1939 Missouri License Plate on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
This year also marks the start of the
This year also marks the start of the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Below, the events ofWorld War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
** Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
*** Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
are forbidden to work with Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
.
*** The Youth Protection Act was passed on April 30, 1938 and the Working Hours Regulations came into effect.
*** The Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
name change decree has gone into effect.
** The rest of the world
*** In Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, it becomes a duty of all young women under 25 to complete compulsory work service for one year.
*** First edition of the Vienna New Year's Concert
The Vienna New Year's Concert () is an annual concert of classical music performed by the Vienna Philharmonic on the morning of New Year's Day in Vienna, Austria. The concert occurs at the Musikverein at 11:15. The orchestra performs the same c ...
.
*** The company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
of technology
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...
and manufacturing scientific instruments
A scientific instrument is a device or tool used for scientific purposes, including the study of both natural phenomena and theoretical research.
History
Historically, the definition of a scientific instrument has varied, based on usage, laws, an ...
Hewlett-Packard
The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components ...
, was founded in a garage in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto (; Spanish language, Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree kno ...
, by William (Bill) Hewlett and David Packard
David Packard ( ; September 7, 1912 – March 26, 1996) was an American electrical engineer and co-founder, with Bill Hewlett, of Hewlett-Packard (1939), serving as president (1947–64), CEO (1964–68), and chairman of the board (1964–6 ...
. This garage is now considered the birthplace of Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...
.
*** Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, in Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, records temperature of 45 ˚C, the highest record for the city.
*** Philipp Etter
Philipp Etter (21 December 1891, in Menzingen – 23 December 1977) was a Swiss politician. He was the son of Joseph Anton, cooper master, and the Jakobea Stocker.
During his office time he held the Department of Home Affairs and was President of ...
took over as Swiss Federal President
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
*Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internationa ...
.
*** Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
became the US champion in college football.
*** The Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
-winning nuclear physicist
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter.
Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
, along with his family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
, left Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
to move to exile
Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
*** In Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, the densely populated settlement of Vähäheikkilä
Vähäheikkilä ( Finnish; ''Lillheikkilä'' in Swedish) is a district of the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located to the south of the city centre, between Martti and Puistomäki. Despite the district's name it has nothing to do with Iso-Hei ...
was abolished and transferred from the municipality of Kaarina
Kaarina (; sv, S:t Karins, i.e. " Saint Catherine's") is a small town and municipality of Finland.
It is located in the Southwest Finland region and is a neighbouring town of Turku, which is the capital of Southwest Finland, therefore Kaarina ...
to the city of Turku
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...
.
*** The National Pension Act has entered into force in Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
.
*** Launch of the Third Soviet Five Year Plan.
*** In the proposal of the Congregation of the Mosaic, the Swedish government
The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden ( sv, Konungariket Sveriges regering) is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority.
The Government consists of the Prime Ministerappointed and dismissed by the Speaker of the R ...
approves the acceptance of about 1,000 Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
from Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
as refugees in transit. The parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
is responsible for them and visa requirements are introduced for all non- Nordic refugees
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
in country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
.
* January 5
Events Pre-1600
*1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
*1675 – Battle of Turckh ...
– Pioneering US aviator Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...
is officially declared dead, eighteen months after her disappearance.
*January 6
Events Pre-1600
*1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eve ...
– ''Naturwissenschaften
''The Science of Nature'', formerly ''Naturwissenschaften'', is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media covering all aspects of the natural sciences relating to questions of biological significance. I ...
'' publishes Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn (; 8 March 1879 – 28 July 1968) was a German chemist who was a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is referred to as the father of nuclear chemistry and father of nuclear fission. Hahn and Lise Meitner ...
's discoveries in the field of nuclear fission
Nuclear fission is a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei. The fission process often produces gamma photons, and releases a very large amount of energy even by the energetic standards of radio ...
.
* January 14
Events Pre-1600
*1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence.
*1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary.
1601–1900
*1639 – The "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Fundamenta ...
– Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.
* January 23 – "Dutch War Scare": Admiral Wilhelm Canaris of the ''Abwehr
The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...
'' leaks misinformation to the effect that Germany plans to invade the Netherlands in February, with the aim of using Dutch air-fields to launch a strategic bombing offensive against Britain. The "Dutch War Scare" leads to a major change in British policies towards Europe.
* January 24 – 1939 Chillán earthquake
The 1939 Chillán earthquake occurred in south-central Chile on 24 January with a surface wave magnitude of 8.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). With a death toll of around 28,000, compared to the 2,231–6,000 (official estima ...
: An earthquake in Chile kills an estimated 30,000 people and razes about of land.
* January 25
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate.
* 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty ...
– Refik Saydam
İbrahim Refik Saydam (8 September 1881 – 8 July 1942) was a Turkish physician, politician and the fourth Prime Minister of Turkey, serving from 25 January 1939 until his death on 8 July 1942.
* February 2 – Hungary joins the Anti-Comintern Pact.
* February 6
** British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain states in the House of Commons that any German attack on France will be automatically considered an attack on Britain.
** In a response to Georges Bonnet's speech of January 26, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, referring to Bonnet's alleged statement of December 6, 1938, accepting Eastern Europe as being in Germany's exclusive sphere of influence, protests that all French security commitments in that region are "now off limits".
* February 15 – John Ford's Western film ''Stagecoach (1939 film), Stagecoach'' starring John Wayne premieres in New York City and Los Angeles.
* February 18 – The Golden Gate International Exposition opens in San Francisco.
* February 27 – The United Kingdom and France recognize Francisco Franco, Franco's government.
February
* February 2 – Hungary joins the Anti-Comintern Pact.
* February 6
** British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain states in the House of Commons that any German attack on France will be automatically considered an attack on Britain.
** In a response to Georges Bonnet's speech of January 26, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, referring to Bonnet's alleged statement of December 6, 1938, accepting Eastern Europe as being in Germany's exclusive sphere of influence, protests that all French security commitments in that region are "now off limits".
* February 15 – John Ford's Western film ''Stagecoach (1939 film), Stagecoach'' starring John Wayne premieres in New York City and Los Angeles.
* February 18 – The Golden Gate International Exposition opens in San Francisco.
* February 27 – The United Kingdom and France recognize Francisco Franco, Franco's government.
March
* March – The 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine ends. * March 1 – An Imperial Japanese Army ammunition dump explosion on the outskirts of Osaka kills 94. * March 2 – Pope Pius XII (Cardinal Pacelli) succeeds Pope Pius XI to become the 260th pope. * March 3 – In Durban, South Africa the Timeless Test begins between England and South Africa, the longest game of cricket ever played. It is abandoned 12 days later, when the English team has to catch their ship home. * March 13 –Adolf Hitler advises Jozef Tiso to declare Slovakia's independence, in order to prevent its partition by Hungary and Poland. * March 14 – The Slovak Republic (1939–1945), Slovak provincial assembly proclaims independence; priest Jozef Tiso becomes president of the independent Slovak government. * March 15 – German troops occupy the remaining part of Bohemia and Moravia; Czechoslovakia ceases to exist. The Ruthenian region of Czechoslovakia declares independence as Carpatho-Ukraine. * March 16 ** Princess Fawzia Fuad of Egypt marries Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran. ** Hungary invades Carpatho-Ukraine; final resistance ends on March 18. * March 17 ** British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gives a speech in Birmingham, stating that Britain will oppose any effort at world domination on the part of Germany. ** The nationalist governments of Spain and Portugal sign the Iberian Pact in Lisbon, pledging mutual defence of the Iberian Peninsula and Country neutrality (international relations), neutrality in the event of a general European war. * March 20 ** 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania, requiring return of the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) to Germany. ** At an emergency meeting in London to deal with the Romanian crisis, French Foreign Minister Georges Bonnet suggests to E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, Lord Halifax that the ideal state for saving Romania from a German attack is Poland. * March 21 – Aleister Crowley's ''Eight Lectures on Yoga'' is published by the Ordo Templi Orientis in London. * March 22 ** Following the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania, March 20 ultimatum, Nazi Germany is granted the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory, ''Memelland'') by Lithuania; on the following day German forces occupy the territory. ** In the U.S., undefeated LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds men's basketball team tops undefeated Loyola Ramblers, Loyola of Chicago in the championship game of the second annual 1939 National Invitation Tournament, National Invitation Tournament, 44–32. LIU's 24–0 final record is the first perfect season of college basketball's postseason tournament era. * March 23 – The Slovak–Hungarian War begins. * March 26 – Final offensive of the Spanish Civil War launched by the Nationalists. * March 27 – The University of Oregon defeats Ohio State University 46–33 in Evanston, Illinois, to win the championship of the first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, NCAA men's basketball tournament. * March 28 ** General officer, General Francisco Franco assumes power in Madrid, remaining in power until his death in 1975. ** American adventurer Richard Halliburton delivers a last message from a Chinese junk, before he disappears on a voyage across the Pacific Ocean. In 1945, some wreckage identified as a rudder, and believed to belong to the junk, washes ashore in San Diego, California. * March 31 – Neville Chamberlain gives a speech in the House of Commons, offering the British "guarantee" of the independence of Poland.April
* April 1 – The Spanish Civil War comes to an end when the last of the Republican forces surrender. * April 3 ** Adolf Hitler orders the German military to start planning for Fall Weiss (1939), Fall Weiß, the codename for the invasion of Poland. **Refik Saydam
İbrahim Refik Saydam (8 September 1881 – 8 July 1942) was a Turkish physician, politician and the fourth Prime Minister of Turkey, serving from 25 January 1939 until his death on 8 July 1942.
* June 3 – The Soviet government offers its definition of what constitutes "aggression", upon which the projected Anglo-Soviet-French alliance will come into effect. French Foreign Minister Georges Bonnet accepts the Soviet definition of aggression at once. The British reject the Soviet definition, especially the concept of "indirect aggression", which they feel is too loose a definition, and phrased in such a manner as to imply the Soviet right of inference in the internal affairs of Eastern European nations.
* June 4 – The MS St. Louis, ''St. Louis'', a ship carrying a cargo of 907 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, after already having been turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, many of its passengers later die in Nazism, Nazi death camps during The Holocaust.
* June 10 – MGM's first successful animated character, Barney Bear, makes his debut in ''The Bear That Couldn't Sleep''. However, it is not until 1942 that his name is adopted.
* June 12 – The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is officially dedicated in Cooperstown, New York.
* June 14 – Tientsin Incident: The Japanese blockade the British concession in Tianjin, China, beginning a crisis which almost causes an Anglo-Japanese war in the summer of 1939.
* June 17 – In the last public guillotine, guillotining in France, murderer Eugen Weidmann is executed.
* June 23 – Talks are completed in Ankara between French Ambassador René Massigli and Turkish Foreign Minister Şükrü Saracoğlu, resolving the Hatay dispute in Turkey's favor. Turkey annexes Hatay State, Hatay.
* June 24 – The government of Siam changes its name to Thailand, which means 'Free Land'.
* June 29 – The Ford N-Series tractor#N Series Models, Ford 9N tractor, with the Harry Ferguson, Ferguson hydraulic three-point hitch, is first demonstrated at Dearborn, Michigan.
