How Much Do You Know About the Year 1945?

World War II brought about advancements in medicine that changed the world forever, including the creation of the flu vaccine, which was first made available for military members in 1945. One year later, it became available for civilian use. Virologist Jonas Salk, who went on to create the polio vaccine in 1953, was one of the lead scientists working on the influenza vaccine.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a special agency of the U.N. that strives for international cooperation to protect world heritage. There are protected sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list all around the world, from Independence Hall in Philadelphia to the city of Cairo in Egypt.

The comedy duo Abbott and Costello are best known for their routine “Who’s on First?” — named the “Best Comedy Sketch of the 20th Century” by “TIME” magazine. In the skit, the two are attempting to identify baseball players who have confusing names, leading to a lot of miscommunication (e.g., Who is the first baseman? His name is “Who”). The full skit was recorded for the 1945 film “Naughty Nineties.”

Consumers might have noticed a peculiar-looking box of Cheerios on store shelves in 2021, labeled “CheeriOats.” This limited-edition box was produced in honor of Cheerios’ 80th anniversary. The brand temporarily made the switch back to its original name, which was officially changed to Cheerios in 1945, four years after its debut.

The musical comedy-drama “The Bells of St. Mary’s” stars renowned jazz singer Bing Crosby as Father O’Malley, who navigates his way through a new position at a Catholic school where he quarrels with the headmistress, Sister Mary, over what is right for the children. The film was released just in time for Christmas in December 1945 and became the highest-grossing film of the year.

The terrible events of World War II led to many partnerships around the globe, the largest of which was the establishment of the United Nations, an international organization focused on peace, security, and cooperation. In 1945, representatives from 50 countries attended the United Nations Conference on International Organization in California, where they drafted and signed the U.N. Charter.

The Korean Peninsula was split in two after World War II, a boundary that still stands today. The separation came at the beginning of the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union, both of which saw value in the peninsula. The nations separated the land: Soviets controlled the North, and the U.S. controlled the South. The Korean War began a few years later in 1950 but did little to resolve the tensions.

Mechanical engineer Richard James accidentally invented the Slinky in 1943 while experimenting with spring designs for use on ships. He was amazed to see the springs “walk” across the floor. He and his wife, Betty, ran with the idea and manufactured more Slinkys, but sales were slow until Gimbels Department Store in Philadelphia picked up the toy for the Christmas season in 1945.

Earl Tupper invented a revolutionary line of food containers called Tupperware. The idea came to fruition at Tupper's plastics manufacturing company in 1945, when he obtained some polyethylene plastic, which is resistant to corrosion and breakage. He knew it would make a great food storage material and tested various models of the containers until finding the perfect design, which he patented in 1947.

The U.S. became heavily involved in World War II by the end of 1941, turning FDR into a wartime President overnight. He led the country out of the Great Depression and navigated it through the war right up until his death in 1945. He was the only President to be elected to four terms (now the term limit is two), although he did not get to finish out his fourth.

Today, more than 4 billion Dots gumdrops are produced annually by Tootsie Roll Industries, in classic fruit flavors such as cherry, strawberry, lemon, lime, and orange. Dots made their debut in 1945 when they were produced by the Mason Company (the original name was Mason Dots). The candy was acquired by Tootsie Roll Industries in 1972 and is now the top-selling gumdrop brand in the country.

Sports were a welcome distraction during World War II, and one of the year's most memorable events was Major League Baseball’s World Series, when the Detroit Lions clinched a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Although the war had recently ended, some of the best players in the league were still under military service — Detroit’s starting pitcher, Virgil Trucks, was discharged from the Navy only one week prior.

Percy Spencer, an engineer for Raytheon, accidentally invented the microwave while working on a powered radar set. After a chocolate bar melted in his pocket during experiments, he found that other foods (like popcorn and eggs) also cooked inside the metal box. He patented the model in 1945 and microwave ovens became commercially available by 1947.

After the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1945, Vice President Harry S. Truman took office. Truman took over the position during the final phases of World War II, and orchestrated Allied attacks that would help end the war. Truman had previously served in France during World War I as the captain of Battery D.