The 1940s

1941 85 years ago

World War II: German paratroopers start a series of mass executions of Greek civilians in Missiria for their participati

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 paratroopers start a series of mass executions of Greek civilians in Missiria for their participati

1941 85 years ago

World War II: Battle of the Atlantic: In the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the German battleship Bismarck sinks the prid

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: Battle of the Atlantic: In the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the German battleship Bismarck sinks the prid

1941 85 years ago

World War II: U

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving US president and the…

World War II: U

1941 85 years ago

World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic, killing almost 2,100 men

Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss…

World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic, killing almost 2,100 men

1941 85 years ago

World War II: Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas climb the Athenian Acropolis and tear down the German flag

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: Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas climb the Athenian Acropolis and tear down the German flag

1941 85 years ago

Lucien Aimar, French cyclist

Lucien Aimar is a French cyclist, who won the Tour de France in 1966 and the national road championship in 1968. He is now a race organizer.

Lucien Aimar, French cyclist

1941 85 years ago

John Madejski, English businessman and academic

Sir John Robert Madejski is an English businessman, with commercial interests spanning property, broadcast media, hotels, restaurants, publishing and football.

John Madejski, English businessman and academic

1941 85 years ago

Karl Barry Sharpless, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Karl Barry Sharpless is an American stereochemist. He is a two-time Nobel laureate in chemistry, known for his work on stereoselective reactions and click chemistry.

Karl Barry Sharpless, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1941 85 years ago

Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet and author (died 2013)

Irina (Iraida) Volodymyrivna Zhylenko, a Ukrainian poet, was the a wife of Volodymyr Drozd. She was born in Kyiv and died in August 2013 at the age of 72.

Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet and author (died 2013)

1941 85 years ago

Hanne Darboven, German painter (died 2009)

Hanne Darboven was a German conceptual artist, best known for her large-scale minimalist installations consisting of handwritten tables of numbers.

Hanne Darboven, German painter (died 2009)

1941 85 years ago

Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns 'Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for

The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq, then ruled by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani who had seized power in …

Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns 'Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for

1941 85 years ago

World War II: The Battle of Crete ends as Crete capitulates to Germany

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 Crete ends as Crete capitulates to Germany

1941 85 years ago

The Farhud, a massive pogrom in Iraq, starts and as a result, many Iraqi Jews are forced to leave their homes

The Farhud was a pogrom carried out against the Jewish population of Baghdad, Iraq, on 1–2 June 1941, immediately following the British victory in the Anglo-Iraqi War. The riots oc…

The Farhud, a massive pogrom in Iraq, starts and as a result, many Iraqi Jews are forced to leave their homes

1941 85 years ago

World War II: German paratroopers murder Greek civilians in the villages of Kondomari and Alikianos

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 paratroopers murder Greek civilians in the villages of Kondomari and Alikianos

1941 85 years ago

World War II: The Wehrmacht razes the Greek village of Kandanos to the ground and murders 180 of its inhabitants

The Wehrmacht were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe. The designation "Wehrmach…

World War II: The Wehrmacht razes the Greek village of Kandanos to the ground and murders 180 of its inhabitants

1941 85 years ago

Stavros Dimas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs

Stavros Dimas is a Greek politician who was European Commissioner for the Environment from 2004 to 2009. From November 2011 to May 2012, he served in the government of Greece as Mi…

Stavros Dimas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs

1941 85 years ago

Clay Carroll, American baseball player

Clay Palmer Carroll is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1964 through 1978, most notably as a membe…

Clay Carroll, American baseball player

1941 85 years ago

Nona Gaprindashvili, Georgian chess player, Women's World Champion, 1962-1978

Nona Gaprindashvili is a Georgian chess Grandmaster. Noted for her aggressive style of play, she was the women's world chess champion from 1962 to 1978, and in 1978 was the first w…

Nona Gaprindashvili, Georgian chess player, Women's World Champion, 1962-1978

1941 85 years ago

David Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma (died 2025)

David Lyle Boren was an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms…

David Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma (died 2025)

1941 85 years ago

Paavo Lipponen, Finnish journalist and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Finland

Paavo Tapio Lipponen is a Finnish politician and former reporter. He was prime minister of Finland from 1995 to 2003, and chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland from 19…

Paavo Lipponen, Finnish journalist and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Finland

1941 85 years ago

Richard Holbrooke, American journalist, banker, and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (died

Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke was an American diplomat and author. He was the only person to have held the position of Assistant Secretary of State for two different regions of …

Richard Holbrooke, American journalist, banker, and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (died

1941 85 years ago

Fethullah Gülen, Turkish preacher and theologian (died 2024)

Muhammed Fethullah Gülen was a Turkish Muslim scholar, preacher, and leader of the Gülen movement, which as of 2010 had 8-10 million of followers globally and had established a net…

Fethullah Gülen, Turkish preacher and theologian (died 2024)

1941 85 years ago

Ann-Margret, Swedish-American actress, singer, and dancer

Ann-Margret Olsson, credited as Ann-Margret, is an American actress, dancer, and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include Pocketful of Miracles (1…

Ann-Margret, Swedish-American actress, singer, and dancer

1941 85 years ago

George Will, American journalist and author

George Frederick Will is an American libertarian conservative writer and political commentator. He writes columns for The Washington Post on a regular basis and provides commentary…

George Will, American journalist and author