* September 1 – Beginning of WWII:
** Opening shots of 
* September 9 – WWII: Troops of the Polish Poznań Army under the command of Tadeusz Kutrzeba, General Kutrzeba open the Battle of the Bzura, the largest and best organized counter-attack mounted by the Polish forces in the Invasion of Poland, campaign of 1939. For the first few days all goes well, and the Germans are forced to retreat; but quick reaction by mechanized units and the Luftwaffe soon take their toll, and the operation bogs down.
* September 10 – WWII: Canada declares war on Nazi Germany, Germany, the only declaration of war by Canada.
* September 13–September 14, 14 – WWII: Zambrów massacre – German Wehrmacht soldiers shoot more than 200 Polish prisoners of war.
* September 15 – WWII: Diverse elements of the German Wehrmacht surround Warsaw, and demand its surrender. The Poles refuse, and the Siege of Warsaw (1939), siege begins in earnest.
* September 16 – A ceasefire ends the Battles of Khalkhin Gol, the undeclared border war between the Soviet Union (and Mongolian allies) and Japan.
* September 17 – WWII:
** The Soviet Union Soviet invasion of Poland, invades Poland, and then Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union, occupies eastern Polish territories.
** Royal Navy aircraft carrier is torpedoed and sunk by in the Western Approaches with the loss of 519 crew (the first British warship loss of the war).
* September 18 – WWII: Orzeł incident, ''Orzeł'' incident: Polish submarine ORP ''Orzeł'' escapes internment from Tallinn Harbour, Estonia, leading both the Soviet Union and
* November – Lebensborn: Policy of Kidnapping of ethnic Polish children by Nazi Germany, kidnapping of children by Nazi Germany initiated in occupied Poland.
* November 1–November 2, 2 – WWII: Physicist Hans Ferdinand Mayer writes the Oslo Report on German weapons systems, and passes it to the British Secret Intelligence Service.
* November 4 – WWII: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders the United States Customs Service to implement the Neutrality Acts of 1930s, Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing cash-and-carry purchases of weapons to non-belligerent nations.
*November 4 – Stewart Menzies is appointed head of the British Secret Intelligence Service.
* November 6
** ''Hedda Hopper's Hollywood'' debuts on radio with gossip columnist Hedda Hopper as host (the show runs until 1951, making Hopper a powerful figure among the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood elite).
** WWII: Sonderaktion Krakau: Germans take action against scientists from the University of Kraków, and other Kraków universities.
* November 8
** WWII: In Munich, an attempt to kill Adolf Hitler is made by Georg Elser, while Hitler is celebrating the 16th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch.
** CBS television station W2XAB resumes test transmission, with an all-electronic system broadcast from the top of the Chrysler Building in New York City.
* November 9 – WWII: Venlo Incident: Two British agents of Secret Intelligence Service, SIS are captured by the Germans.
* November 14 – In Washington, D.C., U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt lays the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial.
* November 16 – Al Capone is released from Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island, Terminal Island, due to deteriorating health caused by syphilis.
* November 17 – WWII: To punish protests against the Nazi occupation of the Czech homeland, the Nazis storm the University of Prague and murder 9 Czech graduate students, send over 1,200 to concentration camps, and close all Czech universities, an event which will be commemorated as International Students' Day.
* November 23 – WWII: British armed merchantman is sunk in the GIUK gap, in an action against the German battleships and .
* November 26 – Shelling of Mainila: The Soviet Union's Red Army shells the Russian village of Mainila, then claims that the fire originated from
*
* March 1 – Tzvetan Todorov, Bulgarian-French historian, philosopher, structuralist literary critic, sociologist and essayist (d. 2017)
* March 2 – Takako Shimazu, Takako, Princess Suga
* March 5
** Samantha Eggar, English actress
** Chögyam Trungpa, Buddhist meditation master (d. 1987)
* March 8 – Lidiya Skoblikova, Russian speed-skater
* March 10 – Lee Soo-sung, 27th Prime Minister of South Korea
* March 13 – Neil Sedaka, American singer-songwriter
* March 14 – Glauber Rocha, Brazilian film director, actor and screenwriter (d. 1981)
* March 17 – Giovanni Trapattoni, Italian footballer and manager
* March 20 – Brian Mulroney, 18th Prime Minister of Canada
* March 25 – D. C. Fontana, American television writer (d. 2019)
* March 29 – Terence Hill, Italian actor
* March 31
** Zviad Gamsakhurdia, President of Georgia (d. 1993)
** Volker Schlöndorff, German film director
** Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, German footballer
* April 1 – Ali MacGraw, American actress
* April 2 – Marvin Gaye, American singer (d. 1984)
* April 4
** Alex George (botanist), Alex George, Australian botanist
** Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and singer (d. 2018)
** Ernie Terrell, African-American professional boxer (d. 2014)
* April 7
** Sir David Frost, English television personality (d. 2013)
** Francis Ford Coppola, American film director
* April 9 – Michael Learned, American actress
* April 10 – Claudio Magris, Italian author
* April 12 – Alan Ayckbourn, English dramatist
* April 13 – Seamus Heaney, Irish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
* April 15 – Jaime Paz Zamora , 60th President of Bolivia
* April 16 – Dusty Springfield, English pop singer (d. 1999)
* April 19 – Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran
* April 20 – Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian politician, 1st female Prime Minister of Norway, Prime Minister
* April 21 – Helen Prejean, American writer
* April 23 – Lee Majors, American actor
* April 27 – João Bernardo Vieira, President of Guinea-Bissau (d. 2009)
* May 1 – Judy Collins, American singer-songwriter
* May 2
** Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist and inventor
** Taomati Iuta, Vice President of Kiribati (1991–94) (d. 2016)
* May 4 – Amos Oz, Israeli author and journalist (d. 2018)
* May 7
** José Antonio Abreu, Venezuelan orchestral conductor, music educator (d. 2018)
** Sidney Altman, Canadian-born chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2022)
** Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1982–94) (d. 2018)
* May 9 – Ralph Boston, American athlete
* May 13 – Harvey Keitel, American actor
* May 15 – Barbara Hammer, American filmmaker (d. 2019)
* May 18 – Peter Grünberg, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
* May 19
** Livio Berruti, Italian sprinter
** James Fox, English actor
** Nancy Kwan, American actress
** Dick Scobee, American astronaut (d. 1986)
* May 20 – Roman Kartsev, Russian actor (d. 2018)
* May 21 – Heinz Holliger, Swiss oboist, composer
* May 22 – Paul Winfield, African-American actor (d. 2004)
* May 25
** Dixie Carter, American actress (d. 2010)
** Sir Ian McKellen, English actor
* May 27 – Don Williams, American musician (d. 2017)
* May 29 – Maeve Binchy, Irish author (d. 2012)
* May 30 – Michael J. Pollard, American actor (d. 2019)
* June 1 – Cleavon Little, African-American actor (d. 1992)
* June 4 – Ottavio Cogliati, Italian cyclist (d. 2008)
* June 5
** Joe Clark, 16th Prime Minister of Canada
** Margaret Drabble, English novelist
* June 6 – Louis Andriessen, Dutch composer (d. 2021)
* June 9 – Ileana Cotrubaș, Romanian soprano
* June 11 – Jackie Stewart, Scottish motor racing driver
* June 16 – Billy "Crash" Craddock, American country and rockabilly singer
* June 21 – Charles Jencks, American cultural theorist (d. 2019)
* June 22 – Ada Yonath, Israeli crystallographer
* June 26 – Osvaldo Hurtado, 34th President of Ecuador
* June 29 – Sante Gaiardoni, Italian cyclist
* June 30 – Renzo Rovatti, Italian footballer
* July 1
** Kazi Zafar Ahmed, 8th Prime Minister of Bangladesh (d. 2015)
** Karen Black, American actress (d. 2013)
* July 4
** Abdelmajid Chetali, Tunisian footballer, manager
** Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani, 2nd Prime Minister of Yemen (d. 2011)
* July 6
** Mary Peters (athlete), Mary Peters, British athlete
** Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, sovereign ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah
* July 7 – Elena Obraztsova, Russian opera singer (d. 2015)
* July 8
** Likulia Bolongo, Congolese politician, general and Prime Minister of Zaire
** Abdelhamid Sharaf, Jordanian ambassador to the United States and Canada, 51st Prime Minister of Jordan (d. 1980)
* July 10 – Mavis Staples, African-American rhythm and blues, gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist
* July 13 – John Danielsen, Danish football midfielder
* July 14
** Karel Gott, Czech singer (d. 2019)
** Sid Haig, American actor (d. 2019)
* July 15 – Aníbal Cavaco Silva, 113th Prime Minister of Portugal, 19th President of Portugal
* July 16 – Lido Vieri, Italian footballer and manager
* July 17 – Milva, Italian singer, stage and film actress, and television personality (d. 2021)
* July 18 – Dion DiMucci, American singer, songwriter (''The Wanderer (Dion song), The Wanderer'')
* July 21 – Helmut Haller, German footballer (d. 2012)
* July 22 – Gila Almagor, Israeli actress and author
* July 24 – Walt Bellamy, African-American basketball player (d. 2013)
* July 26 – John Howard, 25th Prime Minister of Australia
* July 28 – Gösta Ekman, Swedish actor, comedian, and director (d. 2017)
* July 31 – Susan Flannery, American soap opera actress
* August 1 – Robert James Waller, American novelist (d. 2017)
* August 2
** Ali Mroudjaé, 9th Prime Minister of the Comoros (d. 2019)
** Wes Craven, American film director and writer (d. 2015)
* August 5 – Princess Irene of the Netherlands
* August 8 – Viorica Viscopoleanu, Romanian athlete
* August 9 – Romano Prodi, Italian politician, economist and 52nd Prime Minister of Italy
* August 11 – James Mancham, Seychellois politician, President 1976-77 (d. 2017)
* August 12
** George Hamilton (actor), George Hamilton, American actor
** S. Jayakumar, Singaporean politician and 4th Senior Minister of Singapore
* August 16
** Seán Brady (bishop), Seán Brady, Irish cardinal
** Valery Ryumin, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2022)
* August 19
** Alan Baker (mathematician), Alan Baker, English mathematician (d. 2018)
** Ginger Baker, English drummer (d. 2019)
* August 20 – Fernando Poe Jr., Filipino actor (d. 2004)
*August 21 – Clarence Williams III, American actor (d. 2021)
* August 22 – Valerie Harper, American actress (d. 2019)
