Explore 5072 historical events from 1940–1949.
Pietro Mascagni was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-…
Pietro Mascagni, Italian composer and educator (born 1863)
Richard Ira "Dick" Bong was a United States Army Air Forces officer and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II. He was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots and the c…
Richard Bong, American soldier and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1920)
Hiram Warren Johnson was an American attorney and politician who served as the 23rd governor of California from 1911 to 1917 and represented California in the U.S. Senate for five …
Hiram Johnson, American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of California (born 1866)
Robert Hampton "Hammy" Gray, was a Canadian naval officer, pilot, and recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War II. He and Eugene Esmonde are the only personnel of the Royal…
Robert Hampton Gray, Canadian lieutenant and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1917)
Harry Livingston Hillman Jr. was one of the longest serving Dartmouth Track and Field Coaches from 1910–45, and an American track and field athlete who won three gold medals at the…
Harry Hillman, American runner and coach (born 1881)
Robert Hutchings Goddard was an American physicist, inventor, and engineer credited with creating and building the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, which was successfully launch…
Robert H. Goddard, American physicist and engineer (born 1882)
Stefan Jaracz was a Polish actor and theater producer. He served as the artistic director of Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw during the interwar period (1930–32), and within a short peri…
Stefan Jaracz, Polish actor and theater producer (born 1883)
Korechika Anami was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II who was War Minister during the surrender of Japan.
Korechika Anami, Japanese general and politician, 54th Japanese Minister of the Army (born 1887)
Sub-Lieutenant Frederick (Fred) Hockley RNVR (1923–1945) was an English Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot who was shot down over Japan while taking part in the last combat mis…
Fred Hockley, English lieutenant and pilot (born 1923)
Takijirō Ōnishi was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II who came to be known as the father of the kamikaze.
Takijirō Ōnishi, Japanese admiral (born 1891)
Reidar Haaland was a police officer and Waffen-SS member.
Reidar Haaland, Norwegian police officer and soldier (born 1919)
Subhas Chandra Bose was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among many Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Ger…
Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian activist and politician (born 1897)
Tomás Burgos Sotomayor was a Chilean philanthropist, one of the strongest supporters of the "mutualist movement" and the founder of "Villa Lo Burgos", the present city of Purranque…
Tomás Burgos, Chilean philanthropist (born 1875)
John Morrison Birch was a United States Army Air Forces military intelligence captain, OSS field agent in China during World War II, as well as former Baptist minister and missiona…
John Birch, American soldier and missionary (born 1918)
Franz Viktor Werfel was a Czech novelist, playwright, and poet whose career spanned World War I, the Interwar period, and World War II. He is primarily known as the author of The F…
Franz Werfel, Austrian author and playwright (born 1890)
Hubert Pál Álgyay was a Hungarian engineer and lecturer.
Hubert Pál Álgyay, Hungarian engineer, designed the Petőfi Bridge (born 1894)
Alfréd Schaffer was a Hungarian international footballer. He is recorded as having played for a record number of clubs: 21 in a 15-year career which lasted from 1910 to 1925.
Alfréd Schaffer, Hungarian footballer, coach, and manager (born 1893)
Stefan Banach was a Polish mathematician who is generally considered one of the 20th century's most important and influential mathematicians. He was one of the founders of modern f…
Stefan Banach, Polish mathematician (born 1892)
Mason Elliott Phelps was an American golfer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.
Mason Phelps, American golfer (born 1885)
John Sidney "Slew" McCain Sr. was a United States Navy admiral and the patriarch of the McCain military family. McCain held several commands during the Pacific War of World War II …
John S. McCain Sr., American admiral (born 1884)
Max Ehrmann was an American writer, poet, and attorney from Terre Haute, Indiana, widely known for his 1927 prose poem "Desiderata". He often wrote on spiritual themes.
Max Ehrmann, American poet and lawyer (born 1872)
Clement Hill was an Australian cricketer who played 49 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1896 and 1912. He captained the Australian team in ten Tests, winning five and l…
Clem Hill, Australian cricketer and footballer (born 1877)
Hajime Sugiyama was a Japanese field marshal and one of Japan's military leaders for most of the Second World War.
Hajime Sugiyama, Japanese field marshal and politician, 44th Japanese Minister of War (born 1880)
André Pierre Gabriel Amédée Tardieu was three times Prime Minister of France and a dominant figure of French political life in 1929–1932. He was a moderate conservative with a stro…
André Tardieu, French journalist and politician, 97th Prime Minister of France (born 1876)