Events
Below, the events 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 opposing ...
have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*
January–
August
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...
– 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at
Hadamar Euthanasia Centre
The Hadamar killing centre (german: NS-Tötungsanstalt Hadamar) was a killing facility involved in the Nazi "involuntary euthanasia" programme known as ''Aktion T4''. It was housed within a psychiatric hospital located in the German town of Had ...
in
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 ...
, in the first phase of mass killings under the
Action T4
(German, ) was a campaign of mass murder by involuntary euthanasia in Nazi Germany. The term was first used in post-war trials against doctors who had been involved in the killings. The name T4 is an abbreviation of 4, a street address of t ...
program here.
*
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 ...
–
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
's Prime Minister
Plaek Phibunsongkhram decrees January 1 as the official start of the
Thai solar calendar
The Thai solar calendar ( th, ปฏิทินสุริยคติ, , "solar calendar") was adopted by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1888 CE as the Siamese version of the Gregorian calendar, replacing the Thai lunar calendar as the lega ...
new year (thus the previous year that began
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Ko ...
had only 9 months).
*
January 3 – A decree (''Normalschrifterlass'') promulgated in
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 ...
by
Martin Bormann, on behalf of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, requires replacement of
blackletter typeface
A typeface (or font family) is the design of lettering that can include variations in size, weight (e.g. bold), slope (e.g. italic), width (e.g. condensed), and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font.
There are thousands o ...
s by
Antiqua.
*
January 4 – The short subject ''
Elmer's Pet Rabbit
''Elmer's Pet Rabbit'' is a 1941 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on January 4, 1941, and features Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny.
This is the first cartoon in which the name Bugs Bunny is giv ...
'' is released, marking the second appearance of
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring role ...
, and also the first to have his name on a title card.
*
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; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
* 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French a ...
– WWII:
Battle of Bardia
The Battle of Bardia was fought between 3 and 5 January 1941, as part of Operation Compass, the first British military operation of the Western Desert campaign of the Second World War. It was the first battle of the war in which an Australian ...
in
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
: Australian and British troops defeat
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
forces, the first battle of the war in which an
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...
formation takes part.
*
January 6
** During his
State of the Union address,
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
presents his
Four Freedoms
The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Monday, January 6, 1941. In an address known as the Four Freedoms speech (technically the 1941 State of the Union address), he proposed four fundamental freed ...
, as fundamental global
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
.
** The keel of battleship is laid at the
New York Navy Yard in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
*
January 10 – The
Lend-Lease Act is introduced into the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
.
*
January 11
Events Pre-1600
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
* 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muha ...
– WWII: The British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
light cruiser is bombed, catches fire and has to be sunk off
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, with the loss of 81 crew.
*
January 13 – All persons born in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
since this day are declared U.S. citizens by birth, through U.S. federal law.
*
January 14
** WWII:
Commerce raiding
Commerce raiding (french: guerre de course, "war of the chase"; german: Handelskrieg, "trade war") is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than en ...
German auxiliary cruiser ''Pinguin'' captures the Norwegian whaling fleet near
Bouvet Island
Bouvet Island ( ; or ''Bouvetøyen'') is an island claimed by Norway, and declared an uninhabited protected nature reserve. It is a subantarctic volcanic island, situated in the South Atlantic Ocean at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic R ...
, effectively ending
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...
whaling
Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution.
It was practiced as an organized industr ...
for the duration of the war.
** In a BBC radio broadcast from London,
Victor de Laveleye asks all Belgians to use the letter "V" as a rallying sign, being the first letter of ''victoire'' (victory) in French and of ''vrijheid'' (freedom) in Dutch. This is the beginning of the "V campaign" which sees "V" graffities on the walls of Belgium and later all of Europe and introduces the use of the "
V sign
The ''V sign'' is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted to make a V shape while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the circumstances and how it is presented.
When displa ...
" for victory and freedom.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
adopts the sign soon afterwards, though he sometimes gets it the wrong way around and uses the common insult gesture.
*
January 15 –
John Vincent Atanasoff
John Vincent Atanasoff, , (October 4, 1903 – June 15, 1995) was an American physicist and inventor from mixed Bulgarian-Irish origin, best known for being credited with inventing the first electronic digital computer.
Atanasoff invented the ...
and
Clifford Berry
Clifford Edward Berry (April 19, 1918 – October 30, 1963) helped John Vincent Atanasoff create the first digital electronic computer in 1939, the Atanasoff–Berry computer (ABC).
Biography
Clifford Berry was born April 19, 1918, in Gladbr ...
describe the workings of the
Atanasoff–Berry computer in print.
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrend ...
– WWII: British troops attack Italian-held
Eritrea in Africa.
*
January 20 –
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
is
sworn in for a third term as President of the United States.
*
January 22
** WWII:
Battle of Tobruk: Australian and British forces capture
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...
from the Italians.
** In
Sweden,
Victor Hasselblad
Victor Hasselblad (8 March 1906 – 5 August 1978) was a Swedish inventor and photographer, known for inventing the Hasselblad 6x6 cm medium format (film), medium format camera.
Life and work
Hasselblad was born in Gothenburg. In 1940 Swedish ...
registers the
Hasselblad
Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium format cameras, photographic equipment and image scanners based in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company originally became known for its classic analog medium-format cameras that used a waist ...
Camera Company.
*
January 23
Events Pre-1600
* 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor.
* 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao.
*1264 & ...
– Aviator
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...
testifies before the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
, and recommends that the United States negotiate a
neutrality pact with
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
.
*
January 27 – WWII:
Joseph Grew
Joseph Clark Grew (May 27, 1880 – May 25, 1965) was an American career diplomat and Foreign Service officer. He is best known as the ambassador to Japan from 1932 to 1941 and as a high official in the State Department in Washington from 1944 to ...
, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, reports to Washington a rumor overheard at a diplomatic reception, concerning a planned surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
*
January 28
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany.
* 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accession ...
–
Subhas Chandra Bose, the chief of Indian national Army, reaches Kabul, Afghanistan by successfully evading the British authorities in British India.
*
January 30 – WWII: Australians capture
Derna, Libya
Derna (; ar, درنة ') is a port city in eastern Libya. It has a population of 85,000–90,000. It was the seat of one of the wealthiest provinces in the Barbary States, and remains the capital of the Derna District, with a much smaller area. ...
, from the Italians.
February
*
February 3 – WWII: The
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
forcibly restore
Pierre Laval
Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. During the Third Republic, he served as Prime Minister of France from 27 January 1931 to 20 February 1932 and 7 June 1935 to 24 January 1936. He again occ ...
to the office of Prime Minister in occupied
Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its te ...
.
*
February 4 – WWII: The
United Service Organization
The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
(USO) is created to entertain American troops.
*
February 5 – The
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...
is formed in the United Kingdom.
*
February 5–
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Ko ...
– WWII:
Battle of Keren
The Battle of Keren ( it, Battaglia di Cheren) took place from 3 February to 27 March 1941. Keren was attacked by the British during the East African Campaign of the Second World War. A force of Italian regular and colonial troops defended th ...
– British and
Free French Forces
__NOTOC__
The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...
fight hard to capture the strategic town of
Keren, in
Italian Eritrea.
*
February 6 – WWII:
Benghazi falls to the
Western Desert Force
The Western Desert Force (WDF) was a British Army formation active in Egypt during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War.
On 17 June 1940, the headquarters of the British 6th Infantry Division was designated as the Western Des ...
. Lieutenant-General
Erwin Rommel is appointed commander of
Afrika Korps
The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...
.
*
February 8
Events Pre-1600
* 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
*1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.
* 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al ...
– WWII: The U.S. House of Representatives passes the
Lend-Lease Act.
*
February 9
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
* 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
*1539 – The first recorded race is held ...
–
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
, in a worldwide broadcast, tells the United States to show its support by sending arms to the British: "Give us the tools, and we will finish the job."
*
February 12
Events Pre-1600
*1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie performed the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna.
*1429 – English forces under ...
** WWII:
Erwin Rommel arrives in
Tripoli
Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to:
Cities and other geographic units Greece
*Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
.
** Reserve Constable
Albert Alexander, a patient at the
Radcliffe Infirmary in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, England, becomes the first person treated with
penicillin intravenously, by
Howard Florey's team. He reacts positively, but there is insufficient supply of the drug to reverse his terminal infection. A successful treatment is achieved during May.
*
February 13 – Aircraft from attack
Massawa in Eritrea.
*
February 14 – WWII: Admiral
Kichisaburō Nomura
was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and was the List of ambassadors of Japan to the United States, ambassador to the United States at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Early life and career
Nomura was born in Wakayama, Wakayama, ...
begins his duties as Japanese Ambassador to the United States.
*
February 19–
22 – WWII:
Three Nights' Blitz over
Swansea, South Wales: Over these 3 nights of intensive bombing, which lasts a total of 13 hours and 48 minutes, Swansea's town centre is almost completely obliterated by the 896 high explosive bombs employed by the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
; 397 casualties and 230 deaths are reported.
*
February 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Ferd ...
– WWII: bombards
Barawa
Barawa ( so, Baraawe, Maay: ''Barawy'', ar, ﺑﺮﺍﻭة ''Barāwa''), also known as Barawe and Brava, is the capital of the South West State of Somalia.Pelizzari, Elisa. "Guerre civile et question de genre en Somalie. Les événements et le ...
, on the coast between
Kismayo
Kismayo ( so, Kismaayo, Maay: ''Kismanyy'', ar, كيسمايو, ; it, Chisimaio) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.
The city is situa ...
and
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...
.
*
February 23 –
Glenn T. Seaborg
Glenn Theodore Seaborg (; April 19, 1912February 25, 1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements earned him a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work i ...
isolates and discovers
plutonium
Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...
.
*
February 25 – WWII:
** The occupied
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
starts the first popular uprising in Europe against the
Axis powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
, the "
February strike
The February strike ( nl, Februaristaking) was a general strike in the German-occupied Netherlands in 1941, during World War II, organised by the then-outlawed Communist Party of the Netherlands in defence of persecuted Dutch Jews and against t ...
" against German
deportation
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
of Jews in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
and surroundings.
** British submarine attacks an Italian convoy, sinking the
cruiser ''Armando Diaz''.
*
February 27 – WWII: The
New Zealand Division
The New Zealand Division was an infantry division of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force raised for service in the First World War. It was formed in Egypt in early 1916 when the New Zealand and Australian Division was renamed after the detachmen ...
cruiser
HMS ''Leander'' (1931) sinks Italian armed merchant raider ''
Ramb I
The Italian ship ''Ramb I'' was a pre-war "banana boat" converted to an auxiliary cruiser in World War II. ''Ramb I'' operated as an armed merchant in the Red Sea and was ordered to sail to Japan after the fall of Massawa to the Allies. She wa ...
'' off the
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
.
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
** WWII:
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
signs the
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact, also known as the Berlin Pact, was an agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan signed in Berlin on 27 September 1940 by, respectively, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Galeazzo Ciano and Saburō Kurusu. It was a defensive milit ...
, thus joining the
Axis powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
.
**
Arthur L. Bristol becomes Rear Admiral for the United States Navy's Support Force,
Atlantic Fleet.
*
March 4
Events Pre-1600
*AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).
* 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
* 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...
– WWII:
Operation Claymore
Operation Claymore was a British commando raid on the Norwegian Lofoten Islands during the Second World War. The Lofoten Islands were an important centre for the production of fish oil and glycerine, used in the German war economy. The landing ...
– British Commandos carry out a successful raid on the
Lofoten Islands
Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvæ ...
, off the north coast of Norway.
*
March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bou ...
– WWII: The U.S. Senate passes the
Lend-Lease Act.
*
March 11
Events Pre-1600
* 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.
* 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the ven ...
– WWII:
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, President of the United States, signs the Lend-Lease Act into law, providing for the U.S. to provide
Lend-Lease aid to the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
.
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
*474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
* 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odo ...
–
Richard C. Hottelet is arrested by the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
on "suspicion of espionage", but eventually released in July as part of a
prisoner exchange
A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners: prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc. Sometimes, dead bodies are involved in an exchange.
Geneva Conventions
Under the Geneva Conven ...
with the U.S.
*
March 16
Events Pre-1600
* 934 – Meng Zhixiang declares himself emperor and establishes Later Shu as a new state independent of Later Tang.
*1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York.
* 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse ...
– A group of U.S. warships arrive in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
, New Zealand, on a goodwill visit. On March 20, they arrive in
Sydney, Australia.
*
March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ei ...
** In
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, the
National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
.
** British
Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...
Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader, and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union in the years 1922–194 ...
calls for women to fill vital jobs.
*
March 22
Events Pre-1600
* 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
* 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century.
* 871 – Æthelr ...
–
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
state's
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. Constructed between 1933 and 1942, Grand Coulee originally had two powerh ...
begins to generate electricity.
*
March 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6.
*1387 – English victory over a Franco- Castilian-Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margate o ...
– WWII: Rommel launches his first offensive in
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...
.
*
March 25 – WWII: The
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...
joins the
Axis powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
*
March 27
Events Pre-1600
*1309 – Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
* 1329 – Pope John XXII ...
– WWII:
**
Battle of Cape Matapan
The Battle of Cape Matapan ( el, Ναυμαχία του Ταινάρου) was a naval battle during the Second World War between the Allies, represented by the navies of the United Kingdom and Australia, and the Royal Italian navy, from 27 t ...
: Off the
Peloponnese coast in the Mediterranean,
British naval forces defeat those of Italy, sinking 5 warships (the battle ends on
March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
).
**
Yugoslav coup d'état: An anti-Axis coup d'état in the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...
led by General
Dušan Simović
Dušan Simović (; 28 October 1882 – 26 August 1962) was a Yugoslav Serb army general who served as Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army and as the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia in 1940–1941.
Biography
Simović, born o ...
, Brigadier General
Borivoje Mirković, Colonels Dragutin Savić and Stjepan Burazović, Colonel General Miodrag Lazić,
Milorad Petrović
Milorad Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Милорад Петровић; 18 April 188212 June 1981) was an ''Army general (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Armijski đeneral'' (lieutenant general) in the Royal Yugoslav Army who commanded the 1st Army Group (Yugosla ...
and many other general officers (with British support) forces
Prince Paul into exile; 17-year-old
King Peter II assumes power following the coup and
Simović Simović ( sr, Симовић, uk, Сімович) is a Serbo-Croatian and Ukrainian surname, a patronymic derived from given name '' Simo''. It is historically anglicized into ''Simovich''. It may refer to:
* Aleksandar Simović, co-conspirator ...
is elected new
Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.
**
Japanese spy
Takeo Yoshikawa arrives in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, to study the
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor ...
at
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...
, in preparation for a future attack.
*
March 30
Events Pre-1600
* 598 – Balkan Campaign: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro- Slavic hordes are decimated by the plague.
*1282 &ndash ...
– WWII:
** All German, Italian and Danish ships anchored in United States waters are taken into "protective custody".
** A German
Lorenz cipher
The Lorenz SZ40, SZ42a and SZ42b were German rotor stream cipher machines used by the German Army during World War II. They were developed by C. Lorenz AG in Berlin. The model name ''SZ'' was derived from ''Schlüssel-Zusatz'', meaning ''cipher ...
machine operator sends a 4,000-character message twice, allowing British mathematician
Bill Tutte
William Thomas Tutte OC FRS FRSC (; 14 May 1917 – 2 May 2002) was an English and Canadian codebreaker and mathematician. During the Second World War, he made a brilliant and fundamental advance in cryptanalysis of the Lorenz cipher, a majo ...
to decipher the machine's coding mechanism.
April
*
April
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days.
April is commonly associated with ...
– The
Valley of Geysers
The Valley of Geysers (russian: Долина гейзеров) is a geyser field on Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, and has the second largest concentration of geysers in the world. This basin with approximately ninety geysers and many hot springs i ...
is discovered on the
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and w ...
of Russia, by
Tatyana Ustinova
Tatyana Ustinova (November 14, 1913, Alushta — September 4, 2009, Vancouver) was a Soviet geologist, who discovered Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka.
Biography
Tatyana Ustinova graduated from Kharkiv University and subsequently worked on proj ...
.
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Ko ...
–
A military coup d'état, launched by
Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani
Rashid Ali al-Gaylaniin Arab standard pronunciation Rashid Aali al-Kaylani; also transliterated as Sayyid Rashid Aali al-Gillani, Sayyid Rashid Ali al-Gailani or sometimes Sayyad Rashid Ali el Keilany (" Sayyad" serves to address higher standing ...
, overthrows the pro-British regime in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
.
*
April 4 – WWII: Axis forces capture
Benghazi.
*
April 6
Events Pre–1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus.
* 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.
*13 ...
– WWII: Germany
invades Yugoslavia and the
Battle of Greece begins.
*
April 9
Events Pre-1600
* 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, su ...
– The U.S. acquires full military defense rights in
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...
.
*
April 10
Events Pre-1600
* 428 – Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.
* 837 – Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles).
* 140 ...
– WWII:
** U.S. destroyer , while picking up survivors from a sunken Dutch freighter, drops depth charges on a German
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
(the first "shot in anger" fired by America against Germany).
** The
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...
, a
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.Compare: Puppet states have nominal sove ...
of the
Axis powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
, is established with
Ustashe leader
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, l ...
as head (''
Poglavnik
() was the title used by Ante Pavelić, leader of the World War II Croatian movement Ustaše and of the Independent State of Croatia between 1941 and 1945.
Etymology and usage
The word was first recorded in a 16th-century dictionary compiled ...
'') of the government.
*
April 12
Events Pre-1600
* 240 – Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I.
* 467 – Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 627 – King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to ...
– WWII: German troops enter
Belgrade.
*
April 13 – The
Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact is signed.
*
April 15
Events Pre-1600
* 769 – The Lateran Council ends by condemning the Council of Hieria and anathematizing its iconoclastic rulings.
* 1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscar ...
– WWII: Axis forces reach
Halfaya Pass
Halfaya Pass ( ar, ممر حلفيا, translit=Mamarr Ḥalfayā ) is in northwest Egypt, 11.5 kilometres east of the border with Libya and 7.5 kilometres south of the other, more major pass in the ridge today. A high, narrow escarpment extends ...
, on the Libyan-Egyptian frontier.
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
– WWII:
** The Yugoslav Royal Army capitulates.
** Greek Prime Minister
Alexandros Koryzis
Alexandros Koryzis ( el, Αλέξανδρος Κορυζής; 1885 – 18 April 1941) was a Greek politician who served briefly as the prime minister of Greece in 1941.
Career
Koryzis assumed this role on 29 January 1941, when his predecessor, ...
commits suicide as German troops approach
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
.
*
April 19
Events Pre-1600
* AD 65 – The freedman Milichus betrays Piso's plot to kill the Emperor Nero and all the conspirators are arrested.
* 531 – Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army under Belisarius is defeated by the Persi ...
–
Bertolt Brecht's anti-war play ''
Mother Courage and Her Children
''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrica ...
'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder) receives its first theatrical production, at the
Schauspielhaus Zürich
The Schauspielhaus Zürich ( en, Zürich playhouse) is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the German-speaking world. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" (Peacock Stage). The large theatre has 750 seats. The also operates three s ...
.
*
April 21 – WWII: Greece capitulates.
Commonwealth troops and some elements of the
Greek Army
The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...
withdraw to
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
.
*
April 23 – The
America First Committee
The America First Committee (AFC) was the foremost United States isolationist pressure group against American entry into World War II. Launched in September 1940, it surpassed 800,000 members in 450 chapters at its peak. The AFC principally supp ...
holds its first mass rally in New York City, with
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...
as keynote speaker.
*
April 25
Events Pre-1600
*404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion.
* 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the ...
–
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, at his regular press conference, criticizes Charles Lindbergh by comparing him to the
Copperheads of the Civil War period. In response, Lindbergh resigns his commission in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve on
April 28
Events Pre-1600
* 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...
.
*
April 27 – WWII: German troops enter
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
.
*
April 28
Events Pre-1600
* 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...
–
World War II persecution of Serbs
The Genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Genocid nad Srbima u Nezavisnoj Državi Hrvatskoj, separator=" / ", Геноцид над Србима у Независној Држави Хрватској) was the sys ...
:
Gudovac massacre
The Gudovac massacre was the mass killing of around 190 Bjelovar Serbs by the Croatian nationalist Ustaše movement on 28 April 1941, during World War II. The massacre occurred shortly after the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia and the e ...
– Members of the
Croatian nationalist
Croatian nationalism is nationalism that asserts the nationality of Croats and promotes the cultural unity of Croats.
Modern Croatian nationalism first arose in the 19th century after Budapest exerted increasing pressure for Magyarization of Cro ...
Ustashe movement kill around 190
Bjelovar
Bjelovar ( hu, Belovár, german: Bellowar, Kajkavian: ''Belovar'') is a city in central Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Bjelovar-Bilogora County. At the 2021 census, there were 36,433 inhabitants, of whom 93.06% were Croats.
Histor ...
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
in the village of
Gudovac
Gudovac is a village in Croatia. It lies near to Bjelovar and about east of the Croatian capital of Zagreb.
Gudovac was first settled during the Middle Ages and had an ethnically mixed population through much of its history. In 1931, Gudovac ha ...
, in the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...
.
May
*
May 1
Events Pre-1600
* 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
* 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
*1169 – N ...
** The breakfast cereal ''
Cheerios
Cheerios is a brand of cereal manufactured by General Mills in the United States, consisting of pulverized oats in the shape of a solid torus. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Cheerios is marketed by Cereal Partners under the ...
'' is introduced as ''
CheeriOats'' by
General Mills
General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
in the United States.
**
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
' film ''
Citizen Kane'' premieres in New York City.
** The first Defense Bonds and Defense Savings Stamps go on sale in the United States, to help fund the greatly increased production of military equipment.
*
May 2
Events Pre-1600
* 1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter.
*1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
* 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprison ...
– Anglo-Iraqi War: British combat operations against the rebel government of Rashid Ali al-Gaylani, Rashid Ali in the Kingdom of Iraq begin.
* May 5 – WWII: Emperor Haile Selassie enters Addis Ababa, which has been liberated from Italian forces; this date is subsequently commemorated as Liberation Day in Ethiopia.
* May 6 – At California's March Air Reserve Base, March Field, entertainer Bob Hope performs his first United Service Organizations, USO Show.
* May 8 – WWII: The
German auxiliary cruiser ''Pinguin'' is sunk by in the Indian Ocean; 555 are killed.
* May 9 – WWII: is captured by the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. On board is the latest Enigma cryptography machine, which Allied cryptographers later use to break coded German messages.
* May 10
** WWII: The British House of Commons is damaged by the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
, in an Airstrike, air raid on London.
** Rudolf Hess parachutes into Scotland, claiming to be on a peace mission.
* May 11/May 12 – WWII: The Ustaše Glina massacres#First massacre, massacre 260–373 Serb men in a Catholic church in Glina, Croatia, where the men have assembled to be received into the Catholic faith in exchange for their lives.
* May 12 – Konrad Zuse presents the Z3 (computer), Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.
* May 13 – WWII: Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav General Draža Mihailović and a group of 80 soldiers and officers cross the Drina river in Bosnia and Herzegovina, arrive at Ravna Gora (Suvobor), Ravna Gora, in western Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, Nazi-occupied Serbia and start fighting with German occupation troops.
* May 15
** The first British jet aircraft, the Gloster E.28/39, is flown.
** Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak begins, as the New York Yankees' center fielder goes 1 for 4 against Chicago White Sox pitcher Eddie Smith (pitcher), Eddie Smith in baseball.
* May 19 – The Viet Minh is formed at Pác Bó in Vietnam, to overthrow French colonial empire, French rule of the nation, as an alliance between the Indochina Communist party, led by Ho Chi Minh, and the Nationalist party. It will become the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.
* May 20 – WWII: The Battle of Crete begins, as Germany launches an airborne invasion of
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
, the first mainly airborne invasion in military history.
* May 21 – sinks the U.S.-flagged off the west African coast, having allowed the passengers and crew to disembark.
* May 24 – WWII:
** In the North Atlantic, sinks battlecruiser , killing all but 3 crewmen, from a total of 1,418 aboard the pride of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
.
** British submarine torpedoes and sinks Italian ocean liner .
* May 26 – WWII: In the North Atlantic, Fairey Swordfish aircraft from the carrier cripple the steering of in an aerial torpedo attack.
* May 27
** WWII:
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, President of the United States, proclaims an "unlimited national emergency."
** WWII: German battleship Bismarck, German battleship ''Bismarck'' is sunk in the North Atlantic, killing 2,300. It is eventually found in 1989.
** The Swiss Socialist Federation is banned.
* May 29 – The Disney animators' strike occurs, due to Walt Disney refusing to recognize his animators and their low pay.
* May 30 – WWII: Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas tear down the Nazi swastika on the Acropolis in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, and replace it with the Greek flag.