* August 23 – Fernando Luján, Mexican actor (d. 2019)
* August 27 – Bill Mulliken, American swimmer (d. 2014)
* August 29 – Joel Schumacher, American film producer and director (d. 2020)
* August 30
** Elizabeth Ashley, née Cole, American actress
** John Peel, né Ravenscroft, English disc jockey (d. 2004)
* September 1 – Lily Tomlin, American actress (''Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In'')
* September 5
** George Lazenby, Australian actor
** Claudette Colvin, American civil rights activist and nurse
** William Devane, American actor
** Clay Regazzoni, Swiss Formula One driver (d. 2006)
* September 6 – Susumu Tonegawa, Japanese biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* September 7 – Stanislav Petrov, Soviet Air Defence Forces official
* September 8 – Carsten Keller, German field hockey player
* September 9 – Reuven Rivlin, 10th President of Israel
* September 11 – Charles Geschke, American inventor and businessman (d. 2021)
* September 13
** Richard Kiel, American actor (d. 2014)
** Guntis Ulmanis, 5th President of Latvia
* September 15 – Ron Walker (Australian businessman), Ron Walker, Australian businessman, former Lord Mayor of Melbourne (d. 2018)
* September 16 – Breyten Breytenbach, South African writer and painter
* September 18 – Jorge Sampaio, 17th President of Portugal (d. 2021)
* September 22 – Junko Tabei, Japanese mountaineer (d. 2016)
* September 27 – Kathy Whitworth, American professional golfer
* September 30 – Jean-Marie Lehn, French chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
* Date unknown - Muhammad Banaru Abubakar, Nigerian Administrator and public servant (d. 2015)
* October 4 – Ivan Mauger, New Zealand speedway rider, 6 times World Speedway Champion (d. 2018)
* October 6 - Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, English broadcaster and author
* October 7
** John Hopcroft, American computer scientist
** Clive James, Australian-born writer, humorist and television personality (d. 2019)
** Harold Kroto, English organic chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
* October 8 – Paul Hogan, Australian actor and comedian
* October 9
** Carmen Salinas, Mexican actress and politician (d. 2021)
** John Pilger, Australian-born journalist
* October 11 – Maria Bueno, Brazilian tennis player (d. 2018)
* October 14 – Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer
* October 18 – Lee Harvey Oswald, Alleged American assassin of President John F. Kennedy (d. 1963)
* October 21 – Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens (d. 2008)
* October 22
** Joaquim Chissano, President of Mozambique
** George Cohen, English footballer (d. 2022)
* October 24
** F. Murray Abraham, American actor (Amadeus (film))
**Madalena Iglésias, Portuguese actress and singer (d. 2018)
* October 27 – John Cleese, English comic actor and writer
* October 28 – Jane Alexander, American actress
* October 29 – Malay Roy Choudhury, Bengali poet, novelist and creator of the Indian Hungry generation literary and cultural movement
* October 30
** Leland H. Hartwell, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
** Grace Slick, American rock singer (''Jefferson Airplane'')
* October 31
** Ali Farka Touré, Malian singer (d. 2006)
** Ron Rifkin, American actor
* November 1 – Barbara Bosson, American actress
* November 6
** Athanasios Angelopoulos, Greek academic
** Carlos Emilio Morales, Cuban jazz guitarist (d. 2014)
* November 8 – Laila Kinnunen, Finnish singer (d. 2000)
* November 10 – Russell Means, Native American activist (d. 2012)
* November 14 – Wendy Carlos, American electronic composer
* November 15 – Yaphet Kotto, African-American actor (d. 2021)
* November 18
** Margaret Atwood, Canadian novelist
** Amanda Lear, French model and singer
** Brenda Vaccaro, American actress
* November 19 – Emil Constantinescu, President of Romania
* November 25
** Rais Khan, Pakistani sitarist (d. 2017)
** Thomas Resetarits, Austrian sculptor (d. 2022)
* November 26
** Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia
** Shettima Mustafa, Nigerian politician (d. 2022)
** Tina Turner, American born Swiss singer and actress
* November 27
** Dudley Storey, New Zealand rower (d. 2017)
** Laurent-Désiré Kabila, 3rd President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (d. 2001)
** Ulla Strömstedt, Swedish actress (d. 1986)
* November 30 – Chandra Bahadur Dangi, Nepalese dwarf, world's shortest man (d. 2015)
* December 1 – Lee Trevino, American professional golfer
* December 8
** Jerry Butler, African-American singer-songwriter and politician
** James Galway, Irish flautist
** Fahrudin Jusufi, Kosovar-Serbian footballer and coach (d. 2019)
* December 15 – Cindy Birdsong, American singer
* December 17 – Eddie Kendricks, African-American singer (''The Temptations'') (d. 1992)
* December 18
** Pedro Jirón, Nicaraguan footballer
** Michael Moorcock, English science fiction writer
** Harold E. Varmus, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* December 26 – Phil Spector, American record producer (d. 2021)
* December 27 – John Amos, African-American actor (''Good Times'')
* January 2 – Roman Dmowski, Polish politician (b. 1864)
*January 4 – Mary J. L. Black, Canadian librarian and suffragist (b. 1879)
*
* February 1 – Lawrence Marston, American actor, playwright, and film director (b. 1857)
* February 2 – Vladimir Shukhov, Russian engineer, polymath, scientist and architect (b. 1853)
* February 3 – Janez Frančišek Gnidovec, Yugoslav Roman Catholic priest and venerable (b. 1873)
* February 4 – Edward Sapir, German-American anthropologist, linguist (b. 1884)
* February 5 – Teresa Mañé, Spanish teacher, editor and writer (b. 1865)
* February 6 – Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Maharada of Baroda (b. 1863)
* February 9 – Henry Balfour, British archaeologist (b. 1863)
* February 10
** Pope Pius XI (b. 1857)
** Patriarch Torkom Koushagian of Jerusalem (b. 1874)
* February 11 – Franz Schmidt (composer), Franz Schmidt, Austrian composer (b. 1874)
* February 12
** Potenciano Gregorio, Filipino musician (b. 1880)
** S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist (b. 1868)
* February 13 – Alexander Hamilton-Gordon (British Army officer, born 1859), Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon, British general (b. 1859)
* February 15 – Henri Jaspar, Belgian politician, 27th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1870)
* February 18 – Okamoto Kanoko, Japanese tanka poet (b. 1899)
* February 22 – Antonio Machado, Spanish poet (b. 1875)
* February 23 – Michael Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne, British peer, soldier (b. 1895)
* February 26 – Ivan Fedko, Soviet army commander (b. 1897)
* February 27 – Nadezhda Krupskaya, Russians, Russian Marxist revolutionary, Vladimir Lenin's widow (b. 1869)
* March 2 – Howard Carter, British archaeologist (b. 1874)
* March 3 – Dimitrie Gerota, Romanian anatomist, physician (b. 1867)
* March 5 – Herbert Mundin, British actor (b. 1898)
* March 6
** Ginepro Cocchi, Italian Roman Catholic priest and Servant of God (b. 1908)
** Patriarch Miron of Romania, Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian cleric, politician, priest and 38th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1868)
* March 7 – Matvei Berman, Soviet intelligence officer (b. 1898)
* March 13 – Lucien Lévy-Bruhl, French sociologist, anthropologist (b. 1857)
* March 14 – Agostino Borgato, Italian actor, director (b. 1871)
* March 21 – Avril de Sainte-Croix, French author, journalist (b. 1855)
* March 23 – Abd al-Rahim al-Hajj Muhammad, Palestinian revolutionary (b. 1892)
* March 27 – Ferdinand von Quast, German general (b. 1850)
* March 28
** Carlos Manuel de Cespedes y Quesada, Cuban diplomat, politician, writer and 6th President of Cuba (b. 1871)
** Mario Lertora, Italian artistic gymnast in the 1924 Summer Olympics (b. 1897)
* March 29 – Gerardo Machado, Cuban general, 5th President of Cuba (b. 1871)
* March 31 – Ioannis Tsangaridis, Greek general (b. 1887)
* April 4
** King Ghazi of Iraq (b. 1912)
** Joaquín García Morato, Spanish fighter ace (b. 1904)
* April 7 – Joseph Lyons, 10th Prime Minister of Australia, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1879)
* April 15 – Konstantin Petrovich Grigorovich, Soviet engineer, professor (b. 1886)
* April 18
** Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair, British writer, philanthropist (b. 1857)
** Hugo Charlemont, Austrian painter (b. 1850)
* April 19
** Lucilio de Albuquerque, Brazilian painter (b. 1877)
** János Vaszary, Hungarian painter and graphic artist (b. 1867)
* April 20 – Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria (b. 1866)
* April 22 – Leandro Campanari, Italian conductor, composer and violinist (b. 1859)
* April 25
** John Foulds, British classical music composer (b. 1880)
** Georges Ricard-Cordingley, French painter (b. 1873)
* April 27 – José Gola, Argentinian actor (b. 1904)
* April 28 – Archduke Leo Karl of Austria (b. 1893)
* May 1 – Bautista Saavedra , 29th President of Bolivia (b. 1870)
* May 2 – Phillips Smalley, American actor, director (b. 1875)
* May 3 – Wilhelm Groener, German general (b. 1867)
* May 4 – James A. Johnson (architect), James A. Johnson, American architect (b. 1865)
* May 7 – Francesco Paleari, Italian priest and blessed (b. 1863)
* May 9 – Mary, Lady Heath, Irish aviator (b. 1896)
* May 10 – James Parrott, American actor (b. 1898)
* May 13 – Victor Bernau, Norwegian actor, director (b. 1890)
* May 18
**Charles deForest Chandler, American military aviator (b. 1878)
**Tang Juwu, Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1892)
* May 19 – Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Turkish politician, author and writer (b. 1869)
* May 20
** Joseph Carr, 2nd president of the National Football League (b. 1880)
** Alexandra Čvanová, Czechoslovakian soprano (b. 1897)
* May 22 – Ernst Toller, German playwright, Communist politician (b. 1893)
* May 23 – Witmer Stone, American ornithologist, botanist (b. 1866)
* May 24 – Aleksander Brückner, German scholar (b. 1856)
* May 25 – Álvaro Casanova Zenteno, Chilean painter (b. 1857)
* May 25 – Frank Watson Dyson, British astronomer (b. 1868)
* May 27 – Alfred A. Cunningham, American aviator, the first United States Marine Corps aviator (b. 1882)
* May 29 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish Roman Catholic religious professed and saint (b. 1865)
* May 30 – Floyd Roberts, American race car driver (b. 1900)
* July 3 – Juan José Gárate, Spanish painter (b. 1869)
* July 4 – Louis Wain, English artist (b. 1860)
* July 5 – Malietoa Tanumafili I, King of Samoa (b. 1879)
* July 7 – Deacon White, American baseball player, MLB Hall of Famer (b. 1847)
* July 8
