1940
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A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.


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 opposin ...
have the "WWII" prefix.


January

*
January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – Engli ...
– WWII:
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 ...
Colonel
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
assumes control of most war industries 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 ...
. *
January 6 Events Pre-1600 *1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eve ...
– WWII:
Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
– General
Semyon Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (russian: link=no, Семён Константи́нович Тимоше́нко, ''Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko''; uk, Семе́н Костянти́нович Тимоше́нко, ''Semen Kostiantyno ...
takes command of all
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
forces. *
January 7 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting. * 1325 – Alfonso IV ...
– WWII:
Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
: Battle of Raate Road – Outnumbered Finnish troops decisively defeat Soviet forces. *
January 8 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – Emperor Huai of Jin, Jin Huaidi becomes emperor of China in succession to his father, Emperor Hui of Jin, Jin Huidi, despite a challenge from his uncle, Sima Ying. * 871 – Æthelred I, King of Wessex, Æthel ...
**WWII:
Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
:
Battle of Suomussalmi The Battle of Suomussalmi was a battle fought between Finnish and Soviet forces in the Winter War. The action took place from 30 November 1939 to 8 January 1940. The outcome was a Finnish victory against superior forces. This battle is considered ...
– Finnish forces destroy the Soviet 44th Rifle Division. **WWII: Food rationing in the United Kingdom begins; it will remain in force until
1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
. *
January 9 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. *1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...
– WWII: British submarine is sunk in the
Heligoland Bight The Heligoland Bight, also known as Helgoland Bight, (german: Helgoländer Bucht) is a bay which forms the southern part of the German Bight, itself a bay of the North Sea, located at the mouth of the Elbe river. The Heligoland Bight extends fro ...
. *
January 10 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...
– WWII:
Mechelen incident The Mechelen incident of 10 January 1940, also known as the Mechelen affair, took place in Belgium during the Phoney War in the first stages of World War II. A German aircraft with an officer on board carrying the plans for ''Fall Gelb'' (Case Ye ...
– A German plane carrying secret plans for the invasion of Western Europe makes a forced landing in Belgium, leading to mobilization of defense forces in the
Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
. *
January 27 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...
– WWII: A peace resolution introduced in the
Parliament of South Africa The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature; under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameral Parliament comprises a National Assembly and a National Council of Provinces. The current twenty-seve ...
is defeated 81–59. *
January 29 Events Pre-1600 * 904 – Sergius III is elected pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher. * 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler o ...
– Three gasoline-powered trains carrying factory workers crash and explode while approaching
Ajikawaguchi Station is a train station on the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) Sakurajima Line (JR Yumesaki Line) in Konohana-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Layout The station has an island platform serving two tracks. 1940 fire On January 29, 1940, ...
, Yumesaki Line (Nishinari Line),
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
, Japan, killing at least 181 people and injuring at least 92.


February

*
February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King ...
11 – Scheduled dates for the
1940 Winter Olympics The 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the and as Sapporo 1940 (札幌1940), were to have been celebrated from 3 to 12 February 1940 in Sapporo, Japan, but the games were eventually cancelled due to the onset of Wo ...
in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...
, Germany, cancelled in November 1939 due to WWII (originally allocated to
Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
, Japan). *
February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
– WWII:
Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
– Soviet forces launch a major assault on Finnish troops occupying the
Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...
. *
February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King ...
Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (russian: Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд, translit=Vsévolod Èmíl'evič Mejerchól'd; born german: Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre ...
is executed in the Soviet Union on charges of treason and espionage. He is cleared of all charges fifteen years later, in the first waves of
de-Stalinization De-Stalinization (russian: десталинизация, translit=destalinizatsiya) comprised a series of political reforms in the Soviet Union after the death of long-time leader Joseph Stalin in 1953, and the thaw brought about by ascension ...
. *
February 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. * 1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Kar ...
– WWII: ''Altmark'' Incident: British destroyer pursues German tanker ''Altmark'' into the neutral waters of
Jøssingfjord Jøssingfjorden is a fjord in Sokndal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The long fjord is narrow and deep and is surrounded by mountains. It sits about southeast of the municipal centre of Hauge. There is some settlement on the southe ...
in southwestern
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and frees the 290 British seamen held aboard. *
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 Ferdina ...
– In
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
, province of Ando, 4-year-old
Tenzin Gyatso The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...
is proclaimed the ''
tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. High-profile examples ...
'' (
rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * ''The Re ...
) of the 13th
Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
. *
February 27 Events Pre-1600 * 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity. * 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
Martin Kamen Martin David Kamen (August 27, 1913, Toronto – August 31, 2002, Montecito, California) was an American chemist who, together with Sam Ruben, co-discovered the synthesis of the isotope carbon-14 on February 27, 1940, at the University of C ...
and
Sam Ruben Samuel Ruben (born Charles Rubenstein; November 5, 1913 – September 28, 1943) was an American chemist who with Martin Kamen co-discovered the synthesis of the isotope carbon-14 in 1940. Early life Ruben was the son of Herschel and Frieda Pe ...
discover
carbon-14 Carbon-14, C-14, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and coll ...
.


March

*
March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern ...
Katyn massacre The Katyn massacre, "Katyń crime"; russian: link=yes, Катынская резня ''Katynskaya reznya'', "Katyn massacre", or russian: link=no, Катынский расстрел, ''Katynsky rasstrel'', "Katyn execution" was a series of m ...
: Members of the Soviet Politburo (
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
,
Vyacheslav Molotov Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov. ; (;. 9 March Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O._S._25_February.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O. S. 25 February">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dat ...
,
Lazar Kaganovich Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich, also Kahanovich (russian: Ла́зарь Моисе́евич Кагано́вич, Lázar' Moiséyevich Kaganóvich; – 25 July 1991), was a Soviet politician and administrator, and one of the main associates of ...
,
Mikhail Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (russian: link=no, Михаи́л Ива́нович Кали́нин ; 3 June 1946), known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych", was a Soviet politician and Old Bolshevik revolutionary. He served as head of s ...
,
Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov (, uk, Климент Охрімович Ворошилов, ''Klyment Okhrimovyč Vorošylov''), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (russian: link=no, Клим Вороши́лов, ''Klim Vorošilov''; 4 Februa ...
and
Lavrentiy Beria Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria (; rus, Лавре́нтий Па́влович Бе́рия, Lavréntiy Pávlovich Bériya, p=ˈbʲerʲiə; ka, ლავრენტი ბერია, tr, ;  – 23 December 1953) was a Georgian Bolshevik ...
) sign an order, prepared by Beria, for the execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, including 14,700 Polish POWs. *
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 venerati ...
Ed Ricketts Edward Flanders Robb Ricketts (May 14, 1897 – May 11, 1948) was an American marine biologist, ecologist, and philosopher. He is best known for ''Between Pacific Tides'' (1939), a pioneering study of intertidal ecology. He is also known as a men ...
,
John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...
and six others leave
Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...
, United States, for the
Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...
, on a marine invertebrate collecting expedition. *
March 12 Events Pre-1600 * 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. * 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
Moscow Peace Treaty The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on 12 March 1940, and the ratifications were exchanged on 21 March. It marked the end of the 105-day Winter War, upon which Finland ceded border areas to the Soviet Union. The ...
: The
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and Finland sign a peace treaty in Moscow, ending the
Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
; Finns, along with the world at large, are shocked by the harsh terms. *
March 13 Events Pre-1600 *624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. *1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War. *1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...
– Indian nationalist
Udham Singh Udham Singh (born Sher Singh; 26 December 1899 — 31 July 1940) was an Indian revolutionary belonging to Ghadar Party and HSRA, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in India, on 13 Mar ...
assassinates Sir
Michael O'Dwyer Michael Francis O'Dwyer (28 April 1864 – 13 March 1940) was an Irish Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer and later the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, British India, between 1913 and 1919. During O'Dwyer's tenure as Punjab's Lieutenant Gove ...
(in revenge for the
1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...
Jallianwala Bagh massacre The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, to protest against the Rowlatt Act and arrest of pro-independence ...
) at
Caxton Hall Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and art ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, for which he is hanged on 31 July at
HM Prison Pentonville HM Prison Pentonville (informally "The Ville") is an English Category B men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not in Pentonville, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury are ...
. *
March 18 Events Pre-1600 * 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ''(aka Caligula = Little Boots)'' emperor.Tacitus, ''Annals'' V.10. * 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Ara ...
– WWII:
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 ...
:
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 ...
and
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
meet at
Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass (german: link=no, Brennerpass , shortly ; it, Passo del Brennero ) is a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has ...
in the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
. After being informed by Hitler that the Germans are ready to attack in the west, Mussolini agrees to bring Italy into the war in due course. *
March 21 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the ''Vivarium'', by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas an ...
Édouard Daladier Édouard Daladier (; 18 June 1884 – 10 October 1970) was a French Radical-Socialist (centre-left) politician, and the Prime Minister of France who signed the Munich Agreement before the outbreak of World War II. Daladier was born in Carpentr ...
resigns as Prime Minister of France;
Paul Reynaud Paul Reynaud (; 15 October 1878 – 21 September 1966) was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. Reynaud opposed the Munich Agreement of ...
succeeds him. *
March 23 Events Pre-1600 *1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official. *1540 – Waltham Abbey Church, Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of ...
Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the pe ...
: The
Lahore Resolution The Lahore Resolution ( ur, , ''Qarardad-e-Lahore''; Bengali: লাহোর প্রস্তাব, ''Lahor Prostab''), also called Pakistan resolution, was written and prepared by Muhammad Zafarullah Khan and was presented by A. K. Fazlul ...
, calling for greater autonomy for what will become
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, is drawn up by the
All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcontin ...
during a three-day general session at
Iqbal Park Greater Iqbal Park ( ur, ), formerly Minto Park, is an urban park located in the outskirts of the Walled City in Lahore, Pakistan. Before current renovations and expansion, its name was Iqbal Park. Noted as the home of Minar-e-Pakistan'','' t ...
,
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
. *
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 &ndas ...
– WWII: Former
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
member and Chinese foreign minister,
Wang Jingwei Wang Jingwei (4 May 1883 – 10 November 1944), born as Wang Zhaoming and widely known by his pen name Jingwei, was a Chinese politician. He was initially a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang, leading a government in Wuhan in oppositi ...
, announces the creation of the
Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China The Wang Jingwei regime or the Wang Ching-wei regime is the common name of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China ( zh , t = 中華民國國民政府 , p = Zhōnghuá Mínguó Guómín Zhèngfǔ ), the government of the pup ...
in
Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
. *
March 31 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. *1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at V ...
– 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 enga ...
leaves the
Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...
for what will become the longest warship cruise of the war (622 days without in-port replenishment or repair).