* May 31 – Anglo-Iraqi War: British troops complete the re-occupation of the Kingdom of Iraq, returning Prince 'Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II of Iraq, Faisal II.
June
* June 1 – WWII: The Battle of Crete ends, as Crete surrenders to invading German forces.
* June 4
** Guidelines for the Conduct of the Troops in Russia are issued by Nazi high-command through OKW. This order (a lesser known precursor to the Commisar Order) explicitly commands that Jews (in addition to Bolshevik partisans and Commisars) be killed. In a sense, this order--in combination with the Commissar Order about to be delivered, and Goring's instruction to Heydrich to look into logistics later in the month, that is mentioned at the beginning of the Wannsee Conference of the following year--inaugurates the The Holocaust, European Holocaust of the Jews.
* June 5
** Second Sino-Japanese War: Four thousand Chongqing residents are asphyxiated in a bomb shelter, during the Bombing of Chongqing.
** Smederevo Fortress explosion: A Serbian ammunition depot explodes at Smederevo on the outskirts of
Belgrade, Serbia, killing 2,500 and injuring over 4,500.
* June 6 – WWII: The Commissar Order is issued by ''Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'', requiring all Soviet political commissars identified in Operation Barbarossa among captured forces to receive summary execution.
* June 8 – WWII: British and Free France, Free French forces invade Syria.
* June 13 – Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union, TASS, the official Soviet news agency, denies reports of tension between Germany and the Soviet Union.
* June 14
** June deportation: Soviet Union, Soviet officials deport about 65,000 people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Siberia.
** All German and Italian assets in the United States are frozen.
* June 16
** All German and Italian consulates in the United States are ordered closed, and their staffs to leave the country by July 10.
** WWII: British Fleet Air Arm aircraft sink the Vichy France, Vichy ship French ship Chevalier Paul, ''Chevalier Paul''.
* June 18 – The German–Turkish Treaty of Friendship is signed between Nazi Germany and Turkey, in Ankara.
* June 20
** The United States Army Air Corps 1941 in aviation#June, becomes the United States Army Air Forces, with the earlier name reserved solely for the new USAAF's logistics and training elements.
** Walt Disney's live-action/animated feature ''The Reluctant Dragon (1941 film), The Reluctant Dragon'' is released.
* June 22
** WWII: Operation Barbarossa: Nazi Germany (with allies) invades the Soviet Union and German declaration of war on the Soviet Union, declares war on it.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
promises all possible British assistance to the Soviet Union in a worldwide broadcast: "Any man or state who fights against Nazidom will have our aid. Any man or state who marches with Hitler is our foe." Italy and Romania declare war on the Soviet Union.
** WWII: The First Sisak Partisan Brigade, the first anti-fascist armed unit in occupied Europe, is founded by Partisans (Yugoslavia), Yugoslav partisans near Sisak, Croatia.
** June Uprising in Lithuania: A Provisional Government of Lithuania is established by the Lithuanian Activist Front, in an attempt to liberate Lithuania from Occupation of the Baltic states, Soviet occupation.
** Rapid escalation of the Holocaust in Lithuania: Between now and the end of the year, an estimated 190,000-195,000 out of 210,000 Lithuanian Jews will be massacred, killing an estimated 95% of the nation's Jewish population.
** Rapid Vienna beats Schalke 04, in the final of the German ''Fottballchampionship'', after 0:3 with 4:3.
* June 23 – WWII: Hungary and Slovakia declare war on the Soviet Union.
* June 24
** The Soviet Information Bureau, predecessor of RIA Novosti, is founded.
** Rainiai massacre: Approximately 80 political prisoners are killed by the NKVD in Lithuania.
* June 25 – WWII: Finland (as a Co-belligerence, co-belligerent with Germany) attacks the Soviet Union, to start the Continuation War.
* June 28 – WWII: Albania declares war on the Soviet Union.
* June 28–June 30, 30 – Holocaust: The Iași pogrom takes place, killing "at least 13,266" Romanian Jews.
* June 29 – WWII: Hitler's second-in-command, Reichsmarshall Hermann Göring, is appointed as Hitler's successor in a written decree. The decree will come into effect, should Hitler die in the middle of the war. (The decree becomes void in April 1945, after Göring tries to assume power while Hitler is still alive, leading to Göring's expulsion from the Nazi Party.)
July
* July – The British Army's Special Air Service is formed.
* July 1
** Commercial television is authorized by the Federal Communications Commission in the United States.
*** NBC Television begins commercial operation on WNBT, on Channel 1. The world's first legal TV commercial, for Bulova watches, occurs at 2:29 PM over WNBT, before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. The 10-second spot displays a picture of a clock superimposed on a map of the United States, accompanied by the voice-over "America runs on Bulova time." As a one-off special, the first quiz show called "Uncle Bee" is telecast on WNBT's inaugural broadcast day, followed later the same day by Ralph Edwards hosting the second game show broadcast on U.S. television, ''Truth or Consequences'', as simulcast on radio and TV and sponsored by Ivory (soap), Ivory Soap. Weekly broadcasts of the show commence in 1956 in television, 1956, with Bob Barker.
*** CBS Television Network, CBS Television begins commercial operation on New York station WCBW (modern-day WCBS-TV), on Channel 2.
** WWII:
*** German forces capture Riga.
*** Germany and Italy recognize the Japanese-sponsored Reorganized National Government of China, Chinese reorganized national government under Wang Jingwei as the legitimate government of China.
* July 2 – WWII: The Empire of Japan calls up 1 million men for military service.
* July 3 – WWII: Joseph Stalin, in his first address since the German invasion, calls upon the Soviet people to carry out a "scorched earth" policy of resistance to the bitter end.
* July 4 – A Massacre of Lviv professors, massacre of Polish scientists and writers is committed by Nazi Germany, Nazi German troops, in the occupied Polish city of Lviv, Lwów.
* July 5 – WWII:
** Operation Barbarossa: German troops reach the Dnieper River.
** British troopship is torpedoed and sunk by in the Atlantic Ocean, with the loss of around 250 out of about 1,310 on board.
* July 5–July 31, 31: Ecuadorian–Peruvian War is fought.
* July 7
** Uprising in Serbia (1941), Uprising in Serbia: The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, Communist Party of Yugoslavia raises an uprising against the Nazi occupation, beginning when Žikica Jovanović Španac Bela Crkva incident, kill two gendarmes in the village of Bela Crkva (Krupanj), Bela Crkva,
** WWII: American forces take over the defense of Iceland from the British.
* July 10 – The Holocaust: Jedwabne pogrom: Local ethnic Poles massacre at least 340 Jewish residents of Jedwabne, in Occupation of Poland (1939–45), occupied Poland. The Jewish residents are locked in a barn and the barn set on fire
* July 11 – The Northern Rhodesian Labour Party holds its first congress in Nkana.
* July 13
** WWII: Uprising in Montenegro (1941), An uprising in Montenegro against the Axis powers starts, the second popular uprising in Europe (the first being the "
February strike
The February strike ( nl, Februaristaking) was a general strike in the German-occupied Netherlands in 1941, during World War II, organised by the then-outlawed Communist Party of the Netherlands in defence of persecuted Dutch Jews and against t ...
" of February 25 ''(above)'' in the Netherlands).
** Clemens August Graf von Galen, Catholic Bishop of Münster in Germany, preaches the first of 3 sermons against Nazi brutality.
* July 14 – WWII:
Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its te ...
signs armistice terms ending all fighting in Syria and Lebanon.
* July 17 – Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak ends.
* July 19
** WWII: A BBC broadcast by "Colonel Britton" (Douglas Ritchie) calls on the people of occupied Europe to resist the Nazis, under the slogan "V for Victory".
** The Tom and Jerry cartoon short ''The Midnight Snack'' is released; it is the second appearance for the duo, and the first in which they are officially named.
* July 23 – WWII: Italian aircraft damage the British destroyer which has to be sunk.
* July 25 – Postal codes in Germany are introduced.
* July 26 – WWII:
** In response to the Japanese occupation of French Indochina, U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
orders the seizure of all Japanese assets in the United States.
** General Douglas MacArthur is named commander of all U.S. forces in the Philippines; the Philippines Army is ordered nationalized by President Roosevelt.
* July 29 – The Vichy Regime signs the Protocol Concerning Joint Defense and Joint Military Cooperation with the Empire of Japan, giving the Japanese a total of 8 airfields, allowing them greater troop presence, and the use of the Indochinese financial system, in return for continued French autonomy.
* July 30 – WWII: Glina massacres#July–August 1941, Glina massacre of July–August 1941 – The Ustaše brutally kill 200
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
inside a Serbian Orthodox church in Glina, Croatia, with a total of 700–1,200 being killed in the area of the next few days.
* July 31 – WWII: The Holocaust: Under instructions from
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, Nazism, Nazi official Hermann Göring orders Schutzstaffel, S.S. General Reinhard Heydrich to "submit to me as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative material and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired Final Solution of the Jewish question."
August
*
August
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...
– The Political Warfare Executive is formed in the United Kingdom to disseminate propaganda to Germany and its occupied countries.
* August 1 – The Willys MB U.S. Army Jeep is first produced.
* August 5 – The Provisional Government of Lithuania is dissolved.
* August 6 – Six-year-old Elaine Esposito goes to have an Vermiform appendix, appendix operation in Florida and lapses into a coma, dying 37 years later, still comatose.
* August 7 – WWII: British submarine sinks an Italian Marconi-class submarine.
* August 9 –
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
and
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
meet on board ship at Naval Station Argentia, Dominion of Newfoundland, Newfoundland. The Atlantic Charter (released August 14), setting goals for postwar international cooperation, is created as a result.
* August 16
** The Holocaust: Units of the Wehrmacht and the Einsatzgruppen (as part of Operation Barbarossa) start killing Jewish children, signalling the start of the Jewish Genocide.
** Royal Navy Signals School and Combined Signals School opens at Leydene, near Petersfield, Hampshire, England.
* August 19 – The Tiraspol Agreement is signed between Nazi Germany, Germany and Kingdom of Romania, Romania.
* August 21 – In revenge for the execution two days earlier of French Resistance member Samuel Tyszelman, communist activist Pierre Georges (with others) shoots and kills a member of the German military in occupied Paris, initiating a cycle of assassinations and retribution that will claim hundreds of lives.
* August 25 – WWII: The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran to secure the Persian Corridor and oilfields begins.
* August 27 – WWII: Kamianets-Podilskyi massacre, 23,600 Jews are shot dead by Einsatzgruppen troops and local collaborators in Ukraine.
* August 28 – WWII: Soviet evacuation of Tallinn – German troops capture Tallinn, Estonia from the Soviet Union, while attacks on the evacuating Soviet ships leave more than 12,000 dead in one of the bloodiest naval battles of the war. German forces will capture the entire Estonian territory by December 6.
* August 29
** WWII: The Government of National Salvation, a Serbs, Serb
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.Compare: Puppet states have nominal sove ...
of the
Axis powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
, is established by General Milan Nedić in Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, Nazi-occupied Serbia in
Belgrade, under military commander Heinrich Danckelmann; the regime includes 15 Ministers.
** Robert Menzies resigns as Prime Minister of Australia, after losing the support of his United Australia Party, party. He will not return to the Prime Ministership until 1949 Australian federal election, 1949. Arthur Fadden, leader of the National Party of Australia, Country Party, consequently becomes Prime Minister, while former Prime Minister Billy Hughes 1941 United Australia Party leadership election, replaces Menzies as UAP leader.
* August 30
** German troopship ''Bahia Laura'' is sunk by ; 450 are killed.
** Nazi Germany, Germany and Kingdom of Romania, Romania sign another treaty, the Tighina Agreement.
* August 31
** WWII (Uprising in Serbia (1941), Uprising in Serbia): Battle of Loznica (1941), Battle of Loznica: Chetniks capture the town of Loznica, in Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, Nazi-occupied Serbia.
** ''The Great Gildersleeve'' debuts on NBC Radio in the United States.
September
* September 3 – The Holocaust: ''SS-Hauptsturmführer'' Karl Fritzsch first uses the pesticide Zyklon B, to execute Soviet prisoners of war ''en masse'' at Auschwitz concentration camp; eventually it will be used to kill about 1.2 million people.
* September 6 – The Holocaust: The requirement to wear the Star of David, with the word "Jew" inscribed, is extended to all Jews over the age of 6 in German-occupied areas.
* September 8 – WWII: Siege of Leningrad – German forces begin a siege against the Soviet Union's second-largest city, Saint Petersburg, Leningrad. Stalin orders the Volga Germans deported to Siberia.