** Havelock Ellis, British sexologist (b. 1859)
** Anna Pappritz, German writer, suffragist (b. 1861)
* July 9
** Carlo Chiostri, Italian painter (b. 1863)
** Alphonse Laurencic, French painter, architect (b. 1902)
* July 11 – Stiliyan Kovachev, Bulgarian general (b. 1860)
* July 14 – Alphonse Mucha, Czech painter, decorative artist (b. 1860)
* July 17 – María del Carmen González-Valerio, Spanish Roman Catholic saint (b. 1930)
* July 19 – Rose Hartwick Thorpe, American poet (b. 1850)
* July 20
** Judy Chicago, American feminist artist
** Joseph Mendes da Costa, Dutch sculptor (b. 1863)
* July 23 – Jack Duffy (actor), Jack Duffy, American actor (b. 1882)
* July 26 – William Mackay (artist), William Mackay, American artist (b. 1876)
* July 27 – Stanisław Baczyński, Polish writer, journalist and soldier (b. 1890)
* August 2 – Harvey Spencer Lewis, American mystic (b. 1883)
* August 6
** Mehmet Emin Çolakoğlu, Turkish army general (b. 1878)
** Monroe Dunaway Anderson, American founder of Anderson, Clayton and Company; "Father of Texas Medical Center" (b. 1873)
* August 10 – Carlo Galimberti, Italian Olympic weightlifter (b. 1894)
* August 11 – Jean Bugatti, German automobile designer (b. 1909)
* August 12 – Eulalio Gutiérrez, President of Mexico (b. 1881)
* August 23
** Sidney Howard, American writer (b. 1891)
** Germán Busch , 36th President of Bolivia (b. 1903)
* August 25 – Arthur Asquith, British general (b. 1883)
* August 26 – Rubén González Cárdenas, Venezuelan lawyer (b. 1875)
* August 29 – Marthe de Florian, French painter (b. 1864)
* August 31 – Richard Bouwens van der Boijen, French architect (b. 1863)
* September 6 – Arthur Rackham, British artist (b. 1867)
* September 8 – Swami Abhedananda, Indian mystic (b. 1866)
* September 10 – Wilhelm Fritz von Roettig, German Waffen SS general, first general killed in action during World War II (b. 1888)
* September 12
**Fyodor Raskolnikov, Soviet revolutionary, writer, journalist, naval commander, and diplomat (assassinated) (b. 1892)
**Eliodoro Villazón, 27th President of Bolivia (b. 1848)
* September 16
** Józef Kustroń, Polish general (killed in action) (b. 1892)
** Nikolaos Triantafyllakos, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1855)
** Otto Wels, German politician, chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) (b. 1873)
* September 18 – Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Polish writer, painter (b. 1885)
* September 20
** Paul Bruchesi, Canadian prelate (b. 1855)
** Hermann Brunn, German mathematician (b. 1862)
** Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin, French astronomer (b. 1865)
* September 21 – Armand Călinescu, Romanian economist, politician and 39th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1893)
* September 22
** Mikołaj Bołtuć, Polish army general (killed in battle) (b. 1893)
** Józef Olszyna-Wilczyński, Polish general (b. 1890)
** Werner von Fritsch, German general (killed in action) (b. 1880)
* September 23
** Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychoanalyst (b. 1856)
** Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, Polish painter (b. 1873)
** Francisco León de la Barra, Mexican diplomat, political figure, and acting President of Mexico (b. 1863)
* September 24
** Danilo, Crown Prince of Montenegro (b. 1871)
** Carl Laemmle, German film producer (b. 1867)
* October 2 – Edgar M. Lazarus, American architect (b. 1868)
* October 3 – Fay Templeton, American musical comedy star (b. 1865)
* October 6 – Giulio Gavotti, Italian aviator (b. 1882)
* October 7 – Harvey Cushing, American neurosurgeon (b. 1869)
* October 8 – Gustav Henriksen, Norwegian executive (b. 1872)
* October 13 – Ford Sterling, American actor (b. 1882)
* October 14 – Polaire, French actress (b. 1874)
* October 23
**Zane Grey, American writer (b. 1872)
**Liao Lei (general), Liao Lei, Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1890)
* October 28 – Alice Brady, American actress (b. 1892)
* October 30 – Carlos De Valdez, Peruvian actor (b. 1894)
* October 31
** Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, German field marshal (b. 1865)
** Otto Rank, Austrian psychoanalyst (b. 1884)
* November 1 – Kálmán Darányi, 31st Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1886)
* November 4
** Percy Douglas, Sir Percy Douglas, chairman of the British Graham Land Expedition (BGLE) Advisory Committee (b. 1876)
** Ma Xiangbo, Chinese Jesuit priest and blessed (b. 1840)
* November 7 – Kirsti Suonio, Finnish actress (b. 1872)
* November 10 – Charlotte Despard, Anglo-Irish suffragist, socialist, pacifist, Sinn Féin activist, and novelist
* November 11 – Alicja Kotowska, Polish Roman Catholic nun, martyr and blessed (b. 1899)
* November 12 – Norman Bethune, Canadian humanitarian (b. 1890)
* November 13 – Lois Weber, American actress (b. 1881)
* November 15
**Platon Ivanovich Ivanov, Soviet-born Finnish civil servant (b. 1863)
* November 17 – Aurelio Mosquera, Ecuadorian politician, 25th President of Ecuador (b. 1883)
* November 21 – Émile Guépratte, French admiral (b. 1856)
* November 22 – King Daudi Cwa II of Buganda (b. 1896)
* November 24 – John Harron, American actor (b. 1903)
* November 28 – James Naismith, Canadian inventor of basketball (b. 1861) He was 78 years old.
* November 29
** Eugen Kolisko, Austrian-born German physician, educator (b. 1893)
** Józef Krasnowolski, Polish painter (b. 1879)
** Philipp Scheidemann, German politician, 11th Chancellor of Germany (German Reich), Chancellor of Germany (b. 1865)
* December 3 – Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, second youngest daughter of Queen Victoria (b. 1848)
* December 5 – Santiago Iglesias, Puerto Rican statesman (b. 1872)
* December 8
** Alimondo Ciampi, Italian sculptor (b. 1876)
** Jean Grave, French anarchist (b. 1854)
* December 12 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor, father of Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (b. 1883)
* December 14 – Helene Kröller-Müller, Dutch museum founder and art collector (b. 1869)
* December 16 – Juan Demóstenes Arosemena, 18th President of Panama (b. 1879)
* December 18 – Bruno Liljefors, Swedish artist (b. 1860)
* December 19
** Dmitry Grave, Soviet mathematician (b. 1863)
** Reginald F. Nicholson, United States Navy admiral (b. 1852)
* December 20 – Hans Langsdorff, German naval officer (suicide) (b. 1894)
* December 22 – Ma Rainey, African-American blues singer (b. 1886)
* December 23
** Anthony Fokker, Dutch-born American aircraft manufacturer (b. 1890)
** Maxime Laubeuf, French maritime engineer (b. 1864)
* December 24 – Walter Gordon (physicist), Walter Gordon, German physicist (b. 1893)
* December 25 – Ivan Dmitriyevich Borisov, Soviet aircraft pilot (b. 1913)
* December 27 – Rinaldo Cuneo, American artist ("the painter of San Francisco") (b. 1877)
* December 31 – Frank Benson (actor), Sir Frank Benson, British actor (b. 1858)
1939 WWII Timeline
– from American Studies Programs at The University of Virginia
Paula Phelan, 1939 Into The Dark, 2009, ZAPmedia.
{{Authority control 1939,
May
* May 1 – Batman, the fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, makes his first appearance in ''Detective Comics'' #27. * May 3 ** Vyacheslav Molotov succeeds Maxim Litvinov, as Soviet Foreign Commissar. ** The All India Forward Bloc is formed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. * May 6 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler tells the British government that the German and Soviet governments are secretly beginning a rapprochement, with the aim of dividing Eastern Europe between them. Goerdeler also informs the British of German economic problems which he states threaten the survival of the Nazi regime, and advises that if a firm stand is made for Poland, then Hitler will be deterred from war. * May 9 – Spain leaves the League of Nations. * May 14 – Lina Medina, a 5-year-old Peruvian girl, gives birth to a baby boy, becoming the youngest confirmed mother in medical history. * May 17 ** King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth arrive in Quebec City, to begin the first-ever tour of Canada by Monarchy of Canada, Canada's monarch. ** The British government issues the White Paper of 1939, sharply restricting Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine. ** Sweden, Norway, andFinland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
refuse Germany's offer of non-aggression pacts.
* May 18 – The Hòa Hảo religious sect is established in Vietnam, by Huỳnh Phú Sổ.
* May 20 – Pan American Airways begins transatlantic mail service with the inaugural flight of its Boeing 314 flying boat ''Yankee Clipper'' from Port Washington, New York, to Marseille.
* May 22 – Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel.
* May 24 – The first issue of ''Fashizmi'' is published in Tirana, Albania.
* May 29 – Albanian fascist leader Tefik Mborja is appointed as member of the Italian Chamber of Fasces and Corporations.
June
* June 3 – The Soviet government offers its definition of what constitutes "aggression", upon which the projected Anglo-Soviet-French alliance will come into effect. French Foreign Minister Georges Bonnet accepts the Soviet definition of aggression at once. The British reject the Soviet definition, especially the concept of "indirect aggression", which they feel is too loose a definition, and phrased in such a manner as to imply the Soviet right of inference in the internal affairs of Eastern European nations.
* June 4 – The MS St. Louis, ''St. Louis'', a ship carrying a cargo of 907 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, after already having been turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, many of its passengers later die in Nazism, Nazi death camps during The Holocaust.
* June 10 – MGM's first successful animated character, Barney Bear, makes his debut in ''The Bear That Couldn't Sleep''. However, it is not until 1942 that his name is adopted.
* June 12 – The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is officially dedicated in Cooperstown, New York.
* June 14 – Tientsin Incident: The Japanese blockade the British concession in Tianjin, China, beginning a crisis which almost causes an Anglo-Japanese war in the summer of 1939.
* June 17 – In the last public guillotine, guillotining in France, murderer Eugen Weidmann is executed.
* June 23 – Talks are completed in Ankara between French Ambassador René Massigli and Turkish Foreign Minister Şükrü Saracoğlu, resolving the Hatay dispute in Turkey's favor. Turkey annexes Hatay State, Hatay.
* June 24 – The government of Siam changes its name to Thailand, which means 'Free Land'.
* June 29 – The Ford N-Series tractor#N Series Models, Ford 9N tractor, with the Harry Ferguson, Ferguson hydraulic three-point hitch, is first demonstrated at Dearborn, Michigan.
