, become a part of, or refer people to try.

Tell me what you think of this lens. Many before you have had to leave messages on my Bio Page, as I forgot to add this until now. Sorry!