* September 11
** WWII:
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...
, at an
America First Committee
The America First Committee (AFC) was the foremost United States isolationist pressure group against American entry into World War II. Launched in September 1940, it surpassed 800,000 members in 450 chapters at its peak. The AFC principally supp ...
rally in Des Moines, Iowa, accuses "the British, the Jewish, and the Roosevelt administration" of leading the United States toward war. Widespread condemnation of Lindbergh follows.
** The Medvedev Forest massacre of political prisoners takes place, at the Oryol Prison in the Soviet Union.
* September 12
** WWII: The first snowfall is reported on the Russian front.
** Construction on The Pentagon begins in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
** Franklin Roosevelt gives one of his fireside chats, on the USS Greer (DD-145), USS ''Greer'' incident.
* September 14 – The State of Vermont "declares war" on Germany, by defining the United States to be in "armed conflict", in order to extend a wartime bonus to Vermonters in the service.
* September 15 – The Estonian Self-Administration, headed by Hjalmar Mäe, is appointed by the German military administration.
* September 16 – Rezā Shāh of Iran is forced to resign in favor of his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, under pressure from the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, concluding the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran.
* September 16–September 30, 30 – The Nikolaev massacre takes place in Mykolaiv (Soviet Union); 35,782 men, women and children; mostly Jews, are killed by Einsatzgruppe D and local collaborators.
* September 22 – The town of Reshetylivka in the Soviet Union is occupied by German forces.
* September 23 – The 1941 Texas hurricane makes landfall near Bay City, Texas, causing extensive damage and flooding in Galveston, Texas, Galveston and Houston.
* September 27
** WWII: The National Liberation Front (Greece) (the main Greek Resistance movement) is established, and Georgios Siantos is appointed its first acting leader.
** The first liberty ship, the , is launched at Baltimore.
* September 28 – WWII: The Drama Uprising against the
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
n Axis occupation of Greece, occupation in northern Greece begins.
* September 29 – WWII: The Moscow Conference (1941), Moscow Conference begins; U.S. representative Averell Harriman and British representative Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, Lord Beaverbrook meet with Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, to arrange urgent assistance for Russia.
* September 29–September 30, 30 – The Holocaust: Babi Yar massacre – German troops, assisted by Ukrainian police and local collaborators, kill 33,771 Jews in Kiev.
October
* Mid-October – The first P-38E Lightning fighter is produced by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed in the United States.
* October 1
** The Holocaust: The Nazi Germany, Nazi German Majdanek concentration camp (''Konzentrationslager Lublin'') opens in Occupation of Poland (1939–45), occupied Poland, on the outskirts of the town of Lublin. Between October 1941 and July 1944, at least 200,000 people will be killed in the camp.
** The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy becomes the Royal New Zealand Navy.
* October 2
** WWII: Operation Typhoon begins, as Germany launches an all-out offensive against Moscow.
** Tudeh Party of Iran is founded.
* October 5 – The Holocaust: In Berdychiv, 20–30,000 Jews are shot dead.
* October 7 – John Curtin becomes the 14th Prime Minister of Australia, following the defeat of Arthur Fadden's National Party of Australia, Country/United Australia Party, UAP Coalition (Australia), Coalition Fadden Government, Government, on the floor of the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives.
* October 8 – WWII: In their invasion of the Soviet Union, Germany reaches the Sea of Azov, with the capture of Mariupol.
* October 11 – WWII: Armed insurgents from the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia attack Axis powers, Axis-occupied zones in the city of Prilep, beginning the World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia, National Liberation War of Macedonia.
* October 11–October 12, 12 – Fire destroys a American Printing Company (Fall River Iron Works), Firestone Tire and Rubber Company plant in Fall River, Massachusetts, consuming 15,850 tons of rubber, and causing a setback to the United States war effort.
* October 13 – The Holocaust: Heinrich Himmler instructs SS and Police Leader Odilo Globocnik to begin construction of Bełżec extermination camp, Bełżec, the first of the Operation Reinhard extermination camps.
* October 15 – WWII: British submarine bombards the port of Apollonia, Cyrenaica in Italian Libya.
* October 16 – WWII: The Soviet Union, Soviet government moves to Kuibyshev (modern Samara, Russia, Samara), but Joseph Stalin, Stalin remains in Moscow.
* October 17 – WWII: Destroyer is torpedoed and damaged near Iceland, killing 11 sailors (the first American military casualties of the war, in which the US is at this time neutral).
* October 18 – General Hideki Tōjō becomes the 40th Prime Minister of Japan.
* October 18 – Film ''The Maltese Falcon (1941 film), The Maltese Falcon'' is released in the United States, starring Humphrey Bogart, directed by John Huston.
* October 21
** WWII: Kragujevac massacre – German soldiers and local auxiliaries massacre more than 2,000 civilian men at Kragujevac, in Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, Nazi-occupied Serbia.
** Fictional superheroine Wonder Woman, created by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter, makes her first appearance in ''All Star Comics'' #8, "Introducing Wonder Woman", in the US (cover date December 1941).
* October 23 – Walt Disney's fourth animated film ''Dumbo'' is released in the United States.
* October 25 – WWII: German fighter pilot Franz von Werra disappears during a flight over the North Sea.
* October 29 – The Holocaust: Kaunas massacre of October 29, 1941 – Over 9,200 Lithuanian Jews are shot dead.
* October 30
** WWII:
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, President of the United States, approves US$1 billion in
Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union.
** The Holocaust: 1,500 Jews from Pidhaitsi (in western Ukraine) are sent by the Nazis to the Bełżec extermination camp.
* October 31
** WWII: Destroyer , on convoy escort, is accidentally torpedoed by a German
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
near Iceland, killing more than 100 United States Navy sailors.
** The last day of carving on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
November
* November 5 – WWII: The United States holds peace talks with Japan.
* November 6 – WWII: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin addresses the Soviet Union for only the second time during his three-decade rule (the first time was earlier this year on July 2). He states that 350,000 Soviet troops have been killed in German attacks, but that the Germans have lost 4.5 million soldiers (a gross exaggeration), and that Soviet victory is near.
* November 7 – WWII: The Soviet hospital ship ''Armenia (Soviet hospital ship), Armenia'' is sunk by German aircraft while evacuating refugees, wounded military and the staff of several Crimean hospitals. It is estimated that more than 5,000 die in the sinking.
* November 10 – In a speech at the Mansion House, London,
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
promises "should the United States become involved in war with Japan, the British declaration will follow within the hour".
* November 12 – WWII:
** As the Battle of Moscow begins, temperatures around Moscow drop to −12 °C, and the Soviet Union launches Ski warfare, ski troops for the first time, against the freezing German forces near the city.
** Soviet cruiser Soviet cruiser Chervona Ukraina, ''Chervona Ukraina'' is hit three times in the Severnaya Bay by bombs from German Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers from Sturzkampfgeschwader 77, II./StG 77 during the Siege of Sevastopol (1941–42), Siege of Sevastopol.
* November 14
** WWII: British aircraft carrier sinks under tow off Gibraltar, after being torpedoed the previous day by .
** The Holocaust: In Slonim (Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Byelorussian SSR), German forces engaged in Operation Barbarossa murder 9,000 Jews.
* November 17 – WWII:
Joseph Grew
Joseph Clark Grew (May 27, 1880 – May 25, 1965) was an American career diplomat and Foreign Service officer. He is best known as the ambassador to Japan from 1932 to 1941 and as a high official in the State Department in Washington from 1944 to ...
, the United States ambassador to Japan, cables to Washington, D.C. a warning, that Japan may strike suddenly and unexpectedly.
* November 18 – WWII: Operation Crusader, a British Eighth Army operation to relieve the Siege of Tobruk in North Africa, begins.
* November 19 – WWII: Sinking of HMAS Sydney, Battle between HMAS ''Sydney'' and German auxiliary cruiser ''Kormoran'' – Both commerce raiding German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, German auxiliary cruiser ''Kormoran'' and Australian cruiser sink following a battle off the coast of Western Australia. There are no survivors from the 645 Australian sailors aboard ''Sydney''.
* November 21 – The live blues radio program ''King Biscuit Time'' is broadcast for the first time on KFFA (AM), KFFA in Helena, Arkansas; it will attain its 17,000th broadcast in 2014 making it the longest-running daily American radio broadcast.
* November 22 – WWII: sinks commerce raiding , ending the longest warship cruise of the war (622 days without in-port replenishment or repair).
* November 26 – WWII:
** The Hull note (Outline of Proposed Basis for Agreement Between the United States and Japan), named for Secretary of State Cordell Hull, is delivered to the Empire of Japan by the United States.
** A task force of 6 aircraft carriers, commanded by Japanese Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo, leaves Kasatka Bay, Hitokapu Bay for
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...
, under strict radio silence.
* November 27
** WWII: Germans reach their closest approach to Moscow. They are subsequently frozen by cold weather and stopped by attacks by the Soviets.
** A group of young men stop traffic on U.S. Highway 99 south of Yreka, California, handing out fliers proclaiming the establishment of the Jefferson (proposed Pacific state), State of Jefferson.
* November 30 and December 8 – Rumbula massacre: Nazi forces kill approximately 24,000 Latvian Jews and 1,000 German Jews outside of Riga.
December
* December 1 – WWII:
** Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York City and Director of the Office of Civilian Defense, signs s:Administrative Order 9, Administrative Order 9, creating the Civil Air Patrol under the authority of the United States Army Air Forces.
** A state of emergency is declared in British Malaya and the Straits Settlements.
* December 2 – WWII: The code message "Climb Mount Niitaka" is transmitted to the Japanese task force, indicating that negotiations have broken down and that the attack on Pearl Harbor is to be carried out according to plan.
* December 4 – The Jefferson (proposed Pacific state), State of Jefferson is declared in Yreka, California, with a judge, John Childs, as governor.
* December 5 – WWII: The United Kingdom declares war on Finland, Hungary and Romania.
* December 6 – WWII:
** Soviet counterattacks begin against German troops encircling Moscow. The German Army, ''Heer'' is subsequently pushed back over .
** British submarine is Naval mine, mined off Cephalonia.
* December 7 (December 8 – 3:18 a.m., Japan Standard Time) – WWII:
** Attack on Pearl Harbor: Aircraft flying from Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft carrier, carriers launch a surprise attack on the United States fleet at
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...
in Territory of Hawaii, Hawaii, thus drawing the United States into World War II. The attack begins at 7:55 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time, and is announced on radio stations in the U.S. at about 11:26 p.m. Pacific Time Zone, PST (19.26 GMT).
** The Japanese declaration of war on the United States and the British Empire is published in Japanese evening newspapers, but not formally delivered to the U.S. until the following day. Canada declares war on Japan.
** Adolf Hitler makes his ''Nacht und Nebel'' decree, declaring that all political prisoners and those involved in both German resistance to Nazism and resistance to Nazism throughout German-occupied Europe are to be apprehended by the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
, Sicherheitsdienst and other security forces under Heinrich Himmler's control.
**
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...
's British and Commonwealth garrison is relieved after Axis forces under Rommel withdraw.
* December 8
** WWII: The Battle of Hong Kong begins shortly after 8:00 a.m. (Hong Kong Time, local time), less than 8 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when Japanese forces invade British Hong Kong, Hong Kong, which is defended by British, Canadian and local troops. The United Kingdom officially declares war on the Empire of Japan.
** WWII: The Japanese Invade Shanghai International Settlement, to occupy the British and the American sectors, after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
** WWII: The Japanese invasion of the Philippines begins 10 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when Japanese forces invade Luzon and destroy U.S. aircraft on Clark Field.
** WWII: President of the United States
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
delivers his "Infamy Speech" to a Joint session of the United States Congress at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, EST (17.30 GMT). Transmitted live over all four major national networks, it attracts the largest audience ever for an American radio broadcast, over 81% of homes. Within an hour, Congress agrees to the President's request for a United States declaration of war upon Japan, and he signs it at 4:10 p.m.
** WWII: Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, the Free French, Yugoslavia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras also officially declare war on Japan, and the Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China declares war on the
Axis powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
.
[
** WWII: Japanese forces attack British Malaya and ]Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
.[
** WWII: The German advance on Moscow (Operation Typhoon) is suspended for the winter.][
** The Holocaust: The Nazi Germany, Nazi German Chełmno extermination camp opens in Occupation of Poland (1939–45), occupied Poland, near the village of Chełmno nad Nerem. Between December 1941-April 1943 and June 1944-January 1945, at least 153,000 Jews will be killed in the camp.