July
* July 4 – The Neuengamme concentration camp becomes autonomous. * July 6 – The last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany are closed by the Nazis. * July 8 – The Pan American Airways Boeing 314 flying boat ''Yankee Clipper'' inaugurates the world's first heavier-than-air North Atlantic air passenger service, between the United States (Port Washington, New York) and Britain. * July 23 – Mahatma Gandhi writes a personal letter to Adolf Hitler from India, addressing him as "My friend", requesting him to prevent any possible war. * July 27 – The first recorded snow falls in Auckland, New Zealand, since records began in 1853.August
* August 2 – The Einstein–Szilárd letter is signed, advising President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt of the potential use of uranium to construct an atomic bomb. * August 4 – Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain dismisses the Parliament of the United Kingdom until October 3. * August 15 – MGM's classic musical film ''The Wizard of Oz (1939 film), The Wizard of Oz'', based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum's famous novel of 1900, and starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood. On August 25 it is released in movie theaters throughout the United States. * August 19 – Adolf Hitler, after evaluating the pace of Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, non-aggression negotiations with the Soviet Union, orders the Kriegsmarine to begin the opening operations for ''Fall Weiss (1939), Fall Weiß'', the invasion of Poland. The , along with the , as well as dozens of U-boats, cast off for their advance positions. Hitler spends the next few days worrying that the Russians will not come to terms in time for the rest of the invasion plans to unfold as scheduled. * August 20 – Armored forces under the command of Soviet General Georgy Zhukov deliver a decisive defeat to Imperial Japanese Army forces in the Japanese-Soviet border war in Inner Mongolia. * August 23 – The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact is signed between Germany and the Soviet Union, a neutrality treaty that also agrees to division of spheres of influence (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, eastern Poland and Bessarabia (modern-day Moldova), north-east province of Romania to the Soviet Union; Lithuania and western Poland to Germany). Its annex reassigns Lithuania to the Soviet Union. * August 24 – As details of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact become public, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain recalls the Parliament of the United Kingdom several weeks early. In a burst of legislation, the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 gives full authority to defence regulations, the British Royal Navy is to be put on a war footing, all military leave is to be cancelled, military reserve forces are to be called up, especially coast defence, radar and anti-aircraft units, and Civil Defence workers are placed on alert. In addition, the last British and French private citizens in Germany are advised to return home by their respective Governments. * August 25 ** The German Foreign Ministry cuts off all telegraph and telephone communication with the outside world, in accordance with the plan for ''Fall Weiss (1939), Fall Weiß''. At approximately 1830 Central European time, Adolf Hitler postpones ''Fall Weiß'' for 5 days, after receiving a message from Benito Mussolini that he will not honor the Pact of Steel if Germany attacks Poland, and because Chamberlain's government has not fallen as a result of the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Some units already in their forward positions (the attack is scheduled for 0430 the next day) do not get the word in time and attack various targets along the border. This same day, Neville Chamberlain gives Edward Rydz-Śmigły his "ironclad guarantee" of assistance if Poland is attacked by Germany. ** 1939 Coventry bombing: An Irish Republican Army (1922–69), Irish Republican Army bomb explodes in the centre of Coventry, England, killing 5 people. * August 26 ** The first televised Major League Baseball games are shown on experimental station W2XBS in the United States: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. ** The Kriegsmarine orders all German-flagged merchant ships to head to German ports immediately, in anticipation of the invasion of Poland. * August 27 – A Heinkel He 178, the first turbojet-powered aircraft, flies for the first time, with Captain Erich Warsitz in command. * August 28 – French ocean liner heads into New York Harbor, where she will be interned on September 3, and cut up for scrap, beginning in 1946. * August 30 – Poland begins a mobilization against Nazi Germany. * August 31 – Operation Himmler: Nazi German troops posing as Poles stage a series of false flag operations on the border (including the Gleiwitz incident), giving a pretext for the invasion of Poland.September
* September 1 – Beginning of WWII:
** Opening shots of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and invasion of Poland: At 4:45am Central European Time, under cover of darkness, the German WWI-era battleship German battleship Schleswig-Holstein, ''Schleswig-Holstein'' quietly slips her moorings at her wharf in Danzig Harbor, drifts into the center of the channel, and commences firing on a Polish military installation on Westerplatte at the northeastern mouth of the port of the internationalized Free City of Danzig, beginning the Battle of Westerplatte and Battle of Danzig Bay. Five minutes previously, the bombing of Wieluń in the western part of Poland had commenced, beginning the Battle of the Border. Shock-troops of the German Wehrmacht begin crossing the border into Poland.
** The Reichstag (Nazi Germany), Reichstag passes a statement, stating that Adolf Hitler's second-in-command Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring should be appointed as Hitler's successor as Führer, should Hitler die during the war. Rudolf Hess is to be appointed in Göring's place, should anything befall Göring.
** Britain and France deliver ultimatums to Germany. Norway, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland declare their neutrality. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt states that "every effort" would be made by his administration to stay out of the war. Italy is advised that Germany does not expect to need its military support at present.
** General George C. Marshall becomes Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
* September 2 – WWII:
** Following the invasion of Poland, the Free City of Danzig (modern-day Gdańsk, Poland) is annexed to Nazi Germany.
** Spain and Ireland declare their neutrality.
* September 3 – WWII:
** The United Kingdom, France, New Zealand, Australia and India (by its Governor-General of India, Viceroy) declare war on Nazi Germany. Prime Minister of Canada Mackenzie King, in English, and Minister of Justice (Canada), Justice Minister Ernest Lapointe, in French, give an international radio address stating the Dominion's intention to declare war also.
** United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt advocates neutrality, in a nationwide radio address.
** Ocean liner becomes the first British civilian casualty of the war, when she is torpedoed and sunk by in the eastern Atlantic. Of the 1,418 aboard, 98 passengers and 19 crew are killed.
** Chamberlain offers the war cabinet post of First Lord of the Admiralty to Winston Churchill, who returns to government for the first time since June 4, 1929.
* September 4 – WWII:
** The first bombing of Wilhelmshaven in World War II is carried out, by the British Royal Air Force.
** The Defense of Katowice by irregular Polish militia fails and the city is secured by German Wehrmacht forces who carry out the Katowice massacre.
** Nepal declares war on Nazi Germany, Germany.
* September 5 – WWII: The United States declares its neutrality in the war.
* September 6 – WWII: South Africa declares war on Nazi Germany, Germany.
* September 8
** WWII: Forward elements of General Hoeppner's XVI Panzerkorps take up positions outside Warsaw. The world is stunned by the rapidity of the German advance, and the Polish High Command is effectively isolated, but lack of infantry support and effective civilian resistance cause Hoeppner to halt outside the city itself.
** WWII: Battle of Westerplatte ends when Polish troops on the Westerplatte are forced by lack of food and ammunition to surrender. The garrison of about two hundred had held out against thousands of German forces (many of them naval officer cadets from German battleship Schleswig-Holstein, ''Schleswig-Holstein'') for seven days.
** The Little Sisters of Jesus is founded in Algeria, by Little Sister Magdeleine.
* September 9 – WWII: Troops of the Polish Poznań Army under the command of Tadeusz Kutrzeba, General Kutrzeba open the Battle of the Bzura, the largest and best organized counter-attack mounted by the Polish forces in the Invasion of Poland, campaign of 1939. For the first few days all goes well, and the Germans are forced to retreat; but quick reaction by mechanized units and the Luftwaffe soon take their toll, and the operation bogs down.
* September 10 – WWII: Canada declares war on Nazi Germany, Germany, the only declaration of war by Canada.
* September 13–September 14, 14 – WWII: Zambrów massacre – German Wehrmacht soldiers shoot more than 200 Polish prisoners of war.
* September 15 – WWII: Diverse elements of the German Wehrmacht surround Warsaw, and demand its surrender. The Poles refuse, and the Siege of Warsaw (1939), siege begins in earnest.
* September 16 – A ceasefire ends the Battles of Khalkhin Gol, the undeclared border war between the Soviet Union (and Mongolian allies) and Japan.
* September 17 – WWII:
** The Soviet Union Soviet invasion of Poland, invades Poland, and then Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union, occupies eastern Polish territories.
** Royal Navy aircraft carrier is torpedoed and sunk by in the Western Approaches with the loss of 519 crew (the first British warship loss of the war).
* September 18 – WWII: Orzeł incident, ''Orzeł'' incident: Polish submarine ORP ''Orzeł'' escapes internment from Tallinn Harbour, Estonia, leading both the Soviet Union and Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to question Estonia's neutrality.
* September 19 – WWII: The Poznan pocket collapses, and the Germans capture, according to many sources, over 150,000 men. Many elements of General Tadeusz Kutrzeba's forces work their way into Warsaw, under extreme difficulty.
* September 21
**Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the Security Police, sends a directive, the Schnellbrief, explaining that Jews living in towns and villages in the Polish occupation zones are to be transferred to ghettos, and Jewish councils, Judenräte, will be established to carry out the German authorities' orders.
**Assassination of Armand Călinescu: Prime Minister of Romania Armand Călinescu is shot in Bucharest by members of the fascist Iron Guard.
**Radio station WJSV in Washington, D.C. records an WJSV broadcast day, entire broadcast day, for preservation in the National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives.
* September 22 – WWII: A joint victory parade is staged by the Wehrmacht and Red Army in Brest-Litovsk, at the end of the Invasion of Poland.
* September 24 – WWII: The Soviet Union issues an ultimatum to Estonia to allow Soviet military bases on its territory, which Estonia accepts on September 28. Similar ultimatums are issued to Latvia on October 5 and to Lithuania on October 10, who are forced to accept them as well.
* September 28 – WWII:
** Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agree on a division of Poland, after their invasion.
** Warsaw surrenders to Nazi Germany, Germany; Modlin (Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki), Modlin surrenders a day later; the last Polish large operational unit surrenders near Kock 8 days later.
* September 30 – General Władysław Sikorski becomes Prime Minister of Poland, Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile.
October
* October 6 – WWII: The Battle of Kock ends the Polish Campaign. Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish resistance moves underground. * October 7 – WWII: British Royal Navy cruiser departs Plymouth in convoy for Halifax, Nova Scotia, carrying £2M in gold bar to be used for purchase of military materiel in North America, a predecessor of Operation Fish. * October 8 ** WWII: Nazi Germany, Germany annexes Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, Western Poland. ** The Holocaust: Piotrków Trybunalski Ghetto, the first Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe, ghetto in Nazi-occupied Europe, is proclaimed in Occupation of Poland (1939–45), German-occupied Poland. * October 11 – The Einstein–Szilárd letter is delivered to President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt, advising of the potential use of uranium to construct an atomic bomb, leading to the Manhattan Project. * October 14 – sinks the British battleship at anchor in Scapa Flow (Scotland), with the loss of 833 crew. * October 15 – The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed LaGuardia Airport) is dedicated. * October 17 – Comedy-drama film ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' premieres in Washington, D.C. * October 21 – The first meeting of the U.S. S-1 Uranium Committee, Advisory Committee on Uranium is held under Lyman James Briggs, authorized by President Roosevelt to oversee neutron experiments, a precursor of the Manhattan Project. * October 22 – In the first televised NFL football game, the Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL), Brooklyn Dodgers defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 23–14 at Ebbets Field. * October 24 – Nylon stockings go on sale for the first time anywhere in Wilmington, Delaware.November
* November – Lebensborn: Policy of Kidnapping of ethnic Polish children by Nazi Germany, kidnapping of children by Nazi Germany initiated in occupied Poland.
* November 1–November 2, 2 – WWII: Physicist Hans Ferdinand Mayer writes the Oslo Report on German weapons systems, and passes it to the British Secret Intelligence Service.
* November 4 – WWII: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders the United States Customs Service to implement the Neutrality Acts of 1930s, Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing cash-and-carry purchases of weapons to non-belligerent nations.
*November 4 – Stewart Menzies is appointed head of the British Secret Intelligence Service.
* November 6
** ''Hedda Hopper's Hollywood'' debuts on radio with gossip columnist Hedda Hopper as host (the show runs until 1951, making Hopper a powerful figure among the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood elite).
** WWII: Sonderaktion Krakau: Germans take action against scientists from the University of Kraków, and other Kraków universities.
* November 8
** WWII: In Munich, an attempt to kill Adolf Hitler is made by Georg Elser, while Hitler is celebrating the 16th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch.
