Explore 1392 historical events from 1940–1949.
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)
Boris Kidrič was a Slovene and Yugoslav politician and revolutionary who was one of the chief organizers of the Slovene Partisans, the Slovene resistance against occupation by Nazi…
Boris Kidrič and Edvard Kardelj founded the Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation, the main anti-fascist Slovene civil-
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: Presaging a campaign of genocide against the Serbs of Croatia, around 190 people were massacred by members
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film directed by, produced by, and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's first feature film…
Citizen Kane, a widely acclaimed film by actor and director Orson Welles, premiered
Lester Townes "Bob" Hope was a British-born American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network ra…
American entertainer Bob Hope performed his first show with the United Service Organizations, beginning a 50-year involv
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 Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess (pictured) parachuted into Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with
Konrad Ernst Otto Zuse was a German civil engineer, pioneering computer scientist, inventor and businessman. His greatest achievement was the world's first programmable computer; t…
German engineer Konrad Zuse presented the Z3, the first working programmable and fully automatic computer, to an audienc
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 began the Battle of Heraklion on the island of Crete, capturing the airfield and port
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…
Second World War: The German battleship Bismarck sank the British battlecruiser Hood at the Battle of the Denmark Strait
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 German battleship Bismarck was sunk by gun and torpedo fire by the British battleships HMS Rodney and
During World War II, Dublin was first bombed early on the morning of 2 January 1941, when German bombs were dropped on the Terenure area. This was followed early on the following m…
German forces dropped four bombs on neutral Ireland, killing 28 people and damaging the residence of the President of Ir
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 …
The United Kingdom completed its re-occupation of Iraq, returning Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II
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 forces dropped four bombs on neutral Ireland, killing 28 people and damaging Áras an Uachtaráin, th
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: In reprisal for the participation of the local population in the Battle of Crete, the German Wehrmacht des
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Benoît Bouchard is a Canadian public official and former politician.
Benoît Bouchard, Canadian academic and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Transport
David Anthony Jerome Holford was a West Indian cricketer who played in 24 Test matches between 1966 and 1977.
David Holford, Barbadian cricketer (died 2022)