** The Holocaust The first mass gassing of Jews begins at the Chełmno extermination camp on December 8, 1941, when the Nazis use gas vans to murder people from the Lodz ghetto.
* December 10 – WWII:
**British battleships and battlecruiser HMS Repulse (1916), HMS ''Repulse'' are sunk by Japanese aircraft in the South China Sea north of Singapore.
**The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea officially declares war on Japan.
* December 11 – WWII:
** Nazi Germany, Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italy German declaration of war against the United States, declare war on the United States. The U.S. responds in kind.
** Mildred Gillars ("Axis Sally") delivers her first propaganda broadcast to Allies of World War II, Allied troops.
* December 11–December 13, 13 – WWII: Battle of Jitra: Japanese compel British troops to withdraw from their positions in Malaya.
* December 12 – WWII:
** Kingdom of Hungary (1920–46), Hungary and Kingdom of Romania, Romania declare war on the United States.
** British India declares war on the Empire of Japan.
** The United States seizes the French ship .
** The Kimura Detachment of the Japanese Imperial forces occupies Legaspi, Albay, Philippines.
* December 13
** WWII: The United Kingdom, New Zealand and South Africa declare war on Bulgaria; Hungary declares war on the United States; and Honduras declares war on Germany and Italy.
** WWII: The Battle of Cape Bon (1941), Battle of Cape Bon Is fought off Cape Bon, Tunisia: Italian cruisers ''Italian cruiser Alberico da Barbiano, Alberico da Barbiano'' and ''Italian cruiser Alberto da Giussano, Alberto da Giussano'' are sunk without loss to the Allies.
** Sweden's low temperature record of −53 °C is set in a village within the Vilhelmina Municipality.
* December 14 – WWII: The ]Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...
declares war on the United States and the United Kingdom.
* December 15 – WWII: At Drobytsky Yar, 15,000 Jews are shot dead by German troops.
* December 19 – WWII:
** Hitler becomes Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the German Army (Wehrmacht), Nazi Army.
** Raid on Alexandria (1941), Raid on Alexandria: Italian Regia Marina divers on human torpedoes place limpet mines on ships of the British Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
Mediterranean Fleet in port at Alexandria, Egypt, disabling battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth (1913), ''Queen Elizabeth'' and HMS Valiant (1914), ''Valiant''.
** Twelve days after the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland graduates its "Class of 1942" a semester early, so as to induct the graduating students without delay into the U.S. Navy and/or Marine Corps as officers, for immediate stationing in the war.
* December 21
** Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and Japan sign a military alliance.
** The Holocaust: The Stanisławów Ghetto is established.
* December 22 – WWII: The Arcadia Conference opens in Washington, D.C., the first meeting on military strategy between the heads of government of the United Kingdom and the United States, following the latter's entry into the war.
* December 23 – WWII: A second Japanese landing attempt on Wake Island is successful, and the American garrison surrenders, after a full night and morning of fighting.
* December 24 – WWII:
** British forces capture Benghazi.
** Dutch submarine HNLMS K XVI, HNLMS ''K XVI'' is the first Allied ship to sink a Japanese warship, sinking the destroyer ''Sagiri'' near Sarawak; ''K XVI'' is herself torpedoed the following day by Japanese submarine Japanese submarine I-66, ''I-66''.
* December 25 – WWII:
** The Battle of Hong Kong ends after 17 days, with the surrender of the British Crown colony to the Japanese.
** Admiral Émile Muselier seizes the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off Newfoundland, the first part of France to be liberated by the Free French Forces
__NOTOC__
The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...
.
* December 26 – WWII: Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
becomes the first British Prime Minister to address a joint session of the United States Congress.
* December 27 – WWII: British Commandos raid the Norwegian port of Vågsøy, Vaagso, causing Hitler to reinforce the garrison and defenses, drawing vital troops away from other areas.
Date unknown
* The ''Classics Illustrated, Classic Comics'' series is launched in the United States, with a version of ''The Three Musketeers''.
* Chosun Tire and Rubber Manufacture, predecessor of South Korean tire brand Hankook Tire, Hankook, is founded in a suburb of Seoul (at this time part of the Empire of Japan).
* Factory Canteen, predecessor of Compass Group, global license food service and contract caterer, is founded in England.
Births
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 ...
** Asrani, Indian actor and director
** Dardo Cabo, Argentine journalist, activist (d. 1977)
** Martin Evans, British biologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate
** Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, Somali politician, 5th President of Somalia
* January 3 – Shima Iwashita, Japanese actress
* January 4
** Maureen Reagan, American political activist (d. 2001)
** John Bennett Perry, American actor, singer and former model
* 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; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
* 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French a ...
** Harvey Hall, American businessman, politician (d. 2018)
** Chuck McKinley, American tennis player (d. 1986)
** Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese film director, screenwriter
** Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian cricketer (d. 2011)
* January 7
** Iona Brown, British violinist, conductor (d. 2004)
** Frederick D. Gregory, African-American astronaut
** John E. Walker, British chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
* January 8
** Graham Chapman, British comedian (''Monty Python's Flying Circus'') (d. 1989)
** Boris Vallejo, Peruvian painter
* January 9
** Joan Baez, American singer, songwriter and activist
** Reza Sheikholeslami, Professor of Persian Studies (d. 2018)
* January 10 – José Greci, Italian actress (d. 2017)
* January 11
Events Pre-1600
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
* 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muha ...
** Dave Edwards (musician), Dave Edwards, American musician (d. 2000)
** Gérson, Brazilian footballer
** Pak Seung-zin, North Korean footballer (d. 2011)
** Jimmy Velvit, American singer/songwriter
* January 12 – Long John Baldry, English singer (d. 2005)
* January 13 – Pasqual Maragall, Spanish politician
* January 14
** Faye Dunaway, American actress
** Milan Kučan, Slovenian politician, 1st President of Slovenia
* January 15 – Captain Beefheart, American singer (d. 2010)
* January 17 – Mircea Snegur, 1st President of Moldova
* January 18
** Bobby Goldsboro, American pop and country singer-songwriter
** David Ruffin, African-American singer (''The Temptations'') (d. 1991)
* January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrend ...
– Pat Patterson (wrestler), Pat Patterson, Canadian professional wrestler
* January 20
** Clift Tsuji, American politician (d. 2016)
** Allan Young, English footballer (d. 2009)
* January 21
** Plácido Domingo, Spanish opera singer, conductor and arts administrator
** Richie Havens, African-American musician (d. 2013)
** Ivan Putski, Polish-American professional wrestler and bodybuilder
* January 22 – Rintaro, Japanese anime director
* January 24
** Neil Diamond, American singer, songwriter
** Aaron Neville, African-American singer
** Dan Shechtman, Israeli chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
* January 27
** Bobby Hutcherson, African-American jazz musician (d. 2016)
** Beatrice Tinsley, English astronomer (d. 1981)
* January 28
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany.
* 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accession ...
– Fernando Serena, Spanish footballer (d. 2018)
* January 29 – Robin Morgan, Poet, author, political theorist, activist, journalist, lecturer, and editor
* January 30
** Gregory Benford, American author and astrophysicist
** Dick Cheney, 46th Vice President of the United States, 17th US Secretary of Defense
** Delbert Mann, American television, film director (d. 2007)
** Tineke Lagerberg, Dutch swimmer
* January 31
** Dick Gephardt, American politician
** Eugène Terre'Blanche, South African farmer, pro-apartheid activist (d. in 2010)
** Jessica Walter, American actress
February
* February 1
** Karl Dall, German comedian, singer and television presenter
** Jerry Spinelli, American author
* February 3
** Dory Funk Jr., American professional wrestler
** Howard Phillips (politician), Howard Phillips, American politician (d. 2013)
* February 4
** Laisenia Qarase, Fijian politician (d. 2020)
** John Steel (drummer), John Steel, English drummer
* February 5
** Stephen J. Cannell, American director, producer (d. 2010)
** Henson Cargill, American country music singer (d. 2007)
** David Selby, American actor
** Kaspar Villiger, Swiss politician
** Cory Wells, American singer (''Three Dog Night'') (d. 2015)
* February 6 – Stephen Albert, American composer (d. 1992)
* February 8
Events Pre-1600
* 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
*1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.
* 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al ...
** Nick Nolte, American actor
** Jagjit Singh, Indian singer, composer and musician (d. 2011)
* February 9
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
* 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
*1539 – The first recorded race is held ...
— Kermit Gosnell, American abortionist and serial killer
* February 10 – Michael Apted, British film director
* February 11
** Sergio Mendes, Brazilian jazz musician
** Sonny Landham, American actor (d. 2017)
* February 12
Events Pre-1600
*1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie performed the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna.
*1429 – English forces under ...
** Hubert Marcoux, Canadian solo sailor and author (d. 2009)
** Naomi Uemura, Japanese adventurer (d. 1984)
* February 13
** Sigmar Polke, German painter
** Bo Svenson, Swedish-American actor
* February 15 – Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress and model
* February 16 – Kim Jong-il, Leader of North Korea, Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (d. 2011)
* February 17 – Ron Meyer, American football coach (d. 2017)
* February 18 – Irma Thomas, African-American singer
* February 19 – David Gross, American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate
* February 20 – Buffy Sainte-Marie, Canadian singer
* February 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Ferd ...
** Hipólito Mejía, President of the Dominican Republic (2000-2004)
** Yau Leung, Hong Kong photographer (d. 1997)
* February 27 – Paddy Ashdown, British politician, diplomat (d. 2018)
March
* March 4
Events Pre-1600
*AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).
* 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
* 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...
** Richard Benjamin Harrison, American businessman, reality TV star (d. 2018)
** Adrian Lyne, English film director
* March 7 – Andrei Mironov (actor), Andrei Mironov, Soviet and Russian theatre and film actor (d. 1987)
* March 9 – Ernesto Miranda, American criminal (d. 1976)
* March 10 – George P. Smith (chemist), George P. Smith, American biochemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
* March 12 – Erkki Salmenhaara, Finnish composer (d. 2002)
* March 13 – Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet and author (d. 2008)
* March 14 – Wolfgang Petersen, German film director
* March 15
Events Pre-1600
*474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
* 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odo ...
– Mike Love, American musician (''Beach Boys'')
* March 16
Events Pre-1600
* 934 – Meng Zhixiang declares himself emperor and establishes Later Shu as a new state independent of Later Tang.
*1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York.
* 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse ...
** Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian film director (d. 2018)
** Robert Guéï, military ruler of Côte d'Ivoire (d. 2002)
** Chuck Woolery, American game show host
* March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ei ...
– Paul Kantner, American rock guitarist (''Jefferson Airplane'') (d. 2016)
* March 18 – Wilson Pickett, African-American singer (d. 2006)
* March 20 – Kenji Kimihara, Japanese long-distance runner
* March 21 – Dirk Frimout, Belgian cosmonaut and astrophysicist
* March 22
Events Pre-1600
* 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
* 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century.
* 871 – Æthelr ...
– Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (d. 2019)
* March 23 – Jim Trelease, American educator, author
* March 26 – Richard Dawkins, British scientist
* March 27
Events Pre-1600
*1309 – Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
* 1329 – Pope John XXII ...
** Ivan Gašparovič, 3rd President of Slovakia
** Bunny Sigler, American singer, songwriter and record producer (d. 2017)
* March 28
** Alf Clausen, American composer
** Philip Fang, Hong Kong simultaneous interpretation specialist, United Nations official (d. 2013)
** Jim Turner (placekicker), Jim Turner, American football player
** Rolf Zacher, German actor (d. 2018)
** Jaime Pardo Leal, Colombian lawyer, union leader, and politician (d. 1987)
* March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr., American astrophysicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate
* March 30
Events Pre-1600
* 598 – Balkan Campaign: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro- Slavic hordes are decimated by the plague.
*1282 &ndash ...
** Graeme Edge, British rock drummer, songwriter (''The Moody Blues'')
** Wasim Sajjad, President of Pakistan
* March 31 – Rosario Green, Mexican economist, diplomat and politician (d. 2017)
April
* April 2 – Dr. Demento (Barret Eugene Hansen), American radio disc jockey, novelty music collector
* April 3
** Jan Berry, American singer (''Jan & Dean'') (d. 2004)
** Eric Braeden, German-born American actor
** Jorma Hynninen, Finnish baritone
** Philippé Wynne, American musician (d. 1984)
* April 5
** Michael Moriarty, American-Canadian actor
** Dave Swarbrick, English folk musician (d. 2016)
* April 6
Events Pre–1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus.
* 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.
*13 ...