** CBS television station W2XAB resumes test transmission, with an all-electronic system broadcast from the top of the Chrysler Building in New York City.
* November 9 – WWII: Venlo Incident: Two British agents of Secret Intelligence Service, SIS are captured by the Germans.
* November 14 – In Washington, D.C., U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt lays the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial.
* November 16 – Al Capone is released from Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island, Terminal Island, due to deteriorating health caused by syphilis.
* November 17 – WWII: To punish protests against the Nazi occupation of the Czech homeland, the Nazis storm the University of Prague and murder 9 Czech graduate students, send over 1,200 to concentration camps, and close all Czech universities, an event which will be commemorated as International Students' Day.
* November 23 – WWII: British armed merchantman is sunk in the GIUK gap, in an action against the German battleships and .
* November 26 – Shelling of Mainila: The Soviet Union's Red Army shells the Russian village of Mainila, then claims that the fire originated from Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, giving a ''casus belli'' for the Winter War.
* November 30 – WWII:
** Winter War: Soviet forces attack Finland and reach the Mannerheim Line, starting the war.
** Sweden declares itself a non-belligerent in the Winter War.
December
* December 2 – LaGuardia Airport opens for business in New York City. * December 4 – WWII: ** British battleship strikes a Naval mine, mine (laid by ) off the coast of Scotland, and is laid up for repairs until August 1940. ** German submarine U-36 (1936), German submarine ''U-36'' is torpedoed and sunk by British submarine HMS Salmon (N65), HMS ''Salmon'' off Stavanger, the first enemy submarine lost to a British one during the war. * December 9 – WWII: The first soldier of the British Expeditionary Force (World War II), British Expeditionary Force is killed; Corporal Thomas Priday triggers a French land mine. * December 12 – WWII: sinks after a collision with off the coast of Scotland, with the loss of 124 men. * December 13 – WWII – Battle of the River Plate: The German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee, German heavy cruiser ''Admiral Graf Spee'' is trapped by cruisers , HMNZS Achilles, HMNZS ''Achilles'', and after a running battle off the coast of Uruguay. ''Graf Spee'' is Scuttling, scuttled by its crew off Montevideo Harbor, on December 17. * December 14 – WWII – Winter War: The League of Nations expels the USSR for attacking Finland. * December 15 – The epic historical romance film ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'', starring Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard (actor), Leslie Howard, premieres at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta. Based on Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind (novel), best-selling novel of 1936, it is the longest American film made up to this date (at nearly four hours) and rapidly becomes the Timeline of highest-grossing films, highest-grossing film up to this time. * December 18 – WWII – Battle of the Heligoland Bight (1939), Battle of the Heligoland Bight: RAF Bomber Command, on a daylight mission to attack ''Kriegsmarine'' ships in the Heligoland Bight, is repulsed by Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. * December 26 – Miners Strike action, strike in Borinage, Belgium. * December 27 – The 7.8 1939 Erzincan earthquake, Erzincan earthquake shakes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of XII (''Extreme''), causing $20 million in damage, and leaving 32,700–32,968 dead.Date unknown
* Kirlian photography is invented by Semyon Kirlian. * Enzo Ferrari founds Auto Avio Construzioni, the company that becomes Ferrari in 1947.Births
January–February
* January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
– Ali Mahdi Muhammad, Somali entrepreneur, politician and 4th President of Somalia (d. 2021)
* January 3
** Arik Einstein, Israeli singer (d. 2013)
** Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player
** Vincent Siew, Taiwanese politician, 9th Vice President of the Republic of China
* January 6
Events Pre-1600
*1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eve ...
** Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukrainian footballer, manager (d. 2002)
** Murray Rose, Australian swimmer (d. 2012)
* January 9 – Susannah York, British actress (d. 2011)
* January 10
** Sal Mineo, American actor (d. 1976)
** Bill Toomey, American athlete
* January 11 – Anne Heggtveit, Canadian skier
* January 12 – Joachim Yhombi-Opango, Congolese politician (d. 2020)
* January 17 – Maury Povich, American talk show host
* January 19 – Phil Everly, American rock 'n' roll musician (member of Rockabilly Hall of Fame) (d. 2014)
* January 20 – Chandra Wickramasinghe, British astronomer and poet
* January 22
** Sonny Chiba, Japanese actor and martial artist (d. 2021)
** Alfredo Palacio, 42nd President of Ecuador
** Ray Stevens, American musician (''Everything is Beautiful'')
* January 29 – Germaine Greer, Australian feminist writer
* February 1 – Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina (d. 2009)
* February 3 – Michael Cimino, American film director (d. 2016)
* February 7 – Francisco Mendes, Guinea-Bissau politician, 1st Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau (d. 1978)
* February 8 – Egon Zimmermann, Austrian Olympic alpine skier (d. 2019)
* February 10
** Adrienne Clarkson, 26th Governor General of Canada
** Tsuyoshi Yamanaka, Japanese freestyle swimmer (d. 2017)
* February 12 – Ray Manzarek, American keyboardist (''The Doors'') (d. 2013)
* February 13 – Andrew Peacock, Australian politician (d. 2021)
* February 18 – Abdelraouf Al-Rawabdeh, Jordanian political figure, 65th Prime Minister of Jordan
* February 19 – Erin Pizzey, British author, founder of the first domestic violence shelter in the modern world
* February 28 – Daniel C. Tsui, Chinese-born physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate
March–April
* March 1 – Tzvetan Todorov, Bulgarian-French historian, philosopher, structuralist literary critic, sociologist and essayist (d. 2017)
* March 2 – Takako Shimazu, Takako, Princess Suga
* March 5
** Samantha Eggar, English actress
** Chögyam Trungpa, Buddhist meditation master (d. 1987)
* March 8 – Lidiya Skoblikova, Russian speed-skater
* March 10 – Lee Soo-sung, 27th Prime Minister of South Korea
* March 13 – Neil Sedaka, American singer-songwriter
* March 14 – Glauber Rocha, Brazilian film director, actor and screenwriter (d. 1981)
* March 17 – Giovanni Trapattoni, Italian footballer and manager
* March 20 – Brian Mulroney, 18th Prime Minister of Canada
* March 25 – D. C. Fontana, American television writer (d. 2019)
* March 29 – Terence Hill, Italian actor
* March 31
** Zviad Gamsakhurdia, President of Georgia (d. 1993)
** Volker Schlöndorff, German film director
** Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, German footballer
* April 1 – Ali MacGraw, American actress
* April 2 – Marvin Gaye, American singer (d. 1984)
* April 4
** Alex George (botanist), Alex George, Australian botanist
** Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and singer (d. 2018)
** Ernie Terrell, African-American professional boxer (d. 2014)
* April 7
** Sir David Frost, English television personality (d. 2013)
** Francis Ford Coppola, American film director
* April 9 – Michael Learned, American actress
* April 10 – Claudio Magris, Italian author
* April 12 – Alan Ayckbourn, English dramatist
* April 13 – Seamus Heaney, Irish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
* April 15 – Jaime Paz Zamora , 60th President of Bolivia
* April 16 – Dusty Springfield, English pop singer (d. 1999)
* April 19 – Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran
* April 20 – Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian politician, 1st female Prime Minister of Norway, Prime Minister
* April 21 – Helen Prejean, American writer
* April 23 – Lee Majors, American actor
* April 27 – João Bernardo Vieira, President of Guinea-Bissau (d. 2009)
May–June
* May 1 – Judy Collins, American singer-songwriter
* May 2
** Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist and inventor
** Taomati Iuta, Vice President of Kiribati (1991–94) (d. 2016)
* May 4 – Amos Oz, Israeli author and journalist (d. 2018)
* May 7
** José Antonio Abreu, Venezuelan orchestral conductor, music educator (d. 2018)
** Sidney Altman, Canadian-born chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2022)
** Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1982–94) (d. 2018)
* May 9 – Ralph Boston, American athlete
* May 13 – Harvey Keitel, American actor
* May 15 – Barbara Hammer, American filmmaker (d. 2019)
* May 18 – Peter Grünberg, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
* May 19
** Livio Berruti, Italian sprinter
** James Fox, English actor
** Nancy Kwan, American actress
** Dick Scobee, American astronaut (d. 1986)
* May 20 – Roman Kartsev, Russian actor (d. 2018)
* May 21 – Heinz Holliger, Swiss oboist, composer
* May 22 – Paul Winfield, African-American actor (d. 2004)
* May 25
** Dixie Carter, American actress (d. 2010)
** Sir Ian McKellen, English actor
* May 27 – Don Williams, American musician (d. 2017)
* May 29 – Maeve Binchy, Irish author (d. 2012)
* May 30 – Michael J. Pollard, American actor (d. 2019)
* June 1 – Cleavon Little, African-American actor (d. 1992)
* June 4 – Ottavio Cogliati, Italian cyclist (d. 2008)
* June 5
** Joe Clark, 16th Prime Minister of Canada
** Margaret Drabble, English novelist
* June 6 – Louis Andriessen, Dutch composer (d. 2021)
* June 9 – Ileana Cotrubaș, Romanian soprano
* June 11 – Jackie Stewart, Scottish motor racing driver
* June 16 – Billy "Crash" Craddock, American country and rockabilly singer
* June 21 – Charles Jencks, American cultural theorist (d. 2019)
* June 22 – Ada Yonath, Israeli crystallographer
* June 26 – Osvaldo Hurtado, 34th President of Ecuador
* June 29 – Sante Gaiardoni, Italian cyclist
* June 30 – Renzo Rovatti, Italian footballer
July–August
* July 1
** Kazi Zafar Ahmed, 8th Prime Minister of Bangladesh (d. 2015)
** Karen Black, American actress (d. 2013)
* July 4
** Abdelmajid Chetali, Tunisian footballer, manager
** Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani, 2nd Prime Minister of Yemen (d. 2011)
* July 6
** Mary Peters (athlete), Mary Peters, British athlete
** Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, sovereign ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah
* July 7 – Elena Obraztsova, Russian opera singer (d. 2015)
* July 8
** Likulia Bolongo, Congolese politician, general and Prime Minister of Zaire
** Abdelhamid Sharaf, Jordanian ambassador to the United States and Canada, 51st Prime Minister of Jordan (d. 1980)
* July 10 – Mavis Staples, African-American rhythm and blues, gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist
* July 13 – John Danielsen, Danish football midfielder
* July 14
** Karel Gott, Czech singer (d. 2019)
** Sid Haig, American actor (d. 2019)
* July 15 – Aníbal Cavaco Silva, 113th Prime Minister of Portugal, 19th President of Portugal
