LIFE Magazine – July 1 1946

The July 1, 1946 issue of LIFE Magazine captures the arrival of summer with a striking Sailing Season cover featuring the yacht Mandoo II under full sail. Inside, LIFE combines postwar America, international affairs, sports, art, science, movies, and natural history in the magazine’s signature photojournalistic style.

This issue includes coverage of the upcoming Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests, the American sports revival with Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn and major-league baseball, and a profile of French statesman Georges Bidault. Other notable features explore Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, the American bald eagle through paintings by Roger Tory Peterson, Hollywood’s The Perils of Pauline, and rehabilitation advances helping amputees walk. LIFE also reports on the battle over postwar price controls and events in China, Britain, Germany, and the United States.

Inside This Issue

• Sailing Season — Classic summer sailing cover featuring the yacht Mandoo II.
• Bikini Atoll Atomic Tests — LIFE looks ahead to the historic postwar nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific.
• Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn — Part of LIFE’s coverage of America’s booming postwar sports scene.
• Major League Baseball Revival — Including coverage involving the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox.
• Georges Bidault — A close-up profile of the prominent French political leader.
• Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Ceiling — LIFE examines one of the masterpieces of Renaissance art.
• American Bald Eagle — Roger Tory Peterson paintings accompany a natural-history feature on America’s national bird.
• The Perils of Pauline — Hollywood coverage of the 1946 motion picture.
• Postwar Price Controls — Goods pile up as the future of the Office of Price Administration hangs in the balance.
• Amputee Rehabilitation — A science feature examining advances in helping amputees regain a natural gait.

Original LIFE Magazines are authentic issues published between 1936 and 2000.