The last time Chicago’s famed Wrigley Field hosted a World Series game was on Oct. 10, 1945, when the Chicago Cubs lost to the eventual league-champion Detroit Tigers.
After 71 years, the Cubs will finally play another World Series game at Wrigley Field on Friday night, bringing the championship series back to the second-oldest stadium in Major League Baseball.
A lot has changed since the Cubs enjoyed the roar of the hometown crowd during a championship game. In case you weren’t alive, or have simply forgotten, CTVNews.ca has rounded up some quick facts on what was happening in the world in 1945.
In 1945…
William Lyon Mackenzie King was Canada’s Prime Minister
Canada’s longest serving prime minister was in office from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930 and 1935 to 1948. He was the leader of the Liberal Party from 1919 to 1948. Mackenzie King led Canada for almost 22 years through half of the Depression and all of the Second World War.
The Second World War ends
On Aug. 15, 1945, the Second World War officially ended when Japan surrendered. In Europe, the war ended on May 8, 1945 when the Allies accepted Germany’s surrender and Winston Churchill declared the date VE Day or Victory in Europe Day. Adolf Hitler committed suicide a week earlier, on Aug. 30, 1945.
The United Nations created
In the aftermath of the Second World War, representatives from 50 nations met in San Francisco, Calif. to sign the United Nations Charter on Oct. 24, 1945. The United Nations replaced the League of Nations, which had been created in 1919 with the Treaty of Versailles. Canada is one of the organization’s founding members.
Franklin D. Roosevelt sworn in for fourth term
Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in for an unprecedented fourth term in office. He served as president of the United States from 1933, until his death on April 12, 1945. Roosevelt remains the only president to have ever been elected four times. He led the U.S. through the Depression and the Second World War and expanded the federal government’s powers through a series of programs known as the “New Deal.”
Maurice “Rocket” Richard set a goal-scoring record
The Montreal Canadiens’ hockey legend broke the record for the most goals scored in single hockey season on Feb. 25, 1945, during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. That same season, Richard also became the first player to score 50 goals in 50 games when he scored in the final game of the season against the Boston Bruins on Mar. 18, 1945.
'Cheerioats' cereal was renamed 'Cheerios'
The popular breakfast cereal was originally called “Cheerioats” when it was created by General Mills in 1941. The company changed the name to “Cheerios” in 1945 after Quaker Oats claimed the “oats” part of the name was a trademark infringement.