April

*
April 3 Events Pre-1600 * 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul. * 1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. * 1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created ...
– WWII:
Operation Weserübung Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. In the early morning of 9 Ap ...
: German ships set out for the
invasion of Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. *
April 4 Events Pre-1600 * 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines. * 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground. * 611 – ...
Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...
,
UK Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pri ...
, in what proves to be a tragic misjudgment, declares in a major public speech that
Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
has "missed the bus". *
April 7 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town. * 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
becomes the first
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
to be depicted on a United States
postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
. *
April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Ro ...
– WWII:
Operation Wilfred Operation Wilfred was a British naval operation during the Second World War that involved the mining of the channel between Norway and its offshore islands to prevent the transport of Swedish iron ore through neutral Norwegian waters to be use ...
: The British fleet lays
naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...
s off the coast of neutral Norway. *
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, s ...
– WWII: Germany invades the
neutral countries A neutral country is a state that is neutral towards belligerents in a specific war or holds itself as permanently neutral in all future conflicts (including avoiding entering into military alliances such as NATO, CSTO or the SCO). As a type of ...
of Denmark and Norway in
Operation Weserübung Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. In the early morning of 9 Ap ...
, opening the Norwegian Campaign. 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 F ...
attempts to attack elements of the German fleet off Norway.
Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (, ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Nazi collaborator who nominally headed the government of Norway during the country's occupation by Nazi Germ ...
proclaims a new collaborationist
regime In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...
in Norway. The
German invasion of Denmark The German invasion of Denmark (german: Operation Weserübung – Süd), was the German attack on Denmark on 9 April 1940, during the Second World War. The attack was a prelude to the invasion of Norway (german: Weserübung Nord, 9 April – 10 ...
lasts for about six hours, before that country capitulates. *
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). * 1407 ...
– WWII:
First Naval Battle of Narvik The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War. ...
: 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 F ...
attacks the German fleet in the
Ofotfjord Ofotfjord ( or ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The long Ofotfjord is Norway's 12th longest fjord and it is also the 18th deepest, with a maximum depth of . ...
. At
Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
, German cruiser ''Königsberg'' is sunk by British
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
Blackburn Skua The Blackburn B-24 Skua was a carrier-based low-wing, two-seater, single-radial engine aircraft by the British aviation company Blackburn Aircraft. It was the first Royal Navy carrier-borne all-metal cantilever monoplane aircraft, as well as ...
dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...
s, flying from
RNAS Hatston RNAS Hatston, also called HMS ''Sparrowhawk'', was a Royal Naval Air Station, one mile to the north west of Kirkwall on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It was located near the strategically vital naval base of Scapa Flow, which for mo ...
in
Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
. *
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 ...
**The
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
are occupied by British troops, following the German invasion of Denmark. This action is taken to avert a possible German occupation of the islands, with serious consequences for the course of the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
. **Opening day at
Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...
features the use of
parimutuel betting Parimutuel betting or pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vigorish" are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winnin ...
equipment, a departure from
bookmaking A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...
heretofore used exclusively throughout New York. Other tracks in the state follow suit later in 1940. *
April 13 Events Pre-1600 *1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. * 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire. 1601–1900 *1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...
**WWII:
Second Naval Battle of Narvik The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War. ...
: 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 F ...
causes all 8 defending German destroyers in the
Ofotfjord Ofotfjord ( or ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The long Ofotfjord is Norway's 12th longest fjord and it is also the 18th deepest, with a maximum depth of . ...
to be sunk. **The
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
win the
1940 Stanley Cup Finals The 1940 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. New York would win the series 4–2 to win their third Stanley Cup. The Rangers would not win another for 54 years, a circumstance t ...
in
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
. It will be another 54 years before their next win in
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
. *
April 14 Events Pre-1600 * 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum. * 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor Otho ...
Norwegian Campaign: The first British ground forces land in Norway, at
Namsos ( sma, Nåavmesjenjaelmie) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Namsos. Some of the villages in the municipality include Bangsund, Kl ...
and
Harstad ( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the Harstad (town), town of Harstad, the most populous town in Centra ...
. *
April 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. * 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide. * 73 – Masad ...
– In American baseball, the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
, behind
Bob Feller Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...
's
Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
, defeat the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
, 1–0. *
April 23 Events Pre-1600 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southe ...
– The
Rhythm Club fire The Rhythm Club fire (or The Natchez Dance Hall Holocaust) was a fire in a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi on the night of April 23, 1940, which killed 209 people and severely injured many others. Hundreds of people were trapped inside the bui ...
at a dance hall in
Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, N ...
, United States, kills 198 people. *
April 27 Events Pre-1600 * 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''. * 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of ...
Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
and
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
play an association football friendly; it is Lebanon's first official match, and Mandatory Palestine's last before they become Israel in 1948.


May

*
May 10 Events Pre-1600 * 28 BC – A sunspot is observed by Han dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, one of the earliest dated sunspot observations in China. *1291 – Scottish nobles recognize the authority of Edw ...
– WWII: **The
Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
begins. **German forces invade the
Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
. ***The
Battle of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands ( nl, Duitse aanval op Nederland), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands ( nl, Slag om Nederland), was a military campaign part of Battle of France, Case Yellow (german: Fall Gelb), the Nazi Ge ...
begins. ***The
Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an Military o ...
begins. ***The
Invasion of Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...
begins. **The British
invasion of Iceland The invasion of Iceland (codenamed Operation Fork) by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines occurred on 10 May 1940, during World War II. The invasion took place because the British government feared that Iceland would be used by the Germans, who h ...
begins. **With the resignation of
Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...
,
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 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
becomes
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
. *
May 13 Events Pre-1600 *1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book '' Revelations of Divine Love''. * 1501 – Amerigo Vespu ...
– 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 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
, in his first address as Prime Minister, tells the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...
, "I have nothing to offer you but
blood, toil, tears and sweat The phrase "blood, toil, tears and sweat" became famous in a speech given by Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 13 May 1940. The speech is sometimes known by that name. Background This was Ch ...
." **German armies open a wide breach in the
Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force the ...
at
Sedan, France Sedan () is a commune in the Ardennes department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. It is also the chef-lieu (administrative centre) of the arrondissement of the same name. Location The town is situated about 200 km from Paris, ...
. *
May 13 Events Pre-1600 *1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book '' Revelations of Divine Love''. * 1501 – Amerigo Vespu ...
14 – Queen
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War ...
and her government are evacuated to London, using the British destroyer . *
May 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1027 – Robert II of France names his son Henry I as junior King of the Franks. *1097 – The Siege of Nicaea begins during the First Crusade. * 1264 – Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured and forc ...
– WWII: **
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
is subjected to savage terror bombing 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 ...
; 980 are killed, and 20,000 buildings destroyed. General
Henri Winkelman Henri Gerard Winkelman (17 August 1876 – 27 December 1952) was a Dutch military officer who served as Commander-in-chief of the Armed forces of the Netherlands during the German invasion of the Netherlands. Pre-war Winkelman was born in Maast ...
announces the surrender of the
Dutch army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...
(outside
Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...
) to German forces. **Recruitment begins in Britain for a home defence force: the
Local Defence Volunteers The Home Guard (initially Local Defence Volunteers or LDV) was an armed citizen militia supporting the British Army during the Second World War. Operational from 1940 to 1944, the Home Guard had 1.5 million local volunteers otherwise ineligible f ...
, later known as the Home Guard. *
May 15 Events Pre-1600 * 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. * 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbog ...
**WWII: The
Dutch Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...
formally signs a surrender document. **Women's
stocking Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transparen ...
s made of
nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
are first placed on sale across the United States. Almost five million pairs are bought on this day. *
May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. *1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 1364 ...
– 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 ...
, addressing a joint session of the
U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
, asks for an extraordinary credit of approximately $900,000,000 to finance construction of at least 50,000 airplanes per year. *
May 17 Events Pre-1600 *1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army. * 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason. * 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Flo ...
– WWII: **
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
falls to German forces; the Belgian government flees to
Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
. **
Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...
is overrun by German forces, ending the
Battle of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands ( nl, Duitse aanval op Nederland), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands ( nl, Slag om Nederland), was a military campaign part of Battle of France, Case Yellow (german: Fall Gelb), the Nazi Ge ...
and beginning full
German occupation of the Netherlands Despite Dutch neutrality, Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 as part of Fall Gelb (Case Yellow). On 15 May 1940, one day after the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces surrendered. The Dutch government and the royal family re ...
(
Noord-Beveland Noord-Beveland (; "North Beveland") is a municipality and region in the southwestern Netherlands and a former island, now part of the Walcheren-Zuid-Beveland-Noord-Beveland peninsula. Noord-Beveland is enclosed by the Oosterschelde estuary to the ...
surrenders on May 18, and the remaining Dutch troops are withdrawn from
Zeelandic Flanders Zeelandic Flanders ( ; zea, Zeêuws-Vlaonderen; vls, Zêeuws-Vloandern)''Vlaanderen'' in isolation: . is the southernmost region of the province of Zeeland in the south-western Netherlands. It lies south of the Western Scheldt that separates t ...
on May 19). *
May 18 Events Pre-1600 * 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. * 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 4 ...
– Marshal
Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of World ...
is named vice-premier of France. *
May 19 Events Pre-1600 * 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace. * 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected. * 1051 – Henry I of France marries the Rus' princess, Anne of Kiev. *1445 &n ...
– General
Maxime Weygand Maxime Weygand (; 21 January 1867 – 28 January 1965) was a French military commander in World War I and World War II. Born in Belgium, Weygand was raised in France and educated at the Saint-Cyr military academy in Paris. After graduating in 1 ...
replaces
Maurice Gamelin Maurice Gustave Gamelin (, 20 September 1872 – 18 April 1958) was an army general in the French Army. Gamelin is remembered for his disastrous command (until 17 May 1940) of the French military during the Battle of France (10 May–22 June 1940 ...
as commander-in-chief of all French forces. *
May 20 Events Pre-1600 * 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. * 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed '' Augusta'' is able to choose her ...
**WWII: German forces ( 2nd ''Panzer'' Division), under General
Rudolf Veiel Rudolf Veiel (10 December 1883 – 19 March 1956) was a German general (General der Panzertruppe) during World War II. Career Veiel joined the army 1904, and was commissioned as an officer in 1905, serving in the Württemberg cavalry during ...
, reach Noyelles on the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
. **
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
: The
Nazi concentration camp From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...
and
extermination camp Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...
Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the German concentration camps, opens in Occupation of Poland (1939–45), occupied Poland, near the town of Oświęcim. From now on until January 1945, around 1.1 million people will be killed here. *May 22 – WWII: The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939, giving the government full control over all persons and property. *May 24 – WWII: **The Anglo-French Supreme War Council decides to withdraw all forces under its control from Norway. **Hitler issues ''Der Halte Befehl'', a stop order preventing his Panzer divisions advancing on Dunkirk. *May 25 – The Crypt of Civilization time capsule at Oglethorpe University, Brookhaven, Georgia in the United States, is sealed shut, with a projected opening date of 8113 Common Era, CE. *May 26 **WWII: The Dunkirk evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (World War II), British Expeditionary Force begins. **The first free flight of Igor Sikorsky's Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 helicopter is made. *May 27 – WWII: Le Paradis massacre: 97 retreating British soldiers of the Royal Norfolk Regiment are executed by German troops of 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf, 3rd SS Panzer Division ''Totenkopf'' after surrendering in France. *May 28 – WWII: **King Leopold III of Belgium orders the Belgian forces to cease fighting, ending the 18-day
Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an Military o ...
. Leaders of the Belgian government on French territory declare Leopold deposed. **land battle of Narvik, Land Battle of Narvik: German forces retire, giving the Allies their first victory on land in the war; however, the British have already decided to evacuate Narvik. **
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 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
warns the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...
to "prepare itself for hard and heavy tidings." **The Wormhoudt massacre (or Wormhout massacre) takes place with the mass murder of 80 British and French POWs by Waffen-SS soldiers from the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler during the Battle of France. *May 29 – The Vought XF4U-1, prototype of the F4U Corsair U.S. fighter later used in WWII, makes its first flight.