– Phil Austin, American comedian (''The Firesign Theater'') (d. 2015)
* April 7
** Mussum, Brazilian actor and musician (d. 1994)
** Cornelia Frances, Australian actress (d. 2018)
** Gorden Kaye, British actor ('''Allo 'Allo!'') (d. 2017)
** ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, Tongan politician and activist, 15th Prime Minister of Tonga (d. 2019)
* April 8 – Peggy Lennon, American singer (''The Lennon Sisters'')
* April 9
Events Pre-1600
* 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, su ...
– Kay Adams (singer), Kay Adams, American country singer
* April 10
Events Pre-1600
* 428 – Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.
* 837 – Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles).
* 140 ...
** John Kurila, Scottish footballer (d. 2018)
** Paul Theroux, American travel writer and novelist
* April 11
** Frederick Hauck, American astronaut
** Shirley Stelfox, English actress (d. 2015)
* April 12
Events Pre-1600
* 240 – Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I.
* 467 – Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 627 – King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to ...
– Bobby Moore, English football player, World Cup winning captain (d. 1993)
* April 13 – Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* April 14 – Pete Rose, American baseball player
* April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
– Michael D. Higgins, 9th President of Ireland
* April 19
Events Pre-1600
* AD 65 – The freedman Milichus betrays Piso's plot to kill the Emperor Nero and all the conspirators are arrested.
* 531 – Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army under Belisarius is defeated by the Persi ...
** Roberto Carlos (singer), Roberto Carlos, Brazilian singer-songwriter
** Jürgen Kocka, German historian
* April 20 – Ryan O'Neal, American actor (''Love Story (1970 film), Love Story'')
* April 21 – Eduardo Guedes, U.S., Portuguese film-maker (d. 2000)
* April 22 – Amir Pnueli, Israeli computer scientist (d. 2009)
* April 23
** Arie den Hartog, Dutch road bicycle racer (d. 2018)
** Paavo Lipponen, 59th Prime Minister of Finland
** Ed Stewart, British disc jockey (d. 2016)
** Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer (d. 2016)
* April 24
** Richard Holbrooke, American diplomat (d. 2010)
** John Williams (guitarist), John Williams, Australian guitarist
* April 25
Events Pre-1600
*404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion.
* 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the ...
** Princess Muna al-Hussein, Princess consort of Jordan
** Bertrand Tavernier, French director, screenwriter, actor and producer
* April 26 – Claudine Auger, French actress (d. 2019)
* April 27
** Pat Choate, American economist, politician
** H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr., American philosopher (d. 2018)
** Lee Roy Jordan, American football player
* April 28
Events Pre-1600
* 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...
** Lucien Aimar, French cyclist
** Ann-Margret, Swedish-born American actress, singer and dancer
** K. Barry Sharpless, American chemist, double Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
** Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet (d. 2013)
May
* May 3
** Paul Ferris (composer), Paul Ferris, English film composer, actor (d. 1995)
** Kornel Morawiecki, Polish politician and theoretical physicist (d. 2019)
* May 5
** Anatoly Levchenko, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 1988)
** Alexander Ragulin, Russian hockey player (d. 2004)
* May 6
** Peter Corrigan, Australian architect (d. 2016)
** Ivica Osim, Bosnian football player, manager
* May 8
** James Mitchum, American actor
** Yuri Voronov (archaeologist), Yuri Voronov, Abkhazian politician, academic (murdered) (d. 1995)
* May 9 – Howard Komives, American professional basketball player (d. 2009)
* May 10
**Taurean Blacque, American television and stage actor
**Chris Denning, English radio presenter and convicted sex offender
**Aydın Güven Gürkan, Turkish academic, politician (d. 2006)
* May 11 – Eric Burdon, British singer
* May 13
** Senta Berger, Austrian actress
** Ritchie Valens, American singer (''La Bamba (song), La Bamba'') (d. 1959)
* May 14 – Jesús Gómez (equestrian), Jesús Gómez, Mexican equestrian (d. 2017)
* May 16
** Aldrich Ames, American CIA analyst and KGB agent
** Eric Berntson, Canadian politician (d. 2018)
* May 18 – Miriam Margolyes, British-Australian actress
* May 19
** Peter C. Bjarkman, American baseball historian, author (d. 2018)
** Bobby Burgess, American dancer, singer
** Nora Ephron, American film producer, director, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
* May 20 – Goh Chok Tong, 2nd Prime Minister of Singapore
* May 21 – Bobby Cox, American baseball manager
* May 22 – Menzies Campbell, British politician
* May 23
** K. Raghavendra Rao, Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and choreographer
** Rod Thorn, American basketball player, coach, and executive
* May 24
** Andrés García, Dominican-Mexican actor
** Bob Dylan, American poet, musician and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature
* May 25 – Rudolf Adler, Czech filmmaker
** Vladimir Voronin, 3rd President of Moldova
* May 26 – John Kaufman, British sculptor
* May 27
** Ira Berlin, American historian (d. 2018)
** Teppo Hauta-aho, Finnish double bassist, composer
* May 29 – Doug Scott, English mountaineer
* May 31
** Louis Ignarro, American pharmacologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
** William Nordhaus, American economist, recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
June
* June 1
**Wayne Kemp, American country music singer (d. 2015)
** Jigjidiin Mönkhbat, Mongolian wrestler (d. 2018)
** Alexander V. Zakharov, Alexander Zakharov, Soviet and Russian astronomer
* June 2
** Stacy Keach, American actor
** Charlie Watts, English musician
* June 5
** Martha Argerich, Argentine pianist
** Spalding Gray, American actor, screenwriter (d. 2004)
** Robert Kraft, American businessman
* June 6 – Alexander Cockburn, Irish-American political journalist and writer (d. 2012)
* June 7
** Tony Ray-Jones, British photographer (d. 1972)
** Jaime Laredo, Bolivian-American violinist and conductor
* June 8
** Robert Bradford (Northern Irish politician), Robert Bradford, Northern Irish politician (murdered in 1981)
** Fuzzy Haskins, American musician
** George Pell, Australian cardinal
* June 9 – Jon Lord, English composer, pianist and organist (d. 2012)
* June 10
**Mickey Jones, American rock drummer, character actor (d. 2018)
** Jürgen Prochnow, German actor
**Aida Vedishcheva, Soviet and Russian singer
* June 12
** Marv Albert, American sports announcer
** Chick Corea, American jazz pianist
** Reg Presley, English musician (d. 2013)
* June 13 – Esther Ofarim, Israeli singer
* June 14
** Roy Harper (singer), Roy Harper, English guitarist
** John Edgar Wideman, African-American novelist, author and professor
* June 15
** Neal Adams, American comic book artist
** Harry Nilsson, American musician (d. 1994)
* June 16 – Rosalind Baker, Australian author
* June 17 – Roberta Maxwell, Canadian actress
* June 19
** Gilberto Benetton, Italian billionaire businessman (d. 2018)
** Conchita Carpio-Morales, Filipino Supreme Court of the Philippines, Supreme Court jurist
** Václav Klaus, 2nd President of the Czech Republic
* June 20
** Ulf Merbold, German astronaut and physicist
** Albert Shesternyov, Soviet footballer (d. 1994)
* June 21
**Mitty Collier, American church pastor and gospel (previously rhythm and blues) singer
** Aloysius Paul D'Souza, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mangalore
** Joe Flaherty, American-Canadian actor, comedian (''Second City Television'')
** Liz Mohn, German businesswoman in management of media conglomerate Bertelsmann, widow of Reinhard Mohn
** Totto Osvold, Norwegian radio entertainer
** Jimmy Rayl, American basketball player (d. 2019)
** Eduardo Suplicy, Brazilian left-wing politician, economist and professor
** Valeri Zolotukhin, Soviet and Russian actor (d. 2013)
* June 22
** Ed Bradley, African-American journalist (''60 Minutes'') (d. 2006)
** Howard Kindig, American football player
** Michael Lerner (actor), Michael Lerner, American actor
** Terttu Savola, Finnish politician
* June 23
** Robert Hunter (lyricist), Robert Hunter, American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator and poet (d. 2019)
** Madampu Kunjukuttan, Malayalam author
** Tsai Hsun-hsiung, Taiwanese politician
* June 24
** Erkin Koray, Turkish musician
** Julia Kristeva, Bulgarian-French philosopher, literary critic, psychoanalyst, feminist and novelist
** Nelson López, Argentine football defender
** Graham McKenzie, Australian cricketer
** Bill Reardon, American politician, educator
** Charles Whitman, American mass murderer (d. 1966)
* June 25
** Denys Arcand, French-Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer
** Miles Feinstein, American criminal law defense attorney, legal commentator
** Eddie Large, British comedian (d. 2020)
** Prince Michel, Count of Évreux
** Mike Stoker, American firefighter, engineer and captain
** Kenneth Walker (Australian cricketer), Kenneth Walker, Australian cricketer
* June 26
** Gil Garrido, Panamanian baseball player
** Nick Macarchuk, American basketball head coach
** Tamara Moskvina, Russian competitive skater and pair skating coach
** Thomas Yeh Sheng-nan, Taiwanese prelate
* June 27
** Jerry Allen, American football running back
** Ian Black (swimmer), Ian Black, British competitive swimmer
** John Goold, Australian rules footballer
** James P. Hogan (writer), James P. Hogan, British author (d. 2010)
** Mike Honda, American politician and educator
** Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish film director (d. 1996)
** Pavel Schenk, Czech volleyball player
** John Smyth (barrister), John Smyth, British barrister
* June 28
** Ilana Adir, Israeli Olympic runner and long jumper
** César Bejarano, Paraguayan fencer
** Len Boehmer, American Major League Baseball player
** Joseph Goguen, American computer scientist (d. 2006)
** David Johnston, 28th Governor General of Canada
** Barbara Stolz, German gymnast
* June 29
** Chieko Baisho, Japanese actress, singer
** John Boccabella, American baseball player
** David A. Bramlett, United States Army four-star general
** Stokely Carmichael (later Kwame Ture), Trinidadian-American civil rights activist (d. 1998)
** Margitta Gummel, German Olympic gold medalist
** Larry Stahl, American baseball player
* June 30
** Cyril Atanassoff, French-born Bulgarian ballet dancer
** Roberto Castrillo, Cuban sports shooter
** Mike Leander, English arranger, songwriter and record producer (d. 1996)
** Otto Sander, German actor (d. 2013)
** Nigel Walley, English golfer, tea-chest bass player
July
* July 1
** Alf Duval, Australian rower
** Rod Gilbert, Canadian professional ice hockey forward
** Alfred G. Gilman, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 2015)
** Ursula Koch, Swiss politician
** Jaakko Kailajärvi, Finnish weightlifter
** Twyla Tharp, American dancer, choreographer, and author
** Zimani Kadzamira, Malawian academic, civil servant and diplomat
** Denis Michael Rohan, Australian citizen who, on August 21, 1969, set fire to the pulpit of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem (d. 1995)
** Myron Scholes, Canadian-American financial economist
* July 2
** Mogens Frey, Danish amateur cyclist
** Chris Noel, American actress
** Stéphane Venne, French-Canadian songwriter, composer
* July 3
** Gloria Allred, American lawyer
** Casey Cox, American baseball player
** Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer
** Hertha Haase, German swimmer
** Liamine Zéroual, 4th President of Algeria
* July 4
** Jay Carty, American basketball player (d. 2017)
** Sergio Oliva, Cuban bodybuilder (d. 2012)
** Digger Phelps, American former college basketball coach
* July 5
** Lynley Dodd, New Zealand writer and illustrator
** Peggy Miley, American actress, writer
** Epeli Nailatikau, Fijian chief, 4th President of Fiji
* July 6
** John DeCamp, American politician (d. 2017)
** Randall Robinson, African-American lawyer, author and activist
** Harold Leighton Weller, American conductor
* July 7
** Vivian Barbot, Canadian-Haitian teacher, activist, and politician
** Marco Bollesan, Italian former rugby union player, coach and manager
** Alan Durban, Welsh international footballer, manager
** Louis Friedman, American astronautics engineer, space spokesperson
** Michael Howard, Welsh politician
** Bill Oddie, English writer, composer, musician and comedian
** John Fru Ndi, Cameroonian politician
** Jim Rodford, English musician (d. 2018)
* July 8
** Dario Gradi, Italia amateur football player, coach and manager
** Thunderbolt Patterson, American professional wrestler
** Ken Sanders (baseball), Ken Sanders, American Major League Baseball relief pitcher
* July 9
** Cirilo Bautista, Filipino poet, fictionist, critic and writer of nonfiction
** Tom Black (basketball), Tom Black, American professional basketball player
** Jan Lehane, Australian female tennis player
** Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall, Swedish modern pentathlete
** Takehide Nakatani Japanese lightweight judoka
* July 10
** Jackie Lane (actress), Jackie Lane, British actress
** Robert Pine, American actor
* July 11
** John Kaputin, Papua New Guinean politician
** Clive Puzey, Southern Rhodesian racing driver
** Jürgen Schmidt, German speed skater
** Tommy Vance, British disc jockey (d. 2005)
** Rosa Morena, Spanish flamenco-pop singer and actress (d. 2019)
* July 12
** John Lahr, American drama critic
** Juha Väätäinen, Finnish athlete
** Wu Bangguo, Chinese politician
** Dick Rusteck, American left-handed pitcher
** Benny Parsons, American race car driver (d. 2007)
* July 13
** Affonso Beato, Brazilian cinematographer
** Robert Forster, American actor (d. 2019)
** Zoila Martínez, Dominican lawyer, prosecutor and diplomat
** Jacques Perrin, French actor and filmmaker
* July 14
** Maulana Karenga, African-American author, activist; founder of Kwanzaa
** Dennis Kassian, Canadian professional ice hockey player
** Andreas Khol, Austrian politician
* July 15
** Archie Clark (basketball), Archie Clark, American professional basketball player
** Vicente Guillot, Spanish footballer
** Nikhil Kumar, Indian politician
* July 16
** Valeri Butenko, Soviet midfielder, football referee
** Desmond Dekker, Jamaican singer and songwriter (d. 2006)
** Ken Herock, American college, professional football player
** Seijirō Kōyama, Japanese film director
** Kálmán Mészöly, Hungarian football (soccer) player, coach
** Lloyd Sisco, American football coach
** Hans Wiegel, Dutch politician
* July 17
** Namirembe Bitamazire, Ugandan academic, politician
** Marina Oswald Porter, Russian-born widow of JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
** Morimichi Takagi, Japanese baseball player (d. 2020)
** Rob van Empel, Dutch breaststroke swimmer
* July 18
** Winston Choo, Singaporean diplomat, civil servant and former general
** Frank Farian, German record producer, songwriter
** Marcia Jones-Smoke, American sprint canoer
** Lonnie Mack, American singer, guitarist (d. 2016)
** Martha Reeves, African-American singer
** Duncan Worsley, British cricketer
* July 19
** Carlos Alberto Álvarez, Argentine cyclist
** Natalia Bessmertnova, Russian ballerina (d. 2008)
** Vikki Carr, American singer
** Neelie Kroes, Dutch politician
** Vittorio Di Prima, Italian actor and voice actor (d. 2016)
* July 20
** Vladimir Lyakhov, Ukrainian-Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2018)
** Frank Natterer, German mathematician
** Vladimir Veber, Moldovan footballer
* July 21
** Diogo Freitas do Amaral, Portuguese politician, 110th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 2019)
** Ron Corry, Australian football (soccer) player, coach
** Gary Waslewski, American baseball player
* July 22
** George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, African-American musician
** Rich Jackson, American football player
** Susie Berning, American professional golfer
* July 23 – Sergio Mattarella, Italian lawyer, judge and politician, 12th President of Italy
* July 25
** Margarita Isabel, Mexican actress (d. 2017)
** Nate Thurmond, African-American basketball player (d. 2016)
** Emmett Till, African-American civil rights icon (d. 1955)
* July 26 – Darlene Love, African-American singer, actress
* July 27 – Bill Baxley, Alabama politician
* July 28
** Peter Cullen, Canadian voice actor
** Riccardo Muti, Italian conductor
* July 29
** Jennifer Dunn (politician), Jennifer Dunn, American politician (d. 2007)
** David Warner (actor), David Warner, British actor
* July 30 – Paul Anka, Canadian-American singer, songwriter
August
* August 2 – Ede Staal, Dutch singer-songwriter (d. 1986)
* August 3
** Martha Stewart, American television personality, media entrepreneur
** Hage Geingob, 1st Prime Minister of Namibia, 3rd President of Namibia
* August 4
** Martin Jarvis (actor), Martin Jarvis, English actor and voice actor
** Ted Strickland, American politician
* August 5 – Gil Garcetti, American politician
* August 6 – Lyle Berman, American poker player
* August 8
** Earl Boen, American actor and voice actor
** George Tiller, American physician (d. 2009)
**Anri Jergenia, 4th Prime Minister of Abkhazia (d. 2020)
* August 9 – Shirlee Busbee, American novelist
* August 12 – Deborah Walley, American actress (d. 2001)
* August 14
** Lynne Cheney, Second Lady of the United States, Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities
** Aïcha Chenna, Moroccan women's rights activist (d. 2022)
** David Crosby, American musician (''Crosby, Stills and Nash'')
** Connie Smith, American singer
* August 16
** Théoneste Bagosora, Rwandan army officer, alleged planner of the Rwandan genocide (d. 2021)
** David Dickinson, British antiques expert, television presenter
* August 17
** Ibrahim Babangida, President of Nigeria
** Lothar Bisky, German politician (d. 2013)
** Fritz Wepper, German actor
* August 20 – Slobodan Milošević, 3rd President of Yugoslavia and 1st President of Serbia (d. 2006)
* August 21
** Howard Lew Lewis, English comedian, actor (d. 2018)
** Jackie DeShannon, American singer, songwriter ("What the World Needs Now Is Love, What the World Needs Now")
* August 26
** Akiko Wakabayashi, Japanese actress
** Ayşe Kulin, Turkish writer
* August 27
** Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean singer (d. 2011)
** Yury Malyshev (cosmonaut), Yury Malyshev, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 1999)
* August 28 – A. I. Katsina-Alu, Nigerian judge (d. 2018)
* August 29 – Robin Leach, English television personality (d. 2018)
September
* September 2
** Graeme Langlands, Australian rugby league player (d. 2018)
** Jyrki Otila, Finnish quiz show judge, Member of the European Parliament (d. 2003)
** John Thompson (basketball), John Thompson, American basketball coach (d. 2020)
* September 3 – Sergei Dovlatov, Russian short-story writer, novelist (d. 1990)
* September 4 – Sushilkumar Shinde, Indian politician
* September 8
** Ito Giani, Italian sprinter (d. 2018)
** Bernie Sanders, American politician, United States Senate, U.S. Senator (Democratic Party (United States), D-Vermont, Vt.), and 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 presidential candidate
** Christopher Connelly, American actor (d. 1988)
* September 9
** Otis Redding, African-American singer, musician (''Dock of the Bay'') (d. 1967)
** Dennis Ritchie, American computer scientist, creator of the C (programming language), C programming language (d. 2011)
* September 10
** Christopher Hogwood, English conductor, harpsichordist (d. 2014)
** Gunpei Yokoi, Japanese computer game producer (d. 1997)
* September 13
** Tadao Ando, Japanese architect
** Ahmet Necdet Sezer, 10th President of Turkey
* September 14 – Alberto Naranjo, Venezuelan musician (d. 2020)
* September 15
** Signe Toly Anderson, American singer (d. 2016)
** Etelka Barsi-Pataky, Hungarian politician (d. 2018)
* September 17 – Bob Matsui, U.S. Congressman from California (d. 2005)
* September 18 – Priscilla Mitchell, American country music singer (d. 2014)
* September 19 – Cass Elliot, American singer (''The Mamas & the Papas'') (d. 1974)
* September 20 – Dale Chihuly, American glass sculptor
* September 21 – R. James Woolsey Jr., American lawyer and diplomat
* September 23 – George Jackson (activist), George Jackson, American author (d. 1971)
* September 24
** Jesús Mosterín, Spanish philosopher (d. 2017)
** Guy Hovis, American singer
** Linda McCartney, American activist, musician and photographer (d. 1998)
* September 26 – Martine Beswick, British actress, model
* September 27
** Gay Kayler Ashcroft, Australian country music singer
** Sam Zell, American publisher, investor
* September 28 – Edmund Stoiber, German politician
* September 29 – Fred West, British serial killer (d. 1995)
* September 30 – Angela Pleasence, British actress
October
* October 1 – Vyacheslav Vedenin, Soviet cross-country skier
* October 3 – Chubby Checker, African-American singer (''The Twist (song), The Twist'')
* October 4
** Mighty Shadow, Trinidadian calypsonian (d. 2018)
** Roy Blount Jr., American writer, comedian
** Elizabeth Eckford, African-American activist (''Little Rock Nine'')
** Anne Rice, American writer
* October 5 – Eduardo Duhalde, 50th President of Argentina
* October 8 – Jesse Jackson, African-American clergyman, civil rights activist and presidential candidate
* October 9 – Trent Lott, American politician and author
* October 10
** Peter Coyote, American actor
** Hanan Goldblatt, Israeli actor
** Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian writer, television producer, and environmental activist (d. 1995)
* October 11 – Valerii Postoyanov, Soviet Olympic sport shooter (d. 2018)
* October 13 – Paul Simon, American singer, composer (''Simon and Garfunkel'')
* October 15
** Rosie Douglas, 4th Prime Minister of Dominica (d. 2000)
** Joan Antoni Solans Huguet, Spanish urban planner (d. 2019)
* October 16 – Tim McCarver, American baseball commentator
* October 17 – Earl Thomas Conley, American country music singer (d. 2019)
* October 19 – Peter Thornley, English professional wrestler best known for the ring character Kendo Nagasaki
* October 20 – Anneke Wills, British actress
* October 21 – Dickie Pride, British rock and roll singer (d. 1969)
* October 23 – Mel Winkler, American actor (d. 2020)
* October 24 – Frank Aendenboom, Belgian actor (d. 2018)
* October 25
** Helen Reddy, Australian singer, actress (''I Am Woman'')
** Anne Tyler, American novelist
* October 27
** Gerd Brantenberg, Norwegian feminist author, gay rights activist
** Dick Trickle, American race car driver (d. 2013)
* October 28
** John Hallam, Irish actor
** Hank Marvin, British guitarist, singer and songwriter (''The Shadows'')
* October 30 – Theodor W. Hänsch, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics recipient
* October 31 – Sally Kirkland, American actress
November
* November 1
** Marina Baura, Spanish actress
** Nigel Dempster, British journalist, author, broadcaster and diarist (d. 2007)
** Robert Foxworth, American actor
* November 2 – Bruce Welch, British guitarist, singer and songwriter
* November 2 – Arun Shourie, Indian author and economist
* November 5 – Art Garfunkel, American singer (''Simon and Garfunkel'')
* November 6
** Guy Clark, American singer, songwriter (d. 2016)
** Doug Sahm, American musician (d. 1999)
* November 7 – Angelo Scola, Italian cardinal
* November 9 – Tom Fogerty, American guitarist (''Creedence Clearwater Revival'') (d. 1990)
* November 13 – Dack Rambo, American actor (d. 1994)
* November 17 – Tova Traesnaes, Norwegian-American cosmetician and businesswoman; widow of actor Ernest Borgnine
* November 18 – David Hemmings, English actor (d. 2003)
* November 19 – Dan Haggerty, American actor (''Grizzly Adams'') (d. 2016)
* November 20
** Dr. John, American singer and songwriter (d. 2019)
** Oliver Sipple, decorated US Marine, Vietnam War veteran (d. 1989)
* November 21 – İdil Biret, Turkish pianist
* November 22 – Tom Conti, British actor, theatre director
* November 23
** Derek Mahon, Irish poet
** Franco Nero, Italian actor
* November 24 – Pete Best, English drummer
* November 25
** Ralph Haben, American politician, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
** Percy Sledge, African-American singer (d. 2015)
** Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi, Pakistani Sufi author, poet
* November 27
** Tom Morga, American stuntman, stunt coordinator, and actor.
** Henry Carr, American Olympic athlete (d. 2015)
** Aime Jacquet, French football player, manager
** Eddie Rabbitt, American country musician (d. 1998)
* November 28 – Laura Antonelli, Italian actress (d. 2015)
* November 29
** Lothar Emmerich, German footballer (d. 2003)
** Bill Freehan, American baseball player
December
* December 1
** Nigel Rodley, English international human rights lawyer (d. 2017)
** Sean S. Cunningham, American filmmaker, director, producer, and writer
* December 4
** David Johnston (newsreader), David Johnston, Australian newsreader
** Leila Säälik, Estonian actress
* December 6
** Wende Wagner, American actress (d. 1997)
** Richard Speck, American mass murderer (d. 1991)
* December 8 – Geoff Hurst, English footballer
* December 9
** Beau Bridges, American actor
** Dan Hicks (singer), Dan Hicks, American singer, songwriter (d. 2016)
* December 10
** Tommy Rettig, American actor (d. 1996)
** Peter Sarstedt, English singer, songwriter (d. 2017)
** Kyu Sakamoto, Japanese singer, actor ("Sukiyaki") (d. 1985)
* December 11
** J. Frank Wilson, American singer (d. 1991)
** Max Baucus, American politician and diplomat
* December 12 – Vitaly Solomin, Soviet and Russian actor, director and screenwriter (d. 2002)
* December 13 – John Davidson (entertainer), John Davidson, American singer, actor
* December 16
** Poldy Bird, Argentine writer (d. 2018)
** Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Italian actor (d. 1994)
* December 19
** Lee Myung-bak, 17th President of South Korea, President of the Republic of Korea
** Maurice White, African-American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer (d. 2016)
* December 21
** Lo Hoi-pang, Hong Kong-born Chinese actor
** Jared Martin, American actor (d. 2017)
* December 23
** Ron Bushy, American rock musician
** Tim Hardin, American folk musician (d. 1980)
** Mamnoon Hussain, 12th President of Pakistan (d. 2021)
* December 24
** Hans Eichel, German politician
** Lex Hixon, American Sufi author, poet, and spiritual teacher (d. 1995)
* December 27
** Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach
** Younoussi Touré, 4th List of prime ministers of Mali, prime minister of Mali (d. 2022)
* December 29 – Ray Thomas, English flautist, singer and songwriter (The Moody Blues) (d. 2018)
* December 30 – Mel Renfro, American football player
* December 31 – Alex Ferguson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Scottish football manager (Manchester United F.C., Manchester United)
Deaths
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 ...
