1946

The first general election ever in Vietnam is held.

The National Intelligence Authority, and its operational arm, the Central Intelligence Group, are established in the United States; these become part of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1947.

In a speech at Westminster College, in Fulton, Missouri, Winston Churchill talks about the Iron Curtain.

A British Fleet Air Arm Vickers Wellington crashes into a residential area in Rabat, Malta during a training exercise, killing all 4 crew members and 16 civilians on the ground.

Jawaharlal Nehru is elected leader of the Congress Party in India.

In Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) accedes to the throne after the death of his elder brother, King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII). He will reign until his death on October 13, 2016.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within the Department of the Interior is formed by the merger of the Grazing Service and United States General Land Office.

The Vergarola explosion of ordnance in Croatia kills 70.

Mensa, an international organization for people with a high intelligence quotient (IQ), is founded by Roland Berrill, an Australian-born lawyer, and Lancelot Ware, an English biochemist and lawyer, in Oxford.

At least 1,400 people are killed when the 6.8–7.0 Mw Ancash earthquake affects the Quiches District of Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme).

John Peters Humphrey, main author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, becomes Director of the United Nations Division of Human Rights.

1946 Nankai earthquake: At least 1,362 people are killed in an earthquake and associated tsunami in Japan.