June

*June 1 – WWII: Rear Admiral Sir Frederic Wake-Walker, W. Frederic Wake-Walker's flagship, the destroyer HMS Keith, ''Keith'', is sunk by Junkers Ju 87, Stukas at Dunkirk. *June 3 **WWII: Paris is bombed 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 ...
for the first time. **The Holocaust: Franz Rademacher proposes the Madagascar Plan. **The Weather Bureau is transferred to the United States Department of Commerce. *June 4 – WWII: **The Dunkirk evacuation ends: The British and French navies, together with large numbers of civilian vessels from various nations, complete evacuating 300,000 troops from Dunkirk, France to England. **
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 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
tells the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...
, "We shall not flag or fail. We shall fight on the beaches... on the landing grounds... in the fields and the streets.... We shall never surrender." *June 7 – King Haakon VII of Norway and his government are evacuated from Tromsø to London, on HMS Devonshire (39), HMS ''Devonshire''. *June 10 **WWII: ***Italy declares war on France and the United Kingdom. ***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 ...
denounces Italy's actions with his "Stab in the Back" speech during the graduation ceremonies of the University of Virginia. ***Canada declares war on Italy. ***The Norwegian Army surrenders to German forces. ***The French government flees to Tours. *June 11 – WWII: The Western Desert Campaign opens, with British forces crossing the Frontier Wire (Libya), Frontier Wire into Italian Libya. *June 12 – WWII: 13,000 British and French troops surrender to Major-General Erwin Rommel's 7th Panzer Division, at Saint-Valery-en-Caux. *June 13 – WWII: Paris is declared an open city. *June 14 – WWII: **The French government flees to Bordeaux, and Paris falls under German occupation. **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 ...
signs the Naval Expansion Act into law, which aims to increase the United States Navy's tonnage by 11%. **A group of 728 Polish political prisoners from Tarnów become the first residents of the Auschwitz concentration camp. **Soviet ultimatum to Lithuania: The Soviet Union demands that its Red Army be allowed to enter Lithuania and form a pro-Soviet puppet "People's Government of Lithuania". *June 15 – WWII: **Occupation of the Baltic states: The Soviet Union occupies Lithuania. **Verdun falls to German forces. *June 16 **The Churchill war ministry in the United Kingdom offers a Franco-British Union (inspired by Jean Monnet) to
Paul Reynaud Paul Reynaud (; 15 October 1878 – 21 September 1966) was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. Reynaud opposed the Munich Agreement of ...
, Prime Minister of France, in the hope of preventing France from agreeing to an Second Armistice at Compiègne, armistice with Germany, but Reynaud resigns when his own cabinet refuses to accept it. **The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is held for the first time, in Sturgis, South Dakota. *June 17 – WWII: **
Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of World ...
becomes Prime Minister of France, and immediately asks Germany for peace terms. **Occupation of the Baltic states: The Soviet Union occupies Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. **Operation Aerial begins: Allies of World War II, Allied troops start to evacuate France, following Germany's takeover of Paris and most of the nation. **, serving as a troopship, is bombed and sunk by
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 ...
Junkers Ju 88 aircraft, while evacuating British troops and nationals from Saint-Nazaire in France, with the loss of at least 4,000 lives, the largest single UK loss in any World War II event, immediate news of which is suppressed in the British press. Destroyer rescues around 600. *June 18 – 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 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
tells the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...
: "The
Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin... if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour." **Appeal of 18 June: General Charles de Gaulle, ''de facto'' leader of the Free French Forces, makes his first broadcast appeal over Radio Londres from London, rallying the French Resistance, calling on all French people to continue the fight against Nazi Germany: "France has lost a battle. But France has not lost the war." *June 20 – WWII: Evacuation of civilians from the Channel Islands in 1940, Evacuation of civilians from the Channel Islands to England begins. *June 21 – WWII: The unsuccessful Italian invasion of France begins with an offensive in the Alps. *June 22 **WWII: Second Armistice at Compiègne: The French Third Republic and Nazi Germany sign an armistice, ending the
Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
in the Forest of Compiègne, in the same Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits railroad car used by Marshal Ferdinand Foch to conclude the Armistice with Germany in 1918. This divides France into a ''Zone occupée'' in the north and west, under the Military Administration in France (Nazi Germany), and a southern ''Zone libre'', Vichy France. **Albert Einstein gives a public address in the "I'm An American" series, on becoming an American citizen. *June 23 – WWII: German leader
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 ...
surveys newly defeated Paris, in now-occupied France. *June 24 **WWII: Vichy France signs armistice terms with Italy. **WWII: Operation Fish – British Royal Navy cruiser sails from Greenock (Scotland) in convoy for Halifax, Nova Scotia (arriving July 1), carrying a large part of the gold reserves of the United Kingdom and Security (finance), securities for safe keeping in Canada. **United States politics: The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party begins its 1940 Republican National Convention, national convention in Philadelphia, and nominates Wendell Willkie as its candidate for president. *June 25 – WWII: After the defeat of Armistice with France (Second Compiègne), France, Hitler plans for an invasion of Switzerland, known as Operation Tannenbaum. *June 26 – Soviet calendar: The Soviet Union reverts to a seven-day week for all purposes. *June 28 **General Charles de Gaulle is officially recognized by Britain as the "Leader of all Free Frenchmen, wherever they may be." **Kingdom of Romania, Romania Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, cedes Bessarabia and northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union, after an ultimatum. *June 30 **WWII: German forces land in Guernsey, marking the start of the 5-year Occupation of the Channel Islands. **Federal government of the United States reorganisation: ***The Civil Aeronautics Administration (United States), Civil Aeronautics Administration is placed under the Department of Commerce. ***The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is placed under the Federal Security Agency. ***The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is placed under the Department of the Interior.


July

*July 1 – The Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940), first Tacoma Narrows Bridge opens for business, built with an girder and above the water, as the third-longest suspension bridge in the world. *July 2 – WWII: British-owned , carrying Civilian Internee, civilian internees and POWs of Italian and German origin from Liverpool to Canada, is torpedoed and sunk by off northwest Ireland, with the loss of around 865 lives. *July 3 – WWII: Attack on Mers-el-Kébir: British naval units sink or seize ships of the French fleet anchored in the Algerian ports of Mers-el-Kebir and Oran, to prevent them from falling into German hands. The following day, Vichy France breaks off diplomatic relations with Britain. *July 5 – WWII: Operation Fish – A British convoy including MS Batory, HMS ''Batory'' sails from Greenock (Scotland) for Halifax, Nova Scotia, carrying gold bar and other valuables worth $1.7 billion for safe keeping in Canada, the largest movement of wealth in history. *July 6 **Story Bridge opens in Brisbane. **WWII: British submarine is sunk. *July 10 – WWII: The Battle of Britain begins. *July 11 **WWII: British destroyer is torpedoed and sunk by an Italian submarine. **WWII: Vichy France begins with a constitutional law which only The Vichy 80, 80 members of the parliament vote against.
Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of World ...
becomes Prime Minister of France. *July 14 – 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 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
, in a worldwide broadcast, proclaims the intention of Great Britain to fight alone against Germany whatever the outcome: "We shall seek no terms. We shall tolerate no parley. We may show mercy. We shall ask none." *July 15 – U.S. politics: The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party begins its national convention in Chicago, and nominates
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 ...
for an unprecedented third term as president. *July 19 **WWII: Battle of Cape Spada: and five destroyers sink the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni, Italian cruiser ''Bartolomeo Colleoni''. **WWII:
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 ...
makes a peace appeal to Britain, in an address to the Reichstag (Weimar Republic), Reichstag. BBC German-language broadcaster Sefton Delmer unofficially rejects it at once and Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, Lord Halifax, the British foreign minister, flatly rejects peace terms in a broadcast reply on July 22. *July 20–August 4 – Scheduled dates for the 1940 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, cancelled in November 1939 due to WWII (originally allocated to Tokyo, Japan). *July 21 **After rigged parliamentary elections in the three occupied countries on July 14–July 15, 15, the parliaments proclaim the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, Estonian, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Latvian and Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republics. **The Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter aircraft enters service, so named as 1940 roughly corresponds to the year 2600 on the Japanese Imperial calendar. *July 23 – Welles Declaration: United States Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles announces that the U.S. will not accord diplomatic recognition to the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
's occupation of the Baltic states. *July 25 – General Henri Guisan addresses the officer corps of the Swiss army at Rütli, resolving to resist any invasion of the country. *July 27 **Eleven British nationals, including Melville James Cox, are arrested on suspicion of spying for military intelligence by the secret police in Japan. Cox commits suicide in Tokyo on July 29, according to a report by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. **Bugs Bunny makes his debut in the Academy Awards, Oscar-nominated cartoon short, ''A Wild Hare''. However, it is not until 1941 that his name is adopted.