* July 16 – Lido Vieri, Italian footballer and manager
* July 17 – Milva, Italian singer, stage and film actress, and television personality (d. 2021)
* July 18 – Dion DiMucci, American singer, songwriter (''The Wanderer (Dion song), The Wanderer'')
* July 21 – Helmut Haller, German footballer (d. 2012)
* July 22 – Gila Almagor, Israeli actress and author
* July 24 – Walt Bellamy, African-American basketball player (d. 2013)
* July 26 – John Howard, 25th Prime Minister of Australia
* July 28 – Gösta Ekman, Swedish actor, comedian, and director (d. 2017)
* July 31 – Susan Flannery, American soap opera actress
* August 1 – Robert James Waller, American novelist (d. 2017)
* August 2
** Ali Mroudjaé, 9th Prime Minister of the Comoros (d. 2019)
** Wes Craven, American film director and writer (d. 2015)
* August 5 – Princess Irene of the Netherlands
* August 8 – Viorica Viscopoleanu, Romanian athlete
* August 9 – Romano Prodi, Italian politician, economist and 52nd Prime Minister of Italy
* August 11 – James Mancham, Seychellois politician, President 1976-77 (d. 2017)
* August 12
** George Hamilton (actor), George Hamilton, American actor
** S. Jayakumar, Singaporean politician and 4th Senior Minister of Singapore
* August 16
** Seán Brady (bishop), Seán Brady, Irish cardinal
** Valery Ryumin, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2022)
* August 19
** Alan Baker (mathematician), Alan Baker, English mathematician (d. 2018)
** Ginger Baker, English drummer (d. 2019)
* August 20 – Fernando Poe Jr., Filipino actor (d. 2004)
*August 21 – Clarence Williams III, American actor (d. 2021)
* August 22 – Valerie Harper, American actress (d. 2019)
* August 23 – Fernando Luján, Mexican actor (d. 2019)
* August 27 – Bill Mulliken, American swimmer (d. 2014)
* August 29 – Joel Schumacher, American film producer and director (d. 2020)
* August 30
** Elizabeth Ashley, née Cole, American actress
** John Peel, né Ravenscroft, English disc jockey (d. 2004)
September
* September 1 – Lily Tomlin, American actress (''Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In'')
* September 5
** George Lazenby, Australian actor
** Claudette Colvin, American civil rights activist and nurse
** William Devane, American actor
** Clay Regazzoni, Swiss Formula One driver (d. 2006)
* September 6 – Susumu Tonegawa, Japanese biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* September 7 – Stanislav Petrov, Soviet Air Defence Forces official
* September 8 – Carsten Keller, German field hockey player
* September 9 – Reuven Rivlin, 10th President of Israel
* September 11 – Charles Geschke, American inventor and businessman (d. 2021)
* September 13
** Richard Kiel, American actor (d. 2014)
** Guntis Ulmanis, 5th President of Latvia
* September 15 – Ron Walker (Australian businessman), Ron Walker, Australian businessman, former Lord Mayor of Melbourne (d. 2018)
* September 16 – Breyten Breytenbach, South African writer and painter
* September 18 – Jorge Sampaio, 17th President of Portugal (d. 2021)
* September 22 – Junko Tabei, Japanese mountaineer (d. 2016)
* September 27 – Kathy Whitworth, American professional golfer
* September 30 – Jean-Marie Lehn, French chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
October
* Date unknown - Muhammad Banaru Abubakar, Nigerian Administrator and public servant (d. 2015)
* October 4 – Ivan Mauger, New Zealand speedway rider, 6 times World Speedway Champion (d. 2018)
* October 6 - Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, English broadcaster and author
* October 7
** John Hopcroft, American computer scientist
** Clive James, Australian-born writer, humorist and television personality (d. 2019)
** Harold Kroto, English organic chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
* October 8 – Paul Hogan, Australian actor and comedian
* October 9
** Carmen Salinas, Mexican actress and politician (d. 2021)
** John Pilger, Australian-born journalist
* October 11 – Maria Bueno, Brazilian tennis player (d. 2018)
* October 14 – Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer
* October 18 – Lee Harvey Oswald, Alleged American assassin of President John F. Kennedy (d. 1963)
* October 21 – Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens (d. 2008)
* October 22
** Joaquim Chissano, President of Mozambique
** George Cohen, English footballer (d. 2022)
* October 24
** F. Murray Abraham, American actor (Amadeus (film))
**Madalena Iglésias, Portuguese actress and singer (d. 2018)
* October 27 – John Cleese, English comic actor and writer
* October 28 – Jane Alexander, American actress
* October 29 – Malay Roy Choudhury, Bengali poet, novelist and creator of the Indian Hungry generation literary and cultural movement
* October 30
** Leland H. Hartwell, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
** Grace Slick, American rock singer (''Jefferson Airplane'')
* October 31
** Ali Farka Touré, Malian singer (d. 2006)
** Ron Rifkin, American actor
November
* November 1 – Barbara Bosson, American actress
* November 6
** Athanasios Angelopoulos, Greek academic
** Carlos Emilio Morales, Cuban jazz guitarist (d. 2014)
* November 8 – Laila Kinnunen, Finnish singer (d. 2000)
* November 10 – Russell Means, Native American activist (d. 2012)
* November 14 – Wendy Carlos, American electronic composer
* November 15 – Yaphet Kotto, African-American actor (d. 2021)
* November 18
** Margaret Atwood, Canadian novelist
** Amanda Lear, French model and singer
** Brenda Vaccaro, American actress
* November 19 – Emil Constantinescu, President of Romania
* November 25
** Rais Khan, Pakistani sitarist (d. 2017)
** Thomas Resetarits, Austrian sculptor (d. 2022)
* November 26
** Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia
** Shettima Mustafa, Nigerian politician (d. 2022)
** Tina Turner, American born Swiss singer and actress
* November 27
** Dudley Storey, New Zealand rower (d. 2017)
** Laurent-Désiré Kabila, 3rd President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (d. 2001)
** Ulla Strömstedt, Swedish actress (d. 1986)
* November 30 – Chandra Bahadur Dangi, Nepalese dwarf, world's shortest man (d. 2015)
December
* December 1 – Lee Trevino, American professional golfer
* December 8
** Jerry Butler, African-American singer-songwriter and politician
** James Galway, Irish flautist
** Fahrudin Jusufi, Kosovar-Serbian footballer and coach (d. 2019)
* December 15 – Cindy Birdsong, American singer
* December 17 – Eddie Kendricks, African-American singer (''The Temptations'') (d. 1992)
* December 18
** Pedro Jirón, Nicaraguan footballer
** Michael Moorcock, English science fiction writer
** Harold E. Varmus, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* December 26 – Phil Spector, American record producer (d. 2021)
* December 27 – John Amos, African-American actor (''Good Times'')
Date unknown
*Astratijs Roškovs, former Lithuanian-Russian-Latvian footballerDeaths
January
* January 2 – Roman Dmowski, Polish politician (b. 1864)
*January 4 – Mary J. L. Black, Canadian librarian and suffragist (b. 1879)
* January 6
Events Pre-1600
*1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eve ...
– Gustavs Zemgals, 2nd President of Latvia (b. 1871)
* January 8 – Charles Eastman, American author, physician, reformer, helped found the Boy Scouts of America (b. 1858)
* January 13 – Arthur Barker, American criminal, son of Ma Barker (b. 1899)
* January 14
Events Pre-1600
*1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence.
*1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary.
1601–1900
*1639 – The "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Fundamenta ...
– Prince Valdemar of Denmark (b. 1858)
* January 15 – Kullervo Manner, Finnish Speaker of the Parliament of Finland, Speaker of the Parliament, the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic, Prime Minister of the FSWR and the Supreme Commander of the Red Guard (Finland), Red Guards (b. 1880)
* January 18 – Ivan Mosjoukine, Soviet actor (b. 1889)
* January 22 – Léopold Bernhard Bernstamm, Soviet sculptor (b. 1859)
* January 23 – Matthias Sindelar, Austrian footballer (b. 1903)
* January 24 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician, nutritionist (b. 1867)
* January 25
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate.
* 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty ...
– Helen Ware, American actress (b. 1877)
* January 28 – W. B. Yeats, Irish writer, 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
February
* February 1 – Lawrence Marston, American actor, playwright, and film director (b. 1857)
* February 2 – Vladimir Shukhov, Russian engineer, polymath, scientist and architect (b. 1853)
* February 3 – Janez Frančišek Gnidovec, Yugoslav Roman Catholic priest and venerable (b. 1873)
* February 4 – Edward Sapir, German-American anthropologist, linguist (b. 1884)
* February 5 – Teresa Mañé, Spanish teacher, editor and writer (b. 1865)
* February 6 – Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Maharada of Baroda (b. 1863)
* February 9 – Henry Balfour, British archaeologist (b. 1863)
* February 10
** Pope Pius XI (b. 1857)
** Patriarch Torkom Koushagian of Jerusalem (b. 1874)
* February 11 – Franz Schmidt (composer), Franz Schmidt, Austrian composer (b. 1874)
* February 12
** Potenciano Gregorio, Filipino musician (b. 1880)
** S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist (b. 1868)
* February 13 – Alexander Hamilton-Gordon (British Army officer, born 1859), Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon, British general (b. 1859)
* February 15 – Henri Jaspar, Belgian politician, 27th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1870)
* February 18 – Okamoto Kanoko, Japanese tanka poet (b. 1899)
* February 22 – Antonio Machado, Spanish poet (b. 1875)
* February 23 – Michael Knatchbull, 5th Baron Brabourne, British peer, soldier (b. 1895)
* February 26 – Ivan Fedko, Soviet army commander (b. 1897)
* February 27 – Nadezhda Krupskaya, Russians, Russian Marxist revolutionary, Vladimir Lenin's widow (b. 1869)
March
* March 2 – Howard Carter, British archaeologist (b. 1874)
* March 3 – Dimitrie Gerota, Romanian anatomist, physician (b. 1867)
* March 5 – Herbert Mundin, British actor (b. 1898)
* March 6
** Ginepro Cocchi, Italian Roman Catholic priest and Servant of God (b. 1908)
** Patriarch Miron of Romania, Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian cleric, politician, priest and 38th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1868)
* March 7 – Matvei Berman, Soviet intelligence officer (b. 1898)
* March 13 – Lucien Lévy-Bruhl, French sociologist, anthropologist (b. 1857)
* March 14 – Agostino Borgato, Italian actor, director (b. 1871)
* March 21 – Avril de Sainte-Croix, French author, journalist (b. 1855)
* March 23 – Abd al-Rahim al-Hajj Muhammad, Palestinian revolutionary (b. 1892)
* March 27 – Ferdinand von Quast, German general (b. 1850)
* March 28
** Carlos Manuel de Cespedes y Quesada, Cuban diplomat, politician, writer and 6th President of Cuba (b. 1871)
** Mario Lertora, Italian artistic gymnast in the 1924 Summer Olympics (b. 1897)
* March 29 – Gerardo Machado, Cuban general, 5th President of Cuba (b. 1871)
* March 31 – Ioannis Tsangaridis, Greek general (b. 1887)
