The Impact and Legacy Years, 1941, 1947, 1968

About the Book

    The historical record of human achievement by the United States of America in the twentieth century is enormous and sometimes miraculous when being described. The past one hundred years' list of accomplishments far surpasses those of any other period of time. The history of the twentieth century stands the test of comparison as the sun sets on the second millennium.
    The inventions such as electricity, computers, automobiles, telephones, talking motion pictures, commercial radio, television, and air conditioning are some of the major significant accomplishments that caused this century to completely change the face of America and the world. The discovery and eventual application of various theories include the theory of flight, the splitting of the atom, the identification of DNA, the cure for tuberculosis, and body part transplant surgery. The historical events such as landing a man on the moon, flying an airplane around the world, ending a world war, or seeing an historical sporting event captured the American spirit and enthusiasm of this country as well as the rest of the world.
    However, three years of the hundred in the twentieth century have extreme significance when they occurred and the subsequent years thereafter. These three years had a major impact in the areas of American politics and major league baseball. These historic events occurred simultaneously in the years of 1941, 1947, and 1968. Obviously other significant political and baseball events occurred in the other years of the century, but these unrelated major milestones of political and major league baseball feats and accomplishments are at the zenith in comparison with the other 97 years.
    For example, the year of 1941 had several major historical and political events such as the Japanese surprise attack bombing of Pearl Harbor that caused the United States to enter World War II and later become a major power in international affairs. That role continues to this day. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in for his unprecedented third term as President of the United States. To ensure nobody else would serve more than two terms, the twenty-second amendment was added to the United States Constitution. This reaction to Roosevelt's third term has had lasting impact on future presidents including Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton.
    The major league baseball momentous events of 1941 included the 56 consecutive game hitting streak of New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio and the .406 seasonal batting average of Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams. Each subsequent baseball season thousands of baseball players have attempted to tie or break these batting benchmarks and every year they have failed.
    The year of 1947 was politically and historically significant because of the start of the "cold war", the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Taft-Hartley Act, and the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The impact and legacy of these events and policies would have an enormous effect on the remainder of the twentieth century and beyond.
    The major league baseball momentous events were the integration of the majors by Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians. The face of baseball and other professional sports were changed forever by these actions as well as the racial and social implications that would change the face of America.
    The explosive year of 1968 was historically and politically significant because of such incidents as the "Tet Offensive" and the hotly contested presedential campaign that included the Chicago riot-torn convention of the Democractic Party. These events coupled with the assassinations of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the ultimate election of Richard M. Nixon marked the end of optimism in America that would prevail throughout the remainder of the century.
    The momentous major league baseball achievements of 1968 included stellar pitching performances by two pitchers each pitching in a separate league. Detroit Tiger pitcher Denny McLain won 31 games that year and has the distinction of being the last major league pitcher to win at least 30 games in one season. Arguably, a greater accomplishment was performed that year by St. Louis Cardinal pitcher Bob Gibson. The Hall-of-Fame hurler ended the season with a microscopic earned run average (ERA) of 1.12 while pitching over 300 innings. These seasonal performances are the pitching standards that have never been seriously challenged since.
    The fact that these unrelated political and baseball events occurred during these three years and have had such an enormous impact on the twentieth century compared to any of the other 97 years cannot be denied. The impact and legacy of these events that occurred in 1941, 1947, and 1968 continue to affect America to this day.

About the Author

Born in 1941, Fred Pulis is a retired United States Navy man who received his Master's Degree from Central Michigan University. The former sports editor, writer, and managing editor of a major San Diego newspaper has had articles published in various other publications. Pulis currently lives in Virginia.