In the aftermath of World War II, Germany and Japan were subject to US Military occupation. After US occupation Munich was completely rebuilt following a meticulous plan, which preserved its pre-war street grid, bar a few exceptions owing to then modern traffic concepts. In 1957, Munich's population surpassed one million. The city continued to play a highly significant role in the German economy, politics and culture, giving rise to its nickname Heimliche Hauptstadt ("secret capital") in the decades after World War II. In Munich, the Bayerischer Rundfunk began its first television broadcast in 1954.Das Fernsehen kommt – 1953 bis 1969" (in German). BR. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
