Explore 6096 historical events from 1940–1949.
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many eng…
World War II: Allied forces commence the Second Battle of El Alamein, which proves to be the key turning point in the…
American Airlines Flight 28 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by a Douglas DC-3 that crashed on October 23, 1942, in Chino Canyon near Palm Springs, California, Un…
All 12 passengers and crewmen aboard American Airlines Flight 28 are killed when it collides with a U.S. Army Air…
Bert Sakmann is a German cell physiologist. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Erwin Neher in 1991 for their work on "the function of single ion channels in c…
Bert Sakmann, German physiologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
Yiannis Boutaris was a Greek winemaker and politician who served as Mayor of Thessaloniki from 2011 to 2019. From 2003 tο 2011 he served as a municipal councilor of Thessaloniki, a…
Yiannis Boutaris, Greek businessman and politician, Mayor of Thessaloniki
Andrew Kennedy Irvine is an Irish folk musician, singer-songwriter, and a founding member of Sweeney's Men, Planxty, Patrick Street, Mozaik, LAPD and Usher's Island. He also featur…
Andy Irvine, Irish folk musician
The Battle for Henderson Field, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal or Battle of Lunga Point by the Japanese, took place from 23 to 26 October 1942 on and around Guadalcanal in…
World War II: The Battle for Henderson Field begins on Guadalcanal.
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many eng…
World War II: In the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the Guadalcanal Campaign, one U.S. aircraft carrier is…
The Alaska Highway is a highway in North America which was constructed during World War II to connect the contiguous United States with Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junc…
The Alaska Highway first connects Alaska to the North American railway network at Dawson Creek in Canada.
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many eng…
World War II: Lt. Tony Fasson and Able Seaman Colin Grazier drown while taking code books from the sinking German…
Robert Thomas Christgau is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest profess…
Robert Christgau, American journalist and critic
Jonathan Mark Hamilton Priaulx Raban was a British award-winning travel writer, playwright, critic and novelist.
Jonathan Raban, English author and academic (died 2023)
Roberto García-Calvo Montiel was a Spanish judge. Since 2001, he was a member of the Constitutional Court of Spain, sponsored by the conservative People's Party. In the last year o…
Roberto García-Calvo Montiel, Spanish judge (died 2008)
Ian Greenberg was a Canadian businessman and media pioneer. He was the co-founder of Astral Media Inc. and served as its president and chief executive officer from 1996 until 2013.
Ian Greenberg, Canadian broadcaster, founded Astral Media (died 2022)
John Edward McLaughlin is a retired American intelligence official who was Deputy Director of Central Intelligence and briefly acting Director of Central Intelligence.
John E
Alan Price is an English musician who first found prominence as the original keyboardist of the English rock band the Animals. He left the band in 1965 to form the Alan Price Set; …
Alan Price, English keyboard player, singer, and composer
Giorgio Agamben is an Italian philosopher whose work spans political theory, ontology, aesthetics, and literature. He is best known for developing the concepts of the state of exce…
Giorgio Agamben, Italian philosopher and academic
Věra Čáslavská was a Czechoslovak artistic gymnast and Czech sports official. She won a total of 22 international titles between 1959 and 1968 including seven Olympic gold medals, …
Věra Čáslavská, Czech gymnast and coach (died 2016)
Tammy Wynette was an American country music singer and songwriter, considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Lynn, Wynette helped bri…
Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1998)
John David Ashcroft is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the 79th United States attorney general under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. A…
John Ashcroft, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General
David Richmond Gergen was an American political commentator and longtime presidential adviser who served during the administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, an…
David Gergen, American political consultant (died 2025)
Peter George Norman was an Australian track athlete. He won the silver medal in the 200 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, with a time of 20.06 seconds, which remai…
Peter Norman, Australian sprinter (died 2006)
Edward Willis Levert is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist of the O'Jays. He is the father of sons Edward Jr (1964-), Gerald (1966–2006) and Sean Levert (1968–2008)…
Eddie Levert, American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
Mohamed Mostafa ElBaradei is an Egyptian lawyer and diplomat who served as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1997 to 2009, then as vice preside…
Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian politician, Vice President of Egypt, Nobel Prize laureate
Doğu Perinçek is a Turkish politician, doctor of law and former communist revolutionary who has been chairman of the left-wing nationalist Patriotic Party since 2015. He was also a…
Doğu Perinçek, Turkish lawyer and politician