Some important historical events in 1947 (year it was written and in which it was set):
Jan 3rd – First televised Congressional opening session
Jan 15th – “The Black Dahlia” murder
Feb 10th – WW II peace treaty signed
Mar 13th – “Brigadoon” opens at Ziegfeld, 581 performances
Mar 22nd – Truman signs executive order calling for loyalty, Congress sets a 2 term limit on presidency
April 6th – The first Tony Awards
April 9th – Atomic Energy Comission confirmed
April 10th – Jackie Robinson becomes first black in major league baseball
Jun 4th – Taft-Hartley Act approved
Jun 5th – Marshall Plan announced
Jul 25th – Department of Defense is formed
Jul 26th – National Security Act/CIA is formed
Oct 5th – First televised Presidential Address
Nov 1st – Howard Hughes flies “Spruce Goose,” a large wooden plane
Nov 20th – “Meet the Press” debuts
Dec 3rd – “Streetcar” opens in New York
(Full list: http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1947?p=3)
Other cultural info:
Christian Dior launched his “new look” (as dubbed by Life Magazine) – departure from wartime military style
“Hollywood Glamour” style very much in at this time
Mass production made ready-to-wear styles much more accessible
Life expectancy for a woman was 68, for a man 60
Penicillin revolutionized medicine forever only 6 years earlier
Communism/Marxism/extreme political theories
College was becoming available to more and more people, not just wealthy
Commerical TV, the first 13 channels, became available to the public