The 1940s

1941 85 years ago

SS Patrick Henry, the first of 2,710 Liberty ships built during World War II by the United States, was launched.

SS Patrick Henry was the first Liberty ship launched. It was built by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation at their Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland. She was n…

SS Patrick Henry, the first of 2,710 Liberty ships built during World War II by the United States, was launched.

1941 85 years ago

The Holocaust: Nazi forces, aided by Ukrainian collaborators, began a massacre of Jews in a ravine in Kyiv, killing…

The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered ar…

The Holocaust: Nazi forces, aided by Ukrainian collaborators, began a massacre of Jews in a ravine in Kyiv, killing…

1941 85 years ago

Willie Gillis, one of Norman Rockwell's trademark characters, debuted on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.

Willie Gillis, Jr. is a fictional character created by Norman Rockwell for a series of World War II paintings that appeared on the covers of 11 issues of The Saturday Evening Post …

Willie Gillis, one of Norman Rockwell's trademark characters, debuted on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.

1941 85 years ago

World War II: German soldiers massacred nearly 2,800 Serbs in Kragujevac in reprisal for insurgent attacks in the…

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: German soldiers massacred nearly 2,800 Serbs in Kragujevac in reprisal for insurgent attacks in the…

1940

The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people

The Rhythm Club fire was a fire in a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi on the night of April 23, 1940, which killed 209 people and severely injured many others. Hundreds of people…

The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people

1940

World War II: Norwegian campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after

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. Tanks and air…

World War II: Norwegian campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after

1940

John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath

John Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer and novelist. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic hu…

John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath

1940

World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister N

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. Tanks and air…

World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister N

1940

World War II: German fighters accidentally bomb the German city of Freiburg

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. Tanks and air…

World War II: German fighters accidentally bomb the German city of Freiburg

1940

Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald's restaurant

Richard James McDonald and Maurice James "Mac" McDonald, known as the McDonald brothers, were American entrepreneurs who founded the fast food company McDonald's.

Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald's restaurant

1940

World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway

The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, …

World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway

1940

Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland", an idea that had first been considered by 19th

Franz Rademacher was a German lawyer and diplomat. As an official in the Nazi government of the Third Reich during World War II, he was known for initiating action on the Madagasca…

Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland", an idea that had first been considered by 19th

1940

King Haakon VII, Crown Prince Olav and the Norwegian government leave Tromsø and go into exile in London

Haakon VII was King of Norway from 1905 until his death in 1957, having reigned for nearly 52 years.

King Haakon VII, Crown Prince Olav and the Norwegian government leave Tromsø and go into exile in London

1940

World War II: Winston Churchill is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the resignation of Neville C

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Second World …

World War II: Winston Churchill is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the resignation of Neville C

1940

World War II: Germany's conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the Meuse

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. Tanks and air…

World War II: Germany's conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the Meuse

1940

World War II: Rotterdam, Netherlands is bombed by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany despite a ceasefire, killing about 900 p

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. Tanks and air…

World War II: Rotterdam, Netherlands is bombed by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany despite a ceasefire, killing about 900 p

1940

USS Sailfish is recommissioned

USS Sailfish (SS-192) was a Sargo-class submarine of the United States Navy, originally named Squalus. As Squalus, the submarine sank off the coast of New Hampshire during test div…

USS Sailfish is recommissioned

1940

World War II: The Battle of the Netherlands: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrend

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. Tanks and air…

World War II: The Battle of the Netherlands: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrend

1940

World War II: The British Army's 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya from Italian forces

The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second W…

World War II: The British Army's 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya from Italian forces

1940

The "Finest Hour" speech is delivered by Winston Churchill

"This was their finest hour" was a speech delivered by Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on 18 June 1940, just over a month after he took over as Pr…

The "Finest Hour" speech is delivered by Winston Churchill

1940

Story Bridge, a major landmark in Brisbane, as well as Australia's longest cantilever bridge is formally opened.

The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River built to carry vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the sout…

Story Bridge, a major landmark in Brisbane, as well as Australia's longest cantilever bridge is formally opened.

1940

World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium

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. Tanks and air…

World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium

1940

The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz

The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered ar…

The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz

1940

Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight

Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian-American aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. His first success came with the Sikorsky S-2, the second aircraft of hi…

Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight