1946

From top to bottom, left to right: The Nuremberg Trials deliver landmark verdicts against top Nazi leaders, establishing precedents in international law; the Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll begins as the United States detonates atomic bombs in the Pacific, ushering in the nuclear age; the Greek Civil War erupts, one of the first proxy conflicts of the Cold War; the First Indochina War begins as the Viet Minh fight French colonial rule in Vietnam; the launch of the ENIAC computer marks a milestone in modern computing; the King David Hotel bombing by Irgun targets British headquarters in Jerusalem, escalating tensions in Mandatory Palestine; the Iran crisis of 1946 tests Western resolve as Soviet troops delay withdrawal from northern Iran; Direct Action Day sparks deadly communal riots in Calcutta, intensifying tensions ahead of Partition; and the release of It’s a Wonderful Life cements its status as an enduring film classic.