MAY 9, 1945

WEDNESDAY
1945 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1945
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $3,985,747 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.53
Median Home Price$5,700.00
Gas Price Avg$0.22
Bread Price Avg$0.12
Movie Ticket Avg$0.38
First Class Stamp$0.03
Milk Price Avg$0.69
Top Movies From 1945
Show screen release and event cards
1 The Bells of St. Mary's
Learn More
The Bells of St. Mary's
2 Leave Her to Heaven
Learn More
Leave Her to Heaven
3 Spellbound
Learn More
Spellbound
4 The Valley of Decision
Learn More
The Valley of Decision
5 Anchors Aweigh
Learn More
Anchors Aweigh
6 Week-End at the Waldorf
Learn More
Week-End at the Waldorf
7 Thrill of a Romance
Learn More
Thrill of a Romance
8 The Lost Weekend
Learn More
The Lost Weekend
9 State Fair
Learn More
State Fair
10 National Velvet
Learn More
National Velvet
The Southerner
Learn More
The Southerner
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Learn More
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Objective, Burma!
Learn More
Objective, Burma!
The Great Flamarion
Learn More
The Great Flamarion
The Corn is Green
Learn More
The Corn is Green
Tonight and Every Night
Learn More
Tonight and Every Night
Brewster's Millions
Learn More
Brewster's Millions
To Have and Have Not
Learn More
To Have and Have Not
Meet Me in St. Louis
Learn More
Meet Me in St. Louis
Murder, My Sweet
Learn More
Murder, My Sweet
Ministry of Fear
Learn More
Ministry of Fear
House of Frankenstein
Learn More
House of Frankenstein
The Thin Man Goes Home
Learn More
The Thin Man Goes Home
The Suspect
Learn More
The Suspect

May 9, 1945 Trivia

Multiple choice - Sign in to save + leaderboard - View all-time leaderboard
Score: 0 / 0
All-time leaderboard
Your results

Exact-date daily brief

May 9, 1945

On May 9, 1945, the focus of the U.S. Army shifted predominantly toward Japan in the aftermath of World War II's European front concluding with Germany's surrender. This transition was marked by the cessation of munitions shipment...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of May 1945

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Atomic Bomb
Learn More
Atomic Bomb
2 Microwave Oven
Learn More
Microwave Oven
3 Programmable Electronic Computer (ENIAC)
Learn More
Programmable Electronic Computer (ENIAC)
4 Artificial Satellite Concept
Learn More
Artificial Satellite Concept
5 Freeze-Drying Food
Learn More
Freeze-Drying Food
6 Ultrasound Medical Imaging Concept
Learn More
Ultrasound Medical Imaging Concept
7 Magnetic Core Memory
Learn More
Magnetic Core Memory
8 Mass Production Radar
Learn More
Mass Production Radar
9 Electric Hearing Aid Miniaturization
Learn More
Electric Hearing Aid Miniaturization
10 Pressurized Aircraft Cabin Standards
Learn More
Pressurized Aircraft Cabin Standards