August

*August 1 – WWII: British submarine is sunk in the English Channel, by what is much later discovered to be a mine. *August 3 – The Lithuanian SSR is annexed into the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, followed by the Latvian SSR on August 5 and the Estonian SSR August 6, just seven weeks after their occupation. Ethnic Germans will be deported to Germany. *August 3–August 19, 19 – WWII: The Italian conquest of British Somaliland is completed. *August 4 – Gen. John J. Pershing, in a nationwide radio broadcast, urges all-out aid to Britain in order to defend the Americas, while Charles Lindbergh speaks to an isolationist rally at Soldier Field in Chicago. *August 8 – WWII: German general Wilhelm Keitel signs the "Aufbau Ost (1940), Aufbau Ost" directive, which eventually leads to the invasion of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. *August 10 – WWII: British armed merchant cruiser is torpedoed off Malin Head, Ireland, by German submarine U-56 (1938), German submarine ''U-56''. *August 13 – WWII: The ''Adlertag'' ("Eagle Day") strike on southern England occurs, starting the rapid escalation of the Battle of Britain air offensive of 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 ...
'' against RAF Fighter Command. *August 15 – Italy, without having declared war on Greece, sinks the Greek boat ''Elli'' (Έλλη). *August 18 **WWII: "The Hardest Day" in the Battle of Britain: Both sides lose more aircraft combined on this day than at any other point during the campaign, without the ''Luftwaffe'' achieving dominance over RAF Fighter Command. **Edward VIII, The Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, is installed as Governor of the Bahamas. *August 20 **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 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
pays tribute in the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...
to the Royal Air Force: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." **Leon Trotsky is attacked with an ice axe in his Mexico home by NKVD agent Ramón Mercader. *August 24 – Howard Florey, and a team including Ernst Chain and Norman Heatley, at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, publish their laboratory results showing the ''in vivo'' bactericidal action of penicillin. They have also purified the drug. *August 25 – WWII: The first Bombing of Berlin in World War II, Bombing of Berlin is carried out, by the United Kingdom, British Royal Air Force. *August 26 – WWII: Chad is the first French colony to proclaim its support for the Allies. *August 30 – Second Vienna Award: Germany and Italy compel Romania to cede half of Transylvania to Hungary. *August 31 **WWII: Texel Disaster: Two British Royal Navy destroyers are sunk by running into a Naval mine, minefield off the coast of the occupied Netherlands with the loss of around 400 men, 300 of them dead. **Film stars Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh are married at the San Ysidro Ranch in California.


September

*September – The 45th Infantry Division (United States), U.S. Army 45th Infantry Division (previously a National Guard Division in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma), is activated and ordered into federal service for one year, to engage in a training program in Ft. Sill and Louisiana, prior to serving in WWII. *September 2 – WWII: The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and Great Britain is announced, to the effect that 50 U.S. destroyers needed for escort work will be transferred to Great Britain. In return, the United States gains 99-year leases on British bases in the North Atlantic, West Indies and Bermuda. *September 4 – WWII:
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 ...
's ''Winterhilfe'' speech at the Berlin Sportpalast declares that Nazi Germany will make retaliatory night air raids on British cities and threatens invasion. *September 5 – 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 enga ...
German auxiliary cruiser Komet, German auxiliary cruiser ''Komet'' enters the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait, after crossing the Arctic Ocean from the North Sea, with the help of Soviet icebreakers ''Lenin'', ''Stalin'', and ''Kaganovich''. *September 6 – King Carol II of Romania abdicates and is succeeded by his son Michael I of Romania, Michael. *September 7 **The President of Paraguay, José Félix Estigarribia, dies in a plane crash. **Treaty of Craiova: Romania loses Southern Dobruja to Bulgaria. **WWII: The Blitz – Nazi Germany begins to rain bombs on London (the first of 57 consecutive nights of strategic bombing). *September 9–September 16, 16 – WWII: The Italian invasion of Egypt commences from Libya, progressing only as far as Sidi Barrani. *September 9 **Treznea massacre: The Hungarian Army, supported by Hungarians in Romania, local Hungarians, kill 93 Romanians, Romanian civilians in Treznea, Sălaj, a village in Northern Transylvania, as part of attempts at ethnic cleansing. **George Stibitz first demonstrates the remote operation of a computer, in the United States. *September 12 **In Lascaux, France, 17,000-year-old cave paintings are discovered by a group of young Frenchmen hiking through Southern France. The paintings depict animals, and date to the Stone Age. **The Hercules Munitions Plant in Succasunna-Kenvil, New Jersey explodes, killing 55 people. *September 14 – Ip massacre: The Hungarian Army, supported by Hungarians in Romania, local Hungarians, kill 158 Romanians, Romanian civilians in Ip, Sălaj, a village in Northern Transylvania, as part of attempts at ethnic cleansing. *September 16 – WWII: The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 is signed into law by
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 ...
, creating the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. *September 17 – WWII: **Hitler postpones Operation Sea Lion (''Unternehmen Seelöwe''), the planned German invasion of Britain, indefinitely. **British planes from HMS Illustrious (87), HMS ''Illustrious'', backed by battleship HMS Valiant (1914), HMS ''Valiant'', attack the port of Benghazi in Libya. Four Italian ships are sunk in the harbour. *September 17–September 18, 18 – is torpedoed by in the Atlantic, with the loss of 248 of the 406 on board, including child evacuees bound for Canada. This results in cancellation of the British Children's Overseas Reception Board's plan to relocate children overseas. *September 20–September 22, 22 – Convoy HX 72, a North Atlantic convoy of 43 ships, is attacked by a German U-boat group (Wolfpack (naval tactic), ''wolfpack''), eleven ships of 73 tons are sunk, seven during the second night of the attack by the German submarine U-100 (1940), ''U-100'' under the command of Joachim Schepke. *September 21 – 1940 Australian federal election: Robert Menzies' United Australia Party, UAP/National Party of Australia, Country Coalition (Australia), Coalition Menzies Government (1939-41), Government is re-elected as a minority government, narrowly defeating the Australian Labor Party, Labor Party led by John Curtin. It is the last federal election to result in a minority government until 2010 Australian federal election, 2010. *September 22 – Japanese invasion of French Indochina, Japan enters French Indochina: An agreement is signed in which Japan promises to station 6,000 troops there, and limit the total number of troops that could be in the colony at any given time to 25,000. Rights are also given for three airfields. *September 23–September 25, 25 – Battle of Dakar – Naval forces of Free France and Britain fail to take the port of Dakar in French West Africa from Vichy France. *September 25 – Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany: German ''Reichskommissar'' Josef Terboven appoints a provisional council of state from the pro-Nazi Nasjonal Samling party, under
Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (, ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Nazi collaborator who nominally headed the government of Norway during the country's occupation by Nazi Germ ...
, as a puppet government for Norway. *September 26 – A group of Japanese officers, in violation of an agreement, signed 4 days earlier with French Indochina, take Đồng Đăng and Lạng Sơn Province, Lam Sơn, with 40 Franco-Vietnamese troops killed and around 1,000 deserting. The same day the United States imposes a total embargo on all scrap metal shipments to Japan. *September 27 – WWII: Germany, Italy and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact. *September 30 (night to October 1) – Arsonists from the Hitler Youth destroy the Synagogue du Quai Kléber, Great Synagogue of Strasbourg.


October

*October 1 – The first section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the United States' first long-distance controlled-access highway, is opened. *October 11 – Portuguese-born performer Carmen Miranda makes her American film debut in ''Down Argentine Way'', one of the first films produced to promote the Good Neighbor policy. *October 14 – The Balham tube station disaster in London, England, occurs during the Nazi
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 ...
The Blitz, air raids on Great Britain. *October 15 – Charlie Chaplin releases his controversial wartime satire ''The Great Dictator'', nine months after The Three Stooges' ''You Nazty Spy!''. *October 16 **The draft registration of approximately 16 million men begins in the United States. **Nazi Governor-General Hans Frank establishes the Warsaw Ghetto. *October 18–October 19, 19 – WWII: Thirty-two ships are sunk from Convoy SC 7 and Convoy HX 79 by the most effective "Wolfpack (naval tactic), wolfpack" of the war, including Otto Kretschmer, Günther Prien and Joachim Schepke. *October 26–October 28, 28 – WWII: , serving as a troopship under the British flag, is bombed, torpedoed and sunk off the Donegal (town), Donegal coast, with the loss of 45 lives. At 42,348 Gross register tonnage, GRT, she is the war's largest merchant ship loss. *October 28 – WWII: Greco-Italian War, Italian troops invade Greece, meeting strong resistance from Greek troops and civilians. This action signals the beginning of the Balkan Campaign (World War II), Balkan Campaign. *October 29 – The Selective Service System lottery is held in Washington, D.C..


