As I was looking through some old boxes and albums recently, I time traveled back to the days of my youth. Trust me it was a long, long, long time ago – circa 1946. So, in celebration of my recent birthday I put together this quick summary of the year I was born.

• It was peace time in American after World War II but that didn’t slow the politicians down too much. President Truman seized the mines after employees rejected government-negotiated contracts and costly strikes hit General Motors, Ford, General Electric, along with meatpackers, musicians, longshoremen, railroad workers, coffin makers, and in Washington, DC, taxi drivers.

• The Army and Navy were granted permission to manufacture atomic weapons.

• On May 2, in San Francisco, Marines landed on Alcatraz to battle armed convicts in an attempted jailbreak.

• Pacific tidal wave kills 205 in Hawaii.

• On July 1 the United States detonated a bomb, the Bikini Helena, beneath the Pacific at the bikini atoll.

• In France, the Cannes Film Festival was held for the first time, after its debut was rudely delayed by Hitler’s invasion of Poland.

• Admiral Byrd led an expedition to the south pole.

• Penicillin was synthesized for the first time by a United States chemist Vincent Du Vignea.

• The three top billboard stars were Perry Como, Dinah Shore, and Frankie Carle.

• In baseball, it was the American League over the National League, 12 to 0, in the annual All-Star game.

• In pro football, the Chicago Bears bagged the National Football League title for a record sixth time.

• The movie It’s a Wonderful Life debuted.

• The top box office celebrity was Bing Crosby.

• Consumers in New York reported eating horse meat as America’s meat and poultry supplies hit an all-time low. While poultry prices reached a dollar a pound, ceiling prices on choice cuts of horse were $.17-$.21 per pound.

• On a shopping spree Cashmere and wool mufflers cost $6.50. 16mm movie projectors were $56.75. A party dress cost $14.95. A set of hickory skis came in at $9.95. A fancy Stetson felt hat could set you back a whopping $6.00.

And last and most importantly: I was born on August 8 (Baby Boomers Rule!).

IT’S FUN TO LOOK BACK, BUT NEVER TO GO BACK