1946 – The Baby Boomer Journey
Babies born in 1946 would be 80 years old at some point in 2026. I was born January 28, 1946.
On January 10, 1946, representatives of 51 nations gathered in London for the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting helped put the newly created United Nations into operation as nations worked together to prevent another world war. On October 1, 1946, the International Military Tribunal delivered its verdicts in the Nuremberg Trials of major Nazi war criminals. Of the 22 defendants who stood trial, 19 were convicted and three were acquitted. Twelve were sentenced to death. The trials established an important precedent for international justice by demonstrating that national leaders could be held personally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Throughout 1946, tensions between the United States, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union increased. On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill warned that an “Iron Curtain” had descended across Europe. These tensions would shape world history for nearly 50 years. His speech became one of the defining early moments of the Cold War.
After the end of the war, workers in steel, coal, railroad, and automobile industries demanded higher wages after wartime wage controls ended. More than 4.6 million American workers participated in the strikes in 1946, making it one of the largest strike waves in U.S. history.
Returning soldiers married, bought homes, and started families. Birth rates surged dramatically in 1946, creating the beginning of the Baby Boomer generation that would reshape American culture for decades. As returning veterans and their growing families faced a severe housing shortage, demand for affordable homes outside the cities increased dramatically, helping set the stage for the suburban building boom that followed. There was a renewed sense of hope as consumer spending increased on automobiles, family vacations, household items, education, movies and dining out, just to name a few.
Big band music was still popular, although the Big Band Era was beginning to decline. The music of Glenn Miller remained popular, while bandleaders such as Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman continued performing for American audiences. Baseball was America’s favorite sport and radio remained a major source of home entertainment, with programs featuring Amos ‘n’ Andy, Jack Benny, The Shadow and Red Skelton, along with news, sports and much more.
In 1946, the cost of a home varied considerably depending on its size, location and whether it was purchased or built by the family. I remember my father telling me that he and my oldest brother built the three-bedroom, one-bath house I grew up in for around $400. They dug out the basement by hand with shovels, poured the cement, and built the house using hand saws, hammers and nails—no power tools. Several years later, the small two-bedroom, one-bath house next door sold for around $600.
Typical everyday prices were also much lower than they are today. Gas was about 21 cents per gallon, a loaf of bread about 14 cents, a pack of cigarettes about 15 cents and a candy bar about 5 cents. A new car could cost around $1,000, while annual family income was often measured in just a few thousand dollars. 1946 was a year of fresh beginnings, with opportunity and optimism helping shape the national mood.
Do you have a memory you would like to share? Join the conversation at Share Your Baby Boomer Memories and tell us what you remember.