November

*November – In Cambodia, the Khmer Issarak is formed to overthrow the French Army within the nation. *November 2–November 8, 8 – WWII: (Greco-Italian War): Battle of Elaia–Kalamas in Epirus (region), Epirus: Outnumbered Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greek forces repel the Royal Italian Army during World War II, Italian Army. *November 2 – German submarine U-69 (1940), German submarine ''U-69'' is commissioned, the first German Type VII submarine#Type VIIC, Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'', which will become its most numerous class, with 568 commissioned during the War. *November 5 **1940 United States presidential election: Democratic Party (United States), Democrat incumbent
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 ...
decisively defeats Republican Party (United States), Republican challenger Wendell Willkie, and becomes the United States' first and only third-term president. **WWII: Allied Convoy HX 84 is attacked by German cruiser Admiral Scheer, German cruiser ''Admiral Scheer'' in the North Atlantic; the sacrifice of escorting British armed merchant cruiser under Capt. Edward Fegen and enables a majority of the ships (including tanker ) to escape. *November 6 – Agatha Christie's mystery novel ''And Then There Were None'' is published in book form, in the United States. *November 7 – In Tacoma, Washington, the -long center span of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940), Tacoma Narrows Bridge (known as Galloping Gertie) collapses. *November 8 – WWII: is sunk by a naval mine off Cape Otway, Australia (the first United States Merchant Marine loss of the war). *November 9 – Joaquín Rodrigo's ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' premieres in Barcelona, Spain. *November 10 – 1940 Vrancea earthquake: An earthquake in Romania kills 1,000. *November 11 **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 F ...
launches the first aircraft carrier strike in history, on the Italian battleship fleet anchored at Battle of Taranto, Taranto Naval Base. **WWII: captures Classified information, top secret British mail intended for the British Far East Command from the , and sends it to Japan. **Armistice Day Blizzard: An unexpected blizzard kills 144 in the Midwestern United States. *November 13 – The The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney animated film ''Fantasia (1940 film), Fantasia'', the first commercial film shown in stereophonic sound, has its world premiere at the Broadway Theatre (53rd Street), Broadway Theatre in New York City. It is the first box office failure for Disney, though it recoups its cost years later and becomes one of the most highly regarded of Disney's films. *November 14 – WWII: Coventry Blitz: The city centre of Coventry, England is destroyed by 500
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 ...
bombers; 150,000 Incendiary device, fire bombs, 503 tons of high explosives, and 130 parachute mines level 60,000 of the city's 75,000 buildings; 568 people are killed. The city's cathedral is gutted. *November 15 – Abbott and Costello make their film debut, in ''One Night in the Tropics''. *November 16 **WWII: In response to Germany levelling Coventry 2 days before, the Royal Air Force begins to bomb Hamburg (by war's end, 50,000 Hamburg residents will have died from Allies of World War II, Allied attacks). **An unexploded pipe bomb is found in the Consolidated Edison office building (only years later is the culprit, George Metesky, apprehended). **The Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers is founded. *November 17 – The Tartu Art Museum is established in Tartu, Estonia. *November 18 – WWII: German leader
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 ...
and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano meet to discuss
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
's disastrous invasion of Greece. *November 20 – WWII: Hungary, Romania and Slovakia join 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 ...
. *November 25 **Patria disaster, ''Patria'' disaster: As British authorities attempt to deport Jewish refugees (originating from German-occupied Europe) from Mandatory Palestine to Mauritius, aboard the requisitioned emigrant liner at Haifa, the Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah sinks the ship with a bomb, killing around 250 refugees and crew. **The de Havilland Mosquito and Martin B-26 Marauder military aircraft both make their first flights. **Woody Woodpecker makes his debut in the animated short, ''Knock Knock (1940 film), Knock Knock''. It is not until 1941 that his current name is adopted. *November 26–November 27, 27 – Jilava Massacre: In Romania, coup leader General Ion Antonescu's Iron Guard arrests and executes over 60 of exiled King Carol II of Romania's aides, starting at a penitentiary near Bucharest. Among the dead is former minister and acclaimed historian Nicolae Iorga. *November 27 – WWII: Battle of Cape Spartivento: 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 F ...
and Italian Regia Marina battle to a draw.


December

*December – Timely Comics' Captain America, Captain America Comics #1 (cover dated March 1941), first appearance of Captain America and Bucky Barnes, Bucky, hits newsstands in the United States. *December 1 – Manuel Ávila Camacho takes office, as President of Mexico. *December 6 – British submarine is sunk near Taranto. *December 8 – The Chicago Bears, in what will become the most one-sided victory in National Football League history, defeat the Washington Redskins 73–0 in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. *December 9 – WWII: Operation Compass – British forces in North Africa begin their first major offensive, with an attack on Italian forces at Sidi Barrani, Egypt. *December 12 and December 15 – WWII: Sheffield Blitz ("Operation Crucible"): The Yorkshire city of Sheffield is badly damaged by German air-raids. *December 14 **WWII British destroyers and sink an Italian submarine off Bardia. **Royal Navy Fairey Swordfish based on Malta bomb Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. **Plutonium is first synthesized in the laboratory, by a team led by Glenn T. Seaborg and Edwin McMillan, at the University of California, Berkeley. *December 16 – WWII: Operation Abigail Rachel: The Royal Air Force, RAF bombs Mannheim. *December 17 – President Roosevelt, at his regular press conference, first sets forth the outline of his plan to send aid to Great Britain, which will become known as Lend-Lease. *December 23 – 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 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
, in a broadcast address to the people of Italy, blames
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
for leading his nation to war against the British, contrary to Italy's historic friendship with them: "One man has arrayed the trustees and inheritors of ancient Rome upon the side of the ferocious pagan barbarians." *December 24 – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian spiritual non-violence leader, writes his second letter to
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 ...
, addressing him as "My friend", and requesting him to stop the war Germany had begun. *December 25 – The German cruiser ''German cruiser Admiral Hipper, Admiral Hipper'' attacks a British shipping convoy (WS 5A) en route to Sierra Leone 700 miles (1,100 km) west of Cape Finisterre in Spain. ''Admiral Hipper'' sinks one ship but has to withdraw with engine trouble. *December 27 – The German auxiliary cruiser ''German auxiliary cruiser Komet, Komet'' shells and heavily damages the phosphate production facilities on Nauru while flying the Japanese flag. The bombardment lasts an hour, and it causes the loss of 13,000 tons of oil. *December 29 **
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 ...
, in a fireside chat to the nation, declares that the United States must become "the great arsenal of democracy." **WWII: "Second Great Fire of London": 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 ...
carries out a massive incendiary bombing raid, starting 1,500 fires. Many famous buildings, including the Guildhall, London, Guildhall and Trinity House, are either damaged or destroyed.


Date unknown

*In Korea, the ''Hunminjeongeum'' (1446) is discovered, explaining the basis of the Hangul alphabet. *Walter Knott begins construction of a California ghost town replica, which soon evolves into Knott's Berry Farm.


Births


January

*January 1 **Ippei Kuri, Japanese manga artist, animator and entrepreneur, co-founder of Tatsunoko Productions *January 2 **Jim Bakker, American televangelist, ex-husband of Tammy Faye **S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan, Indian-American mathematician *January 3 – Thelma Schoonmaker, Algerian-born American film editor *
January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – Engli ...
**Helmut Jahn, German-American architect (d. 2021) **Brian Josephson, Welsh physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate **Gao Xingjian, Chinese-born writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate *
January 9 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. *1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...
– Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Costa Rican politician, lawyer, economist and businessman *January 14 – Julian Bond, African-American civil rights activist (d. 2015) *January 16 – Franz Müntefering, German politician *January 17 **Kipchoge Keino, Kenyan athlete **Tabaré Vázquez, President of Uruguay (d. 2020) **Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia (d. 2015) *January 18 – Pedro Rodríguez (racing driver), Pedro Rodríguez, Mexican racing driver (d. 1971) *January 19 **Paolo Borsellino, Italian judge and magistrate (d. 1992) **Mike Reid (actor), Mike Reid, English actor (d. 2007) **Linda Sorenson, Canadian actress *January 20 **Carol Heiss, American figure skater **Krishnam Raju, Indian actor and politician *January 21 – Jack Nicklaus, American golfer *January 22 – John Hurt, English actor (d. 2017) *January 24 – Joachim Gauck, German politician, 11th President of Germany *
January 27 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...
**Brian O'Leary, American scientist, author and NASA astronaut (d. 2011) **James Cromwell, American actor **Petru Lucinschi, Moldovan politician, 2nd President of Moldova *January 28 – Carlos Slim, Mexican businessman *
January 29 Events Pre-1600 * 904 – Sergius III is elected pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher. * 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler o ...
**Katharine Ross, American actress **Kunimitsu Takahashi, Japanese motorcycle racer and racing driver (d. 2022)


