Explore 3061 historical events from 1940–1949.
Otto Ernst Lindemann was a German Kapitän zur See. He was the only commander of the battleship Bismarck during its eight months of service in World War II.
Ernst Lindemann, German captain (born 1894)
Johann Günther Lütjens was a German admiral whose military service spanned more than 30 years and two world wars. Lütjens is best known for his actions during World War II and his …
Günther Lütjens, German admiral (born 1889)
Léo-Pol Morin was a Canadian pianist, music critic, composer, and music educator. He composed under the name James Callihou, with his most well known works being Suite canadienne (…
Léo-Pol Morin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (born 1892)
Prajadhipok, also known as Rama VII was the seventh monarch of the Chakri dynasty and the last king of Siam under the absolute monarchy. He ascended the throne in 1925 and reigned …
Prajadhipok, Thai king (born 1893)
Hans Berger was a German psychiatrist. He is best known as the inventor of electroencephalography (EEG) in 1924, which is a method used for recording the electrical activity of the…
Hans Berger, German neurologist and academic (born 1873)
Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, CBE was an English novelist. He was the son of an Anglican clergyman, intended for a career in the church but drawn instead to writing. Among those who en…
Hugh Walpole, New Zealand-English author (born 1884)
Henry Louis Gehrig was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Gehrig was renowned for his pr…
Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (born 1903)
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor from 1888 until his abdication in 1918. His fall from power marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty's 400-yea…
Wilhelm II, German Emperor (born 1859)
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American racing driver, mechanic, and entrepreneur who co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911.
Louis Chevrolet, American race car driver and businessman, founded Chevrolet and Frontenac Motor Corporation (born 1878)
Daniel Carter "Uncle Dan" Beard was an American illustrator, author, youth leader, Georgist and social reformer who founded the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905, which Beard later merg…
Daniel Carter Beard, American author and illustrator, founded the Boy Scouts of America (born 1850)
Otfrid Foerster was a German neurologist and neurosurgeon, who made innovative contributions to neurology and neurosurgery, such as rhizotomy for the treatment of spasticity, anter…
Otfrid Foerster, German neurologist and physician (born 1873)
Evelyn Underhill was an English Anglo-Catholic writer and pacifist known for her numerous works on religion and spiritual practice, in particular Christian mysticism. Her best-know…
Evelyn Underhill, English mystic and author (born 1875)
Johan Wagenaar was a Dutch composer and organist.
Johan Wagenaar, Dutch organist and composer (born 1862)
Georgije Bogić was a Serbian Orthodox protopresbyter and the parish priest of the Orthodox church in Našice; who was martyred by the Ustaše during the Second World War, for which h…
Đorđe Bogić, protopresbyter of the Serbian Orthodox Church, victim of Genocide of Serbs (born 1911)
Otto Hirsch was a German Jewish jurist and politician during the Weimar Republic. He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Mauthausen concentration camp.
Otto Hirsch, German jurist and politician (born 1885)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a Polish pianist, composer, philanthropist, and statesman. As a politician and diplomat, Paderewski was vital to securing international recognition of the…
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish pianist, composer, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Poland (born 1860)
Yefim Moiseyevich Fomin was a Soviet political commissar. He is known for his part in the 1941 Defense of Brest Fortress, during which the German Army captured and immediately exec…
Yefim Fomin, Belarusian politician (born 1909)
Aleksander Tõnisson VR I/1 was an Estonian military commander during the Estonian War of Independence.
Aleksander Tõnisson, Estonian general and politician, 5th Estonian Minister of War (born 1875)
Friedrich Karl Akel was an Estonian diplomat and politician who served as State Elder of Estonia in 1924.
Friedrich Akel, Estonian physician and politician, Head of State of Estonia (born 1871)
Antoni Marian Łomnicki was a Polish mathematician. He contributed to applied mathematics and cartography. He was the author of several textbooks of mathematics and was an influenti…
Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician and academic (born 1881)
Moses Schorr, Polish: Mojżesz Schorr was a rabbi, Polish historian, politician, Bible scholar, assyriologist and orientalist. Schorr was an expert on the history of the Jews in Pol…
Moses Schorr, Polish rabbi, historian, and politician (born 1874)
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American blues and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole descent. Morton was jazz's…
Jelly Roll Morton, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (born 1890)
Huntley Wright was an English stage and film actor, comedian, dancer and singer, best known for creating roles in many important Edwardian musical comedies.
Huntley Wright, English actor (born 1868)