– József Konkolics, Hungarian Slovene writer (b. 1861)
* January 4 – Henri Bergson, French philosopher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (b. 1859)
* January 8
** Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English soldier; Scouting, founder of the Scouts (b. 1857)
** Viktor Dankl von Krasnik, Austro-Hungarian general (b. 1854)
* January 10
** Frank Bridge, English composer (b. 1879)
** Sir John Lavery, Anglo-Irish artist (b. 1856)
* January 11
Events Pre-1600
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
* 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muha ...
– Emanuel Lasker, German chess champion (b. 1868)
* January 13 – James Joyce, Irish writer, poet (b. 1882)
* January 15 – Guglielmo Pecori Giraldi, Italian nobleman, general, and politician (b. 1856)
* January 21 – Rudolf von Brudermann, Austro-Hungarian general (b. 1851)
* January 24 – Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll, British aristocrat, murder victim (b. 1901)
* January 29 – Ioannis Metaxas, Greek military officer, politician and Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1871)
February
* February 2 – Harris Laning, American admiral (b. 1873)
* February 4 – George Lloyd, 1st Baron Lloyd, British politician and diplomat (b. 1879)
* February 5 – Otto Strandman, 1st Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1875)
* February 6 – Banjo Paterson, Australian poet, journalist (b. 1864)
* February 7 – Giuseppe Tellera, Italian general (died of wounds) (b. 1882)
* February 9
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
* 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
*1539 – The first recorded race is held ...
– Aaron S. Watkins, American temperance movement leader (b. 1863)
* February 11 – Rudolf Hilferding, German economist, Minister of Finance (b. 1877)
* February 21 – Frederick Banting, Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1891)
* February 24 – Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, German submarine commander (b. 1886)
* February 27 – William D. Byron, U.S. Congressman (b. 1895)
* February 28 – King Alfonso XIII of Spain (b. 1886)
March
* March 4
Events Pre-1600
*AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).
* 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
* 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...
– Ludwig Quidde, German activist, politician and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858)
* March 6 – Gutzon Borglum, American sculptor (''Mount Rushmore'') (b. 1867)
* March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bou ...
– Sherwood Anderson, American author (b. 1876)
* March 15
Events Pre-1600
*474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
* 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odo ...
– Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian painter (b. 1864)
* March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ei ...
– Joachim Schepke, German submarine commander (killed in action) (b. 1912)
* March 18 – Alexander Pfänder, German philosopher (b. 1870)
* March 28
** Kavasji Jamshedji Petigara, Indian police commissioner (b. 1887)
** Virginia Woolf, British writer (b. 1882)
* March 30
Events Pre-1600
* 598 – Balkan Campaign: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro- Slavic hordes are decimated by the plague.
*1282 &ndash ...
– Vasil Kutinchev, Bulgarian general (b. 1859)
April
* April 3 – Pál Teleki, 2-time Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1879)
* April 5 – Sir Nigel Gresley, English steam locomotive engineer (''LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman, Flying Scotsman'' and ''LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard, Mallard'') (b. 1876)
* April 13 – Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer (b. 1863)
* April 16 – Josiah Stamp, British baron, banker, civil servant, industrialist, economist and statistician (b.1880)
* April 17 – Hans Driesch, German biologist, philosopher (b. 1867)
* April 24 – King Sisowath Monivong of Cambodia (b. 1875)
* April 30 – Edwin S. Porter, American film director (b. 1870)
May
* May 6 – Shūzō Kuki, Japanese philosopher (b. 1888)
* May 7 – James George Frazer, Scottish social anthropologist (b. 1854)
* May 11 – Peggy Shannon, American actress (b. 1910)
* May 12 – Ruth Stonehouse, American actress (b. 1892)
* May 16 – Minnie Vautrin, American missionary, heroine of the Nanjing Massacre (b. 1887)
* May 24 – Lancelot Holland, British admiral (b. 1887)
* May 27 – Günther Lütjens, German admiral (b. 1889)
* May 30 – Prajadhipok, Rama VII, King of Siam (b. 1893)
June
* June 1
** Hans Berger, German neurologist (b. 1873)
** Jenny Dolly, American singer (b. 1892)
** Hugh Walpole, Sir Hugh Walpole, British writer (b. 1884)
* June 2 – Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (New York Yankees), MLB Hall of Famer (b. 1903)
* June 4 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor, Wilhelm II, last Emperor of Germany (b. 1859)
* June 6 – Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-born automobile builder, race car driver (b. 1878)
* June 11 – Daniel Carter Beard, American scouting pioneer (b. 1850)
* June 15 – Evelyn Underhill, British writer (b. 1875)
* June 21 – Elliott Dexter, American actor (b. 1870)
* June 25 – Luigi Capello, Italian general (d. 1859)
* June 28 – Richard Carle, American actor (b. 1871)
* June 29 – Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish pianist, composer, and third Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1860)
July
* July 1 – Mikhail Kaganovich, Soviet politician (b. 1888)
* July 3 – Friedrich Akel, Estonian diplomat, politician (b. 1871)
* July 4 – Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician (b. 1881)
* July 10 – Jelly Roll Morton, African-American jazz musician, composer (b. 1890)
* July 11 – Arthur Evans, English archaeologist (b. 1851)
* July 15 – Walter Ruttmann, German director (b. 1887)
* July 20 – Lew Fields, American vaudeville performer (b. 1867)
* July 22 – Dmitry Pavlov (general), Dmitry Pavlov, Soviet general (executed) (b. 1897)
* July 23 – José Quiñones Gonzales, Peruvian aviator (b. 1914)
* July 24 – Rudolf Ramek, 5th Chancellor of Austria (b. 1881)
* July 25 – Allan Forrest, American actor (b. 1885)
* July 26 – Henri Lebesgue, French mathematician (b. 1875)
* July 27
**Homer Galpin, America politician and lawyer (b 1871)
**Vladimir Klimovskikh, Soviet general (b. 1885)
* July 29 – James Stephenson, British actor (b. 1889)
* July 30
** Hugo Celmiņš, Prime Minister of Latvia (b. 1877)
** Mickey Welch, American baseball player, MLB Hall of Famer (b. 1859)
August
* August 1 –James Drake (politician), James Drake, Australian politician (b. 1850)
* August 7 – Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
* August 12 – Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon, British politician and colonial administrator, 22nd Viceroy of India (b. 1866)
* August 13 – J. Stuart Blackton, American film producer (b. 1875)
* August 14
** Saint Maximilian Kolbe, German Roman Catholic priest (martyred in Auschwitz concentration camp) (b. 1894)
** Paul Sabatier (chemist), Paul Sabatier, French chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1854)
* August 20 – John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven, British politician, 8th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1874)
* August 30 – Peder Oluf Pedersen, Danish engineer, physicist (b. 1874)
* August 31 – Marina Tsvetaeva, Soviet and Russian poet (b. 1892)
September
* September 1 – Karl Parts, Estonian military commander (b. 1886)
* September 9 – Hans Spemann, German embryologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1869)
* September 11
** Alipio Ponce, Peruvian police officer, Civil Guard hero (b. 1906)
**Christian Rakovsky, Bulgarian revolutionary, Russian Bolshevik and Soviet diplomat, journalist, physician, and essayist (executed) (b. 1873)
** Maria Spiridonova, Russian revolutionary, former leader of the Left Socialist Revolutionaries, Party of Left Socialist Revolutionaries (executed) (b. 1884)
* September 18 – Fred Karno, British music hall comedian (b. 1866)
* September 20 – Mikhail Kirponos, Soviet general (b. 1892)
October
* October 5 – Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1856)
* October 8
** Gus Kahn, German songwriter (b. 1886)
** Valentine O'Hara, Irish author (b. 1875)
* October 9 – Helen Morgan (singer), Helen Morgan, American singer, actress (b. 1900)
* October 16 – Sergei Efron, Russian poet, NKVD operative (b. 1893)
* October 18 – Manuel Teixeira Gomes, 7th President of Portugal (b. 1860)
* October 22 – Ioan Glogojeanu, Romanian general (assassinated) (b. 1888)
* October 25 – Robert Delaunay, French painter (b. 1885)
* October 26
** Arkady Gaidar, Russian writer (b. 1904)
** Victor Schertzinger, American composer, director (b. 1888)
* October 28
** 20 Soviet military officers and politicians executed in Kuybyshev:
*** Pavel Rychagov (b. 1911)
*** Grigori Shtern (b. 1900)
*** Yakov Smushkevich (b. 1902)
*** Filipp Goloshchekin (b. 1876)
*** Mikhail Kedrov (politician), Mikhail Kedrov (b. 1878)
*** Aleksandr Loktionov (b. 1893)
* October 29
** Harvey Hendrick, American baseball player (b. 1897)
** Károly Huszár, 25th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1882)
November
* November 7 – Frank Pick, British transport administrator, designer (b. 1878)
*November 10 – Carrie Derick, Canadian botanist and geneticist (b. 1862)
* November 16
** Miina Härma, Estonian composer (b. 1864)
** Henry Fuller Maitland Wilson, Sir Henry Wilson, British general (b. 1859)
* November 17 – Ernst Udet, German World War I fighter ace, Nazi ''Luftwaffe'' official (suicide) (b. 1896)
* November 18
** Émile Nelligan, Canadian poet (b. 1879)
** Walther Nernst, German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
** Chris Watson, 3rd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1867)
* November 22
** Kurt Koffka, German psychologist (b. 1886)
** Werner Mölders, German fighter pilot (b. 1913)
* November 23 – Henrietta Vinton Davis, American elocutionist, dramatist, impersonator, and public speaker (b. 1860)
* November 25 – Pedro Aguirre Cerda, President of Chile (b. 1879)
* November 26 – Niels Hansen Jacobsen, Danish sculptor, ceramist (b. 1861)
* November 27 – Charles James Briggs, Sir Charles Briggs, British general (b. 1865)
December
* December 2 – Edward Rydz-Śmigły, Polish marshal (b. 1886)
* December 3 – Christian Sinding, Norwegian composer (b. 1856)
* December 7 – Isaac C. Kidd, American admiral (killed in action) (b. 1884)
* December 9 – Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli, Austrian general, German field marshal (b. 1856)
* December 10 – Tom Phillips (Royal Navy officer), Tom Phillips, British admiral (b. 1888)
* December 11 – Émile Picard, French mathematician (b. 1856)
* December 15 – Blessed Martyrs of Drina, Croatian nuns
* December 25 – Blanche Bates, American stage actress (b. 1873)
* December 29 – Tullio Levi-Civita, Italian mathematician (b. 1873)
* December 30 – El Lissitzky, Russian artist, architect (b. 1890)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – not awarded
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – not awarded
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – not awarded
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – not awarded
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – not awarded
References
Further reading
* William K. Klingaman. ''1941: Our Lives in a World on the Edge'' (1988) world perspective based on primary sources by a scholar.
{{Authority control
1941,