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From May 9, 1945

Full News Archive

  • Headline: US Shifts Focus to Japan Post-Germany Surrender. Impact: This decision to focus on Japan instead of Europe led to a series of miscommunications, resulting in a giant game of international telephone that caused confusion for decades. By the time the dust settled, someone thought they were ordering sushi when they were actually requesting a military strategy. Fact: The phrase 'focus on Japan' was originally a motivational poster slogan aimed at encouraging people to eat more fish. Guess it worked out differently!.
  • Headline: Yonkers Prevails in Untermyer Taxation Case. Impact: This legal victory sparked an obsession with taxation that would eventually lead to the phrase 'death and taxes' being forever immortalized in history, making many wonder if taxes were indeed the true villain of the story. Fact: Yonkers is known for its beautiful parks, which ironically cost a fortune to maintain due to all the taxes they just fought over. Maybe they should just tax the parks next!.
  • Headline: Baldwin's Victory: Focus on Japan. Impact: Baldwin's proclamation caused a ripple effect that led to a generation of Americans being obsessed with maps, forever altering the way geography was taught in schoolsβ€”because who doesn't love a good directions debate?. Fact: If they had only faced east, they might have discovered that Japan had already been making sushi and karaoke a thing long before they got around to it!.
  • Headline: 4 SCULPTORS WIN PRIZES; Designs for 'Our Lady of Victory' and Bas-Reliefs Are Judged. Impact: The victory of these sculptors kickstarted a movement that led to the creation of increasingly bizarre public statuesβ€”think giant spoons and inflatable dinosaursβ€”because who doesn't want to see that in their town square?. Fact: Sculpting is one of the few professions where you can get away with working with your hands while claiming to be an 'artist.' Who knew chipping away at stone was so glamorous?.
  • Headline: Top Heroes Free to Retire. Impact: The decision to allow heroes to retire sparked a trend of 'celebrity' retirements, where even the most mundane individuals began to think they were entitled to a parade and a Netflix special just for clocking out of their day jobs. Fact: Most heroes would agree that retirement can be just as challenging as the battlefield. Apparently, there’s no training for binge-watching on the couch!.
  • Headline: U.S. WRITER TOURS SHATTERED BERLIN; RUSSIAN FORCES MEET INSIDE A BERLIN IN RUINS AFTER ITS CAPITULATION. Impact: This writer's tour led to a wave of war literature that would shape public perception of conflict for generations, proving that sometimes the best stories come out of the worst disasters. Who needs a happy ending when you have a bestseller?. Fact: Berlin's destruction was so profound that it made the city the ultimate backdrop for every dystopian novel ever written. Talk about setting the scene!.
  • Headline: WANTS GERMANS TO TOIL; French Labor Leader Would Make Them Repair His Country. Impact: This proposal led to a long-standing tradition of assigning blame to the previous generation, culminating in the invention of the phrase 'you broke it, you fix it,' which would echo through history in every family argument. Fact: To this day, many people believe labor is best done by someone else. It's like their own version of delegation, except with a side of guilt!.
  • Headline: MANNING OPPOSES ROCKEFELLER VIEW; Opening Diocesan Meeting, He Asks 'No Heed' for Plea to End Emphasis on Creed Discusses His Health. Impact: Manning's opposition led to decades of theological debates that would ultimately result in more denominations than there are flavors of ice cream. Now everyone can enjoy a scoop of their favorite doctrine!. Fact: Rockefeller once suggested a universal creed, but it turns out people prefer to argue about their beliefs over ice cream instead of uniting over them. Who knew?.
  • Headline: Mayor Gets Music Week Albums. Impact: This seemingly innocuous event sparked a city-wide obsession with music that led to the rise of questionable karaoke bars, where local legends were born and many dreams died, all while hitting the wrong notes. Fact: Music Week is the perfect excuse for mayors to pretend they care about culture while secretly planning for their next photo op with a saxophone!.
  • Headline: Patton Thanks Writers For Reports Sent Home. Impact: Patton's gratitude towards writers created a ripple effect, leading to an explosion of war correspondence that would eventually lead to the modern age of social media, where everyone feels the need to document their every sandwich. Fact: Patton likely had no idea that his thanks would lead to millions of selfies with soldiers, turning history into a never-ending scroll of 'look at me in my uniform!'.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
GE
General Electric
Price in 1945
$0.62
Stored value
$487,501

General Electric - If you invested $1,000 in 1945, it would be worth $487,501 today (487.5x return)

Rank #2
PFE
Pfizer
Price in 1945
$0.15
Stored value
$168,691

Pfizer - If you invested $1,000 in 1945, it would be worth $168,691 today (168.7x return)

Rank #3
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1945
$0.06
Stored value
$3,433,942

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1945, it would be worth $3,433,942 today (3433.9x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Marvel Mystery Comics #55
Marvel Mystery Comics #55
$3,500
Captain America Comics #42
Captain America Comics #42
$4,000
Detective Comics #98
Detective Comics #98
$10,200
Superman #36
Superman #36
$500
Action Comics #88
Action Comics #88
$1,500
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Silly Putty
Silly Putty
$25.00
Magic 8-Ball
Magic 8-Ball
$50.00
Slinky
Slinky
$50.00
Tinkertoy
Tinkertoy
$150.00
Yo-yo
Yo-yo
$1350.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Kellogg's Pep Cereal War Picture Card #35: Aircraft Spotter Cards
Kellogg's Pep Cereal War Picture Card #35: Aircraft Spotter Cards
$200.00
Cantarini Picture Series (Italian)
Cantarini Picture Series (Italian)
$250,000
Japanese Sanko Card Game
Japanese Sanko Card Game
$0
Mickey Mouse Wartime Ration Token
Mickey Mouse Wartime Ration Token
$260,000
Leaf Strip Film Stars Set
Leaf Strip Film Stars Set
$3,000