February

*
February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
– Ajmer Singh (athlete), Ajmer Singh, Indian athlete, educator (d. 2010) *
February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King ...
**Odell Brown, American jazz organist (d. 2011) **Sir David Jason, English actor *February 4 – George A. Romero, American film writer, director (d. 2017) *February 5 – H. R. Giger, Swiss artist (d. 2014) *February 6 – Tom Brokaw, American television journalist and author *February 7 – Tony Tan, 7th President of Singapore *February 9 **J. M. Coetzee, South African writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate **Seamus Deane, Irish poet and novelist (d. 2021) *February 12 **Richard Lynch, American actor (d. 2012) **Robert Saladrigas, Spanish writer, journalist and literary critic (d. 2018) *February 15 – Hamzah Haz, Indonesian politician, 9th Vice President of Indonesia *February 17 **Matija Barl, Slovenian actor, producer and translator (d. 2018) **Vicente Fernández, Mexican actor and singer (d. 2021) **Willi Holdorf, German Olympic decathlete (d. 2020) **Chris Newman (sound engineer), Chris Newman, American sound mixer, director **Gene Pitney, American singer (d. 2006) *February 18 – Fabrizio De André, Italian singer, songwriter (d. 1999) *February 19 – Smokey Robinson, African-American musician *February 20 – Jimmy Greaves, English footballer (d. 2021) *February 21 – John Lewis, African-American politician, civil rights activist (d. 2020) *
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 Ferdina ...
**Aracy Balabanian, Brazilian actress **Judy Cornwell, English actress **Billy Name (William G. Linich), American photographer, Andy Warhol, Warhol archivist (d. 2016) **Chet Walker, American basketball player *February 23 – Peter Fonda, American actor (''Easy Rider'') (d. 2019) *February 24 **Pete Duel, American actor (''Alias Smith and Jones'') (d. 1971) **Jimmy Ellis (boxer), Jimmy Ellis, African-American professional boxer (d. 2014) **Denis Law, Scottish footballer *February 25 – Jesús López Cobos, Spanish-born conductor (d. 2018) *
February 27 Events Pre-1600 * 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity. * 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
– Bill Hunter (actor), Bill Hunter, Australian actor (d. 2011) *February 28 **Mario Andretti, American race car driver **Joe South, American singer, songwriter (''Games People Play (Joe South song), Games People Play'') (d. 2012) *February 29 – Billy Turner, American horse trainer (d. 2021)


March

*March 1 **David Broome, Welsh Show Jumper **Nuala O'Faolain, Irish journalist, author (d. 2008) *March 2 – Billy McNeill, Scottish football player and manager (d. 2019) *March 3 **Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian writer, journalist *March 4 – Vladimir Ivanovich Morozov (born 1940), Vladimir Morosov, Soviet athlete *
March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern ...
– Anton Fliegerbauer, West German police officer (d. 1972) *March 7 **Rudi Dutschke, German radical student leader (d. 1979) **Viktor Savinykh, Soviet cosmonaut *March 9 – Raul Julia, Puerto Rican actor (d.
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
) *March 10 – Chuck Norris, American actor, martial artist *
March 12 Events Pre-1600 * 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. * 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
– Al Jarreau, African-American singer (d. 2017) *
March 13 Events Pre-1600 *624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. *1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War. *1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...
– Candi Staton, American singer *March 16 **Jan Pronk, Dutch politician, diplomat **James Wong Jim, Hong Kong composer (d. 2004) *
March 21 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the ''Vivarium'', by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas an ...
– Solomon Burke, African-American singer, songwriter (d. 2010) *March 20 – Paul Neville (politician), Paul Neville, Australian politician (d. 2019) *March 22 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian actor (''The Killing Fields (film), The Killing Fields'') (d. 1996) *March 25 **Anita Bryant, American entertainer **Mina (Italian singer), Mina, Italian singer *March 26 **James Caan, American actor (d. 2022) **Nancy Pelosi, American politician; Speaker and Minority Leader (alternately) of the United States House of Representatives *March 29 **Ray Davis (musician), Ray Davis, African-American musician (P-Funk) (d. 2005) **Astrud Gilberto, Brazilian-born singer *
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 &ndas ...
– Jerry Lucas, American professional basketball player *
March 31 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. *1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at V ...
– Patrick Leahy, American politician


April

*April 1 – Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 2011) *April 2 **Mike Hailwood, English motorcycle racer (d. 1981) **Dame Penelope Keith, English actress *
April 4 Events Pre-1600 * 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines. * 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground. * 611 – ...
– Robby Müller, Dutch cinematographer (d. 2018) *April 6 – Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Mexican actor (d. 2011) *
April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Ro ...
– John Havlicek, American basketball player (d. 2019) *
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 ...
– Herbie Hancock, African-American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, composer and actor *
April 13 Events Pre-1600 *1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. * 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire. 1601–1900 *1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...
**J. M. G. Le Clézio, French writer and professor **Max Mosley, British motorsport boss (d. 2021) **José Nápoles, Cuban-born Mexican boxer (d. 2019) *
April 14 Events Pre-1600 * 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum. * 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor Otho ...
**Julie Christie, English actress **Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau (d. 2021) *April 15 **Faimalaga Luka, 6th Prime Minister of Tuvalu (d. 2005) **Robert Walker (actor, born 1940), Robert Walker Jr., American actor (d. 2019) **Yossef Romano, Israeli weightlifter (d. 1972) *
April 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. * 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide. * 73 – Masad ...
** David Holford, Barbadian cricketer (d. 2022) ** Queen Margrethe II of Denmark *April 17 – John McCririck, English horse racing pundit (d. 2019) *April 18 **Ira von Furstenberg, European socialite and actress **Joseph L. Goldstein, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine **Ken Shellito, English footballer, manager (d. 2018) *April 19 – Reinhard Bonnke, German Pentecostal evangelist (d. 2019) *April 20 – Pilar Miró, Spanish screenwriter and film director (d. 1997) *April 22 – Marie-José Nat, French actress (d. 2019) *
April 23 Events Pre-1600 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southe ...
– Danilo Astori, Uruguayan politician, 15th Vice President of Uruguay *April 24 – Sue Grafton, American detective novelist (d. 2017) *April 25 **Al Pacino, American actor, film director **Tristram Powell, English television director, film director, writer and producer *April 26 – Giorgio Moroder, Italian film composer *April 30 **Burt Young, American actor, author and painter **Ermindo Onega, Argentine footballer (d. 1979)


May

*May 1 – Elsa Peretti, Italian jewelry designer (d. 2021) *May 2 **Manuel Esquivel, Belizean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Belize (d. 2022) **Hariton Pushwagner, Norwegian artist (d. 2018) *May 3 ** David Koch, American businessman (d. 2019) ** Oemarsono, Indonesian civil servant and politician (d. 2022) *May 5 – Lance Henriksen, American actor *May 7 **Angela Carter, English author, editor (d. 1992) *May 8 **Peter Benchley, American author (''Jaws (novel), Jaws'') (d. 2006) **Emilio Delgado, American actor (''Sesame Street''), singer and activist (d. 2022) **Ricky Nelson, American singer (d. 1985) **Toni Tennille, American pop singer *May 9 – James L. Brooks, American film producer, writer *May 11 – Juan Downey, Chilean-born American video artist (d. 1993) *
May 13 Events Pre-1600 *1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book '' Revelations of Divine Love''. * 1501 – Amerigo Vespu ...
**Bruce Chatwin, British author (d. 1989) **Oliver Lozano, Filipino lawyer, politician (d. 2018) *
May 15 Events Pre-1600 * 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. * 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbog ...
**Lainie Kazan, American actress, singer **Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach *
May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. *1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 1364 ...
– Ole Ernst, Danish actor (d. 2013) *
May 17 Events Pre-1600 *1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army. * 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason. * 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Flo ...
**Alan Kay, American computer scientist **Reynato Puno, Filipino Supreme Court of the Philippines, Supreme Court Chief Justice *
May 19 Events Pre-1600 * 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace. * 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected. * 1051 – Henry I of France marries the Rus' princess, Anne of Kiev. *1445 &n ...
– Jan Janssen, Dutch cyclist *
May 20 Events Pre-1600 * 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. * 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed '' Augusta'' is able to choose her ...
**Shorty Long, African-American soul music singer, songwriter, musician and record producer (''Here Comes the Judge (Shorty Long song), Here Comes The Judge'') (d. 1969) **Stan Mikita, Slovakian-born Canadian hockey player (d. 2018) **Sadaharu Oh, Japanese baseball player *May 22 – Bernard Shaw (journalist), Bernard Shaw, African-American journalist and television news reporter (d. 2022) *May 24 – Joseph Brodsky, Russian-born poet, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996) *May 26 – Levon Helm, American musician and actor (d. 2012) *May 27 – Sotsha Dlamini, 5th Prime Minister of Swaziland (d. 2017) *May 29 – Farooq Leghari, 8th President of Pakistan (d. 2010)


June

*June 1 **René Auberjonois, American screen actor (d. 2019) **Kip Thorne, American gravitational physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate *June 2 – Constantine II of Greece *June 4 – Ludwig Schwarz, Austrian prelate *June 7 **Samuel Little, American serial killer (d. 2020) **Tom Jones (singer), Tom Jones, Welsh singer **Ronald Pickup, English actor (d. 2021) *June 8 – Nancy Sinatra, American singer *June 9 – Barry McDonald (rugby union), Barry McDonald, Papua New Guinea-Australian rugby union player (d. 2020) *June 13 – Bobby Freeman, American singer, songwriter (d. 2017) *June 14 – Jack Bannon, American actor (d. 2017) *June 16 **Neil Goldschmidt, American politician, Governor of Oregon **Taylor Gun-Jin Wang, Chinese-American astronaut **Thea White, American voice actress (d. 2021) *June 17 **George Akerlof, American economist, Nobel Prize in Economics, Nobel Prize laureate **Ali Saibou, 3rd President of Niger (d. 2011) *June 18 – Phillip E. Johnson, American lawyer and author (d. 2019) *June 20 **Eugen Drewermann, German theologian, activist and priest **John Mahoney, English-born American actor (d. 2018) *June 21 – Michael Ruse, British-Canadian philosopher *June 22 **Egon Henninger, German swimmer **Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian film director, screenwriter and producer (d. 2016) **Dame Esther Rantzen, British broadcaster *June 23 **Willie Wallace, Scottish football player, coach **Wilma Rudolph, American Olympic athlete (d.
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
) *June 24 **Hope Cooke, American socialite, Queen Consort of Sikkim **Murali Mohan, Indian film actor, producer, politician and business executive **Walter Ofonagoro, Nigerian scholar, politician and businessman **Ian Ross (newsreader), Ian Ross, Australian newsreader (d. 2014) **Vittorio Storaro, Italian cinematographer *June 25 **Thomas Köhler, East German luger **Mary Beth Peil, American actress and singer *June 26 **Lucinda Childs, American actress, postmodern dancer and choreographer **Jerry Fujio, Japanese singer, actor and tarento *June 27 – Anil Karanjai, Indian painter of the Hungry generation movement (d. 2001) *June 28 **Karpal Singh, Malaysian politician, lawyer (d. 2014) **Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshi founder of Grameen Bank, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize laureate *June 29 – Vyacheslav Artyomov, Russian composer *June 30 – Neelo, Indian actress


July

*July 1 **Fukunohana Koichi, Japanese sumo wrestler **Craig Brown (footballer, born 1940), Craig Brown, Scottish footballer, manager **Abdul Razzak Ahmed, Iraqi football player **Wathiq Naji, Iraqi football manager *July 2 **Joshua Bryant, American actor, director, author and speaker **Ruriko Asaoka, Japanese actress *July 3 **Lamar Alexander, American politician **Fontella Bass, African-American soul singer ("Rescue Me (Fontella Bass song), Rescue Me") (d. 2012) **Jerzy Buzek, Polish politician, 8th Prime Minister of Poland **Jose Alberto Laboy, Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player **Lance Larson, American competition swimmer, Olympic champion and world record-holder in four events **Chuck Sieminski, American football player **César Tovar, Venezuelan baseball player (d.
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
) **Mario Zanin (cyclist), Mario Zanin, Italian cyclist *July 4 **Deidre Catt, English tennis player **Nasser Madani, Iranian fencer **Gene McDowell, American college football coach **Pat Stapleton (ice hockey), Pat Stapleton, Canadian ice hockey player *July 5 – Reiko Kusamura, Japanese actress *July 6 **Pablo Dabezies, Uruguayan priest and theologian **Nursultan Nazarbayev, 1st President of Kazakhstan **Jeannie Seely, American singer-songwriter **Siti Norma Yaakob, Malaysian lawyer and judge *July 7 **Lee Keun-hak, North Korean football player **Ringo Starr, English rock drummer (''The Beatles'') **Irène Sweyd, Belgian swimmer *July 9 – Herminia Roman, Filipino politician *July 10 **Gene Alley, American baseball player **Jim Cadile, American professional football offensive guard **Helen Donath, American soprano **Lofty Drews, Kenyan rally co-driver **Sir Tom Farmer, Scottish entrepreneur **Julie Payne (actress, born 1940), Julie Payne, American actress (d. 2019) **David Schutter (attorney), David C. Schutter, American attorney (d. 2005) **Tommy Troelsen, Danish footballer, manager and television presenter *July 11 **Rufus Ada George, Nigerian politician **Anita Wall, Swedish actress *July 13 **Paul Prudhomme, American celebrity chef, cookbook author (d. 2015) **Sir Patrick Stewart, English actor (''Star Trek: The Next Generation'') *July 15 – Johnny Seay, American country music singer (d. 2016) *July 16 **Lofty Drews, Kenyan rally co-driver **Tom Metcalf, American baseball pitcher *July 17 **Verne Lundquist, American sportscaster **Tim Brooke-Taylor, English comic performer (d. 2020) **Francisco Toledo, Mexican painter, sculptor and graphic artist (d. 2019) *July 18 **James Brolin, American actor, director **Peter Mutharika, 5th President of Malawi **Joe Torre, American baseball player, manager *July 19 **Hanako, Princess Hitachi **Vikki Carr, American singer **Anzor Kavazashvili, Soviet football goalkeeper *July 22 **Prince Sixtus Henry of Bourbon-Parma **Alex Trebek, Canadian game show host (''Jeopardy!'') (d. 2020) *July 23 – Don Imus, American radio personality, television show host and author (d. 2019) *July 24 **Stanley Hauerwas, American theologian **Dan Hedaya, American actor *July 26 **Dobie Gray, African-American singer-songwriter (''Drift Away'') (d. 2011) **Mary Jo Kopechne, American aide to Ted Kennedy (d. 1969) *July 27 **Gary Kurtz, American filmmaker (d. 2018) **Pina Bausch, German choreographer (d. 2009) **Bharati Mukherjee, Indian-born novelist (d. 2017) *July 29 – Bernard Lafayette, African-American civil rights activist *July 30 – Clive Sinclair, English inventor (d. 2021) *July 31 – Roy Walker (comedian), Roy Walker, Northern Irish comedian


August

*August 1 – Ram Loevy, Israeli screenwriter, director *August 3 – Martin Sheen, American actor, father of Charlie Sheen *August 7 **Jean-Luc Dehaene, Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2014) **Thomas Barlow (Kentucky politician), Thomas Barlow, American politician (d. 2017) *August 8 – Dilip Sardesai, Indian cricketer (d. 2007) *August 10 – Bobby Hatfield, American singer (''The Righteous Brothers'') (d. 2003) *August 12 – Tony Allen (musician), Tony Allen, Nigerian Afrobeat drummer (d. 2020) *August 13 **Dirk Sager, German journalist (d. 2014) **Tony Cloninger, American baseball player (d. 2018) *August 14 **Galen Hall, American football coach **Max Schautzer, Austrian-born German radio, television presenter *August 17 – Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Malaysian politician, Chief Minister Of Sabah *August 19 **Johnny Nash, American singer-songwriter (d. 2020) **Jill St. John, American actress *August 20 **Musa Geshaev, Chechen poet, historian (d. 2014) **Rubén Hinojosa, American politician **Rajendra K. Pachauri, Indian scientist (d. 2020) **John Waller (fight director), John Waller, English historical European martial arts (HEMA) revival pioneer and fight director (d. 2018) *August 23 **Tom Baker (American actor), Tom Baker, American actor (d. 1982) **Maria Teresa Fontela Goulart, First Lady of Brazil **Thomas A. Steitz, American biochemist (d. 2018) *August 25 – José van Dam, Belgian bass-baritone *August 26 **Don LaFontaine, American voice actor (d. 2008) **Michel Micombero, 1st President of Burundi (d. 1983) *August 27 **Fernest Arceneaux, American musician (d. 2008) **Sonny Sharrock, American jazz musician (d.
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
) *August 28 – Joseph Shabalala, South African choral director (''Ladysmith Black Mambazo'') (d. 2020) *August 29 – Wim Ruska, Dutch wrestler, martial artist (d. 2015) *August 31 **Wilton Felder, American saxophonist, bassist (d. 2015) **Jack Thompson (actor), Jack Thompson, Australian actor


September

*September 1 **Yaşar Büyükanıt, Turkish military officer (d. 2019) **Annie Ernaux, French author, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate *September 3 **Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan writer (d. 2015) **Joseph Warioba, 5th Prime Minister of Tanzania *September 5 – Raquel Welch, American actress *September 6 **Elwyn Berlekamp, American mathematician (d. 2019) **Jackie Trent, English singer-songwriter, actress (d. 2015) *September 7 **Dario Argento, Italian filmmaker **Abdurrahman Wahid, 4th President of Indonesia (d. 2009) *September 10 **Roy Ayers, African-American musician, songwriter **David Mann (artist), David Mann, American artist (d. 2004) *September 11 **Brian De Palma, American film director **Ajit Singh (economist), Ajit Singh, Indian-born economist (d. 2015) *September 12 **Joachim Frank, German-born biophysicist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate **Linda Gray, American model, actress (''Dallas (1978 TV series), Dallas'') **Skip Hinnant, American actor **Mickey Lolich, American baseball player *September 13 – Óscar Arias, Costa Rican politician, twice President of Costa Rica, Nobel Peace Prize laureate *September 14 **Larry Brown (basketball), Larry Brown, American basketball player, coach **Barbara Greenwood, Canadian educator and children's author *September 18 – Frankie Avalon, American singer and actor *September 20 – Tarō Asō, 59th Prime Minister of Japan *September 22 – Anna Karina, Danish-French actress (d. 2019) *September 23 **Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, Iranian traditional singer (d. 2020) **Michel Temer, Brazilian politician, President of Brazil between 2016 and 2018. *September 24 – Michiko Suganuma, Urushi Japanese lacquer artist


October

*October 1 **Chris Pattikawa, Indonesian film director and producer (d. 2020) **Jean-Luc Bideau, Swiss actor *October 3 – **Alan O'Day, American singer, songwriter (d. 2013) **Mike Troy, American swimmer (d. 2019) *October 4 – Ian Kiernan, Australian yachtsman (d. 2018) *October 5 – Milena Dravić, Serbian actress (d. 2018) *October 9 – John Lennon, English musician, singer (The Beatles) (d. 1980) *October 13 – Pharoah Sanders, American saxophonist (d. 2022) *October 14 – Cliff Richard, British pop musician, actor and philanthropist *October 15 – Peter C. Doherty, Australian immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine *October 16 **Barry Corbin, American actor **Dave DeBusschere, American basketball player and coach, baseball player (d. 2003) *October 17 – Peter Stringfellow, English businessman, nightclub owner (d. 2018) *October 18 – Győző Kulcsár, Hungarian fencer (d. 2018) *October 19 – Michael Gambon, Sir Michael Gambon, British-Irish actor *October 20 – Robert Pinsky, American poet, essayist, literary critic and translator, United States Poet Laureate *October 21 **Geoffrey Boycott, English cricketer **Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann, South African rock musician **Marita Petersen, 8th Prime Minister of Faroe Islands (d. 2001) *October 23 – Pelé, Brazilian footballer *October 24 – Yossi Sarid, Israeli politician (d. 2015) *October 25 **Bob Knight, American basketball player and coach **Apolo Nsibambi, Ugandan politician, 8th Prime Minister of Uganda (d. 2019) *October 27 – John Gotti, American gangster (d. 2002) *October 28 – Jack Shepherd (actor), Jack Shepherd, English actor *October 29 **Frida Boccara, French singer (d. 1996) **Princess Lalla Nuzha of Morocco, Princess Lalla Nuzha, princess of Morocco (d. 1977) *October 30 – Hidetoshi Nagasawa, Japanese sculptor, architect (d. 2018)


November

*November 5 – Jaime Roldós Aguilera, 33rd President of Ecuador (1979-1981) (d. 1981) *November 12 – Donald Wuerl, American archbishop *November 15 **Wolf Biermann, German singer, songwriter and East German dissident **Roberto Cavalli, Italian designer **Sam Waterston, American actor *November 17 – Luke Kelly, Irish ballad singer (d. 1984) *November 18 – Qaboos bin Said al Said, Sultan of Oman (d. 2020) *November 20 – Helma Sanders-Brahms, German film director (d. 2014) *November 21 – Richard Marcinko, U.S. Navy SEAL team member, author (d. 2021) *November 22 **Alberto Fouilloux, Chilean footballer (d. 2018) **Terry Gilliam, American-born British screenwriter, director and animator (''Monty Python's Flying Circus'') **Andrzej Żuławski, Polish film director, writer (d. 2016) *November 25 – Joe Gibbs, American football coach *November 27 – Bruce Lee, Chinese-American martial artist, actor (d. 1973) *November 29 – Chuck Mangione, American flugelhorn player


December

*December 1 **Richard Pryor, American stand-up comedian, actor and writer (d. 2005) **Mário da Graça Machungo, List of Prime Ministers of Mozambique, 1st Prime Minister of Mozambique (d. 2020) *December 4 – Gary Gilmore, American murderer (d. 1977) *December 11 **David Gates, American singer-songwriter (Bread (band), Bread) **Donna Mills, American actress *December 12 **Sharad Pawar, Indian politician **Dionne Warwick, African-American singer and actress *December 19 – Phil Ochs, American protest singer (d. 1976) *December 21 – Frank Zappa, American musician, composer and satirist (d. 1993) *December 23 **Mamnoon Hussain, 12th President of Pakistan (d. 2021) **Jorma Kaukonen, American musician (Jefferson Airplane) *December 24 **Janet Carroll, American actress, singer (d. 2012) **Anthony S. Fauci, American immunologist **Jan Stráský, 20th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (d. 2019) *December 25 – Alija Behmen, Bosnian politician (d. 2018) *December 26 – Edward C. Prescott, American economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2022) *December 28 – Don Francisco (television host), Don Francisco, Chilean-American television host *December 29 **Fred Hansen, American Olympic athlete **Brigitte Kronauer, German novelist (d. 2019) *December 30 - James Burrows, American television director **Philippe Cousteau, French diver and cinematographer (d. 1979)


Deaths


January

*January 1 – Fusajiro Yamauchi, Japanese business executive (b. 1859) *
January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – Engli ...
– Flora Finch, English-born actress, comedian (b. 1867) *
January 9 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. *1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...
– Alex Bennett (footballer), Alex Bennett, Scottish footballer (b. 1881) *January 15 – Kallirhoe Parren, founder of the Greek women's movement (b. 1861) *January 18 – Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Polish poet, writer (b. 1865) *January 20 – Omar Bundy, U.S. Army General (b. 1861) *January 22 – Edwin Carewe, Native American director (b. 1883) *
January 27 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...
– Isaac Babel, Ukrainian writer (executed) (b. 1894)


February

*February – Zheng Pingru, Chinese spy (executed) (b. 1918) *
February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
– Philip Francis Nowlan, American science fiction writer, creator of ''Buck Rogers'' (b. 1888) *
February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King ...
**Mikhail Koltsov, Soviet journalist (executed) (b. 1898) **
Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (russian: Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд, translit=Vsévolod Èmíl'evič Mejerchól'd; born german: Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre ...
, Russian theatre practitioner (b. 1874) *February 4 **Samuel M. Vauclain, American engineer (b. 1856) **Nikolai Yezhov, Soviet politician and police chief, Great Purge Perpetrator (b. 1895) *February 9 – William Dodd (ambassador), William Dodd, American historian, diplomat (b. 1869) *February 11 **John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, Scottish-born novelist, Governor General of Canada (b. 1875) **Gunnar Höckert, Finnish Olympic athlete (b. 1910) *
February 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. * 1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Kar ...
– Louis Dartige du Fournet, French admiral (b. 1856) *February 26 – Michael Hainisch, 2nd President of Austria (b. 1858) *
February 27 Events Pre-1600 * 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity. * 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
– Peter Behrens, German architect, designer (b. 1868) *February 29 **E. F. Benson, English writer (b. 1867) **Josef Swickard, German actor (b. 1866)


March

*March 1 – A. H. Tammsaare, Estonian writer (b. 1878) *
March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern ...
**Maxine Elliott, American actress (b. 1868) **Cai Yuanpei, Chinese educator, philosopher, politician and Esperantist and the president of Peking University (b. 1868) *March 10 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian writer (b. 1891) *March 16 **Selma Lagerlöf, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858) **Samuel Untermyer, American lawyer (b. 1858) *
March 18 Events Pre-1600 * 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ''(aka Caligula = Little Boots)'' emperor.Tacitus, ''Annals'' V.10. * 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Ara ...
– Aylmer Hunter-Weston, Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston, British army general (b. 1864) *March 20 – Alfred Ploetz, German physician, biologist and eugenicist (b. 1860) *
March 23 Events Pre-1600 *1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official. *1540 – Waltham Abbey Church, Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of ...
– Dimitar Stanchov, 15th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1863) *March 24 – Thomas Adams (architect), Thomas Adams, British urban planner (b. 1871) *March 26 – Spyridon Louis, Greek Olympic athlete (b. 1873) *March 27 **Madeleine Astor, American survivor of the Sinking of the RMS Titanic, sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' (b. 1893) **Michael Joseph Savage, 23rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1872) *
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 &ndas ...
– George Egerton (Royal Navy officer), Sir George Egerton, British admiral (b. 1852) *
March 31 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. *1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at V ...
– Tinsley Lindley, English footballer (b. 1865)


April

*April 1 – J. A. Hobson, English economist (b. 1858) *April 5 **Robert Maillart, Swiss civil engineer (b. 1872) **Song Zheyuan, Chinese general of the Guominjun, Northwestern Army (b. 1885) *
April 7 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town. * 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
– William Faversham, English actor (b. 1868) *
April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Ro ...
– Joaquin Mir Trinxet, Spanish artist (b. 1873) *
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, s ...
**Mrs. Patrick Campbell, English theatre actress, producer (b. 1865) **Henryk Minkiewicz, Polish general and politician (executed) (b. 1880) *
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). * 1407 ...
– Bernard Warburton-Lee, British naval officer, Victoria Cross recipient (killed in action) (b. 1895) *April 18 – Florrie Forde, Australian-born music hall singer (b. 1875) *April 21 – George Barnes (British politician), George Barnes, British Labour politician (b. 1859) *April 26 – Carl Bosch, German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874) *April 28 – Luisa Tetrazzini, Italian opera singer (b. 1871) *April 30 – Henryk Dobrzański, Polish soldier, sportsman and resistance fighter (b. 1897)


May

*May 2 – Ernest Joyce, English explorer (b. 1875) *May 7 – George Lansbury, British Labour politician (b. 1859) *May 11 – Chujiro Hayashi, Japanese Reiki Master (b. 1880) *
May 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1027 – Robert II of France names his son Henry I as junior King of the Franks. *1097 – The Siege of Nicaea begins during the First Crusade. * 1264 – Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured and forc ...
– Emma Goldman, Lithuanian-born anarchist (b. 1869) *
May 15 Events Pre-1600 * 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. * 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbog ...
– Menno ter Braak, Dutch writer (b. 1902) *
May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. *1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 1364 ...
– Zhang Zizhong, general of the Chinese National Revolutionary Army (b. 1891) *
May 19 Events Pre-1600 * 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace. * 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected. * 1051 – Henry I of France marries the Rus' princess, Anne of Kiev. *1445 &n ...
– Diego Mazquiarán, Spanish matador (b. 1895) *
May 20 Events Pre-1600 * 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. * 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed '' Augusta'' is able to choose her ...
– Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859) *May 24 – Louis Fles, Dutch businessman, activist and author (b. 1872) *May 25 – Joe De Grasse, Canadian film director (b. 1873) *May 26 – Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (1906–1940), Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (b. 1906) *May 27 – Bolesław Roja, Polish general (executed) (b. 1876) *May 28 **Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse (b. 1868) **Walter Connolly, American actor (b. 1887) *May 29 – Mary Anderson (actress, born 1859), Mary Anderson, American stage actress (b. 1859)


June

*June 7 **James Hall (actor), James Hall, American actor (b. 1900) **Hugh Rodman, American admiral (b. 1859) *June 10 **Marcus Garvey, Jamaican-born publisher, entrepreneur and black nationalist (b. 1887) **Thomas Hudson Beare, Sir Thomas Hudson Beare, British engineer (b. 1859) *June 11 – Alfred S. Alschuler, American architect (b. 1876) *June 13 – George Fitzmaurice, American director (b. 1885) *June 12 - William Lashly, English sailor (b. 1867) *June 14 – Henry W. Antheil Jr., American diplomat (b. 1912) *June 17 – Arthur Harden, Sir Arthur Harden, English chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865) *June 19 – Maurice Jaubert, French composer (b. 1900) *June 20 – Charley Chase, American comedian (b. 1893) *June 21 **Smedley Butler, U.S. general (b. 1881) **Janusz Kusociński, Polish athlete (killed in action) (b. 1907) **John T. Thompson, United States Army officer, inventor of the Thompson gun (b. 1860) **Édouard Vuillard, French painter (b. 1868) *June 22 **Walter Hasenclever, German poet and playwright (b. 1890) **Wladimir Köppen, Russian-born German geographer and climatologist (b. 1846) *June 15 – J. B. Johnson (Florida politician), J. B. Johnson, American attorney and politician (b. 1868) *June 28 – Italo Balbo, Italian Fascist leader (b. 1896) *June 29 – Paul Klee, Swiss artist (b. 1879)


July

*July 1 – Ben Turpin, American actor, comedian (b. 1869) *July 9 – Józef Biniszkiewicz, Silesian politician (b. 1875) *July 10 – Pietro Frugoni, Italian general (b. 1851) *July 15 – Robert Wadlow, American citizen, tallest man ever (infection) (