April
* April 4
** King Ghazi of Iraq (b. 1912)
** Joaquín García Morato, Spanish fighter ace (b. 1904)
* April 7 – Joseph Lyons, 10th Prime Minister of Australia, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1879)
* April 15 – Konstantin Petrovich Grigorovich, Soviet engineer, professor (b. 1886)
* April 18
** Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair, British writer, philanthropist (b. 1857)
** Hugo Charlemont, Austrian painter (b. 1850)
* April 19
** Lucilio de Albuquerque, Brazilian painter (b. 1877)
** János Vaszary, Hungarian painter and graphic artist (b. 1867)
* April 20 – Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria (b. 1866)
* April 22 – Leandro Campanari, Italian conductor, composer and violinist (b. 1859)
* April 25
** John Foulds, British classical music composer (b. 1880)
** Georges Ricard-Cordingley, French painter (b. 1873)
* April 27 – José Gola, Argentinian actor (b. 1904)
* April 28 – Archduke Leo Karl of Austria (b. 1893)
May
* May 1 – Bautista Saavedra , 29th President of Bolivia (b. 1870)
* May 2 – Phillips Smalley, American actor, director (b. 1875)
* May 3 – Wilhelm Groener, German general (b. 1867)
* May 4 – James A. Johnson (architect), James A. Johnson, American architect (b. 1865)
* May 7 – Francesco Paleari, Italian priest and blessed (b. 1863)
* May 9 – Mary, Lady Heath, Irish aviator (b. 1896)
* May 10 – James Parrott, American actor (b. 1898)
* May 13 – Victor Bernau, Norwegian actor, director (b. 1890)
* May 18
**Charles deForest Chandler, American military aviator (b. 1878)
**Tang Juwu, Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1892)
* May 19 – Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Turkish politician, author and writer (b. 1869)
* May 20
** Joseph Carr, 2nd president of the National Football League (b. 1880)
** Alexandra Čvanová, Czechoslovakian soprano (b. 1897)
* May 22 – Ernst Toller, German playwright, Communist politician (b. 1893)
* May 23 – Witmer Stone, American ornithologist, botanist (b. 1866)
* May 24 – Aleksander Brückner, German scholar (b. 1856)
* May 25 – Álvaro Casanova Zenteno, Chilean painter (b. 1857)
* May 25 – Frank Watson Dyson, British astronomer (b. 1868)
* May 27 – Alfred A. Cunningham, American aviator, the first United States Marine Corps aviator (b. 1882)
* May 29 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish Roman Catholic religious professed and saint (b. 1865)
* May 30 – Floyd Roberts, American race car driver (b. 1900)
June
* June 4 – Tommy Ladnier, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1900) * June 6 ** George Fawcett, American actor (b. 1860) ** Constantin Noe, Megleno-Romanian editor and professor (b. 1883) * June 9 – Owen Moore, American actor (b. 1886) * June 15 – Nicolae M. Condiescu, Romanian novelist and general (b. 1880) * June 16 – Chick Webb, American musician (b. 1905) * June 17 – Eugen Weidmann, German serial killer, last person publicly executed in France (b. 1908) * June 19 – Grace Abbott, American social worker, activist (b. 1878) * June 22 – Benjamin Tucker, American anarchist (b. 1854) * June 23 – Ernest Alexander Cruikshank, Canadian general (b. 1859) * June 25 – Richard Seaman, British motor racing driver (b. 1913) * June 26 – Ford Madox Ford, British writer (b. 1873) * June 27 – Margaret Campbell, American actress (b. 1883) * June 28 – Bobby Vernon, American actor (b. 1898) * June 30 – Eduardo Lopez Bustamante, Venezuelan poet, lawyer and journalist (b. 1881)July
* July 3 – Juan José Gárate, Spanish painter (b. 1869)
* July 4 – Louis Wain, English artist (b. 1860)
* July 5 – Malietoa Tanumafili I, King of Samoa (b. 1879)
* July 7 – Deacon White, American baseball player, MLB Hall of Famer (b. 1847)
* July 8
** Havelock Ellis, British sexologist (b. 1859)
** Anna Pappritz, German writer, suffragist (b. 1861)
* July 9
** Carlo Chiostri, Italian painter (b. 1863)
** Alphonse Laurencic, French painter, architect (b. 1902)
* July 11 – Stiliyan Kovachev, Bulgarian general (b. 1860)
* July 14 – Alphonse Mucha, Czech painter, decorative artist (b. 1860)
* July 17 – María del Carmen González-Valerio, Spanish Roman Catholic saint (b. 1930)
* July 19 – Rose Hartwick Thorpe, American poet (b. 1850)
* July 20
** Judy Chicago, American feminist artist
** Joseph Mendes da Costa, Dutch sculptor (b. 1863)
* July 23 – Jack Duffy (actor), Jack Duffy, American actor (b. 1882)
* July 26 – William Mackay (artist), William Mackay, American artist (b. 1876)
* July 27 – Stanisław Baczyński, Polish writer, journalist and soldier (b. 1890)
August
* August 2 – Harvey Spencer Lewis, American mystic (b. 1883)
* August 6
** Mehmet Emin Çolakoğlu, Turkish army general (b. 1878)
** Monroe Dunaway Anderson, American founder of Anderson, Clayton and Company; "Father of Texas Medical Center" (b. 1873)
* August 10 – Carlo Galimberti, Italian Olympic weightlifter (b. 1894)
* August 11 – Jean Bugatti, German automobile designer (b. 1909)
* August 12 – Eulalio Gutiérrez, President of Mexico (b. 1881)
* August 23
** Sidney Howard, American writer (b. 1891)
** Germán Busch , 36th President of Bolivia (b. 1903)
* August 25 – Arthur Asquith, British general (b. 1883)
* August 26 – Rubén González Cárdenas, Venezuelan lawyer (b. 1875)
* August 29 – Marthe de Florian, French painter (b. 1864)
* August 31 – Richard Bouwens van der Boijen, French architect (b. 1863)
September
* September 6 – Arthur Rackham, British artist (b. 1867)
* September 8 – Swami Abhedananda, Indian mystic (b. 1866)
* September 10 – Wilhelm Fritz von Roettig, German Waffen SS general, first general killed in action during World War II (b. 1888)
* September 12
**Fyodor Raskolnikov, Soviet revolutionary, writer, journalist, naval commander, and diplomat (assassinated) (b. 1892)
**Eliodoro Villazón, 27th President of Bolivia (b. 1848)
* September 16
** Józef Kustroń, Polish general (killed in action) (b. 1892)
** Nikolaos Triantafyllakos, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1855)
** Otto Wels, German politician, chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) (b. 1873)
* September 18 – Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Polish writer, painter (b. 1885)
* September 20
** Paul Bruchesi, Canadian prelate (b. 1855)
** Hermann Brunn, German mathematician (b. 1862)
** Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin, French astronomer (b. 1865)
* September 21 – Armand Călinescu, Romanian economist, politician and 39th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1893)
* September 22
** Mikołaj Bołtuć, Polish army general (killed in battle) (b. 1893)
** Józef Olszyna-Wilczyński, Polish general (b. 1890)
** Werner von Fritsch, German general (killed in action) (b. 1880)
* September 23
** Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychoanalyst (b. 1856)
** Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, Polish painter (b. 1873)
** Francisco León de la Barra, Mexican diplomat, political figure, and acting President of Mexico (b. 1863)
* September 24
** Danilo, Crown Prince of Montenegro (b. 1871)
** Carl Laemmle, German film producer (b. 1867)
October
* October 2 – Edgar M. Lazarus, American architect (b. 1868)
* October 3 – Fay Templeton, American musical comedy star (b. 1865)
* October 6 – Giulio Gavotti, Italian aviator (b. 1882)
* October 7 – Harvey Cushing, American neurosurgeon (b. 1869)
* October 8 – Gustav Henriksen, Norwegian executive (b. 1872)
* October 13 – Ford Sterling, American actor (b. 1882)
* October 14 – Polaire, French actress (b. 1874)
* October 23
**Zane Grey, American writer (b. 1872)
**Liao Lei (general), Liao Lei, Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1890)
* October 28 – Alice Brady, American actress (b. 1892)
* October 30 – Carlos De Valdez, Peruvian actor (b. 1894)
* October 31
** Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, German field marshal (b. 1865)
** Otto Rank, Austrian psychoanalyst (b. 1884)
November
* November 1 – Kálmán Darányi, 31st Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1886)
* November 4
** Percy Douglas, Sir Percy Douglas, chairman of the British Graham Land Expedition (BGLE) Advisory Committee (b. 1876)
** Ma Xiangbo, Chinese Jesuit priest and blessed (b. 1840)
* November 7 – Kirsti Suonio, Finnish actress (b. 1872)
* November 10 – Charlotte Despard, Anglo-Irish suffragist, socialist, pacifist, Sinn Féin activist, and novelist
* November 11 – Alicja Kotowska, Polish Roman Catholic nun, martyr and blessed (b. 1899)
* November 12 – Norman Bethune, Canadian humanitarian (b. 1890)
* November 13 – Lois Weber, American actress (b. 1881)
* November 15
**Platon Ivanovich Ivanov, Soviet-born Finnish civil servant (b. 1863)
* November 17 – Aurelio Mosquera, Ecuadorian politician, 25th President of Ecuador (b. 1883)
* November 21 – Émile Guépratte, French admiral (b. 1856)
* November 22 – King Daudi Cwa II of Buganda (b. 1896)
* November 24 – John Harron, American actor (b. 1903)
* November 28 – James Naismith, Canadian inventor of basketball (b. 1861) He was 78 years old.
* November 29
** Eugen Kolisko, Austrian-born German physician, educator (b. 1893)
** Józef Krasnowolski, Polish painter (b. 1879)
** Philipp Scheidemann, German politician, 11th Chancellor of Germany (German Reich), Chancellor of Germany (b. 1865)
December
* December 3 – Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, second youngest daughter of Queen Victoria (b. 1848)
* December 5 – Santiago Iglesias, Puerto Rican statesman (b. 1872)
* December 8
** Alimondo Ciampi, Italian sculptor (b. 1876)
** Jean Grave, French anarchist (b. 1854)
* December 12 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor, father of Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (b. 1883)
* December 14 – Helene Kröller-Müller, Dutch museum founder and art collector (b. 1869)
* December 16 – Juan Demóstenes Arosemena, 18th President of Panama (b. 1879)
* December 18 – Bruno Liljefors, Swedish artist (b. 1860)
* December 19
** Dmitry Grave, Soviet mathematician (b. 1863)
** Reginald F. Nicholson, United States Navy admiral (b. 1852)
* December 20 – Hans Langsdorff, German naval officer (suicide) (b. 1894)
* December 22 – Ma Rainey, African-American blues singer (b. 1886)
* December 23
** Anthony Fokker, Dutch-born American aircraft manufacturer (b. 1890)
** Maxime Laubeuf, French maritime engineer (b. 1864)
* December 24 – Walter Gordon (physicist), Walter Gordon, German physicist (b. 1893)
* December 25 – Ivan Dmitriyevich Borisov, Soviet aircraft pilot (b. 1913)
* December 27 – Rinaldo Cuneo, American artist ("the painter of San Francisco") (b. 1877)
* December 31 – Frank Benson (actor), Sir Frank Benson, British actor (b. 1858)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Ernest Lawrence * Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Adolf Friedrich Johann Butenandt, Leopold Ružička * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – Gerhard Domagk * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Frans Eemil Sillanpää * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – not awardedReferences
External links
1939 WWII Timeline
– from American Studies Programs at The University of Virginia
Paula Phelan, 1939 Into The Dark, 2009, ZAPmedia.
{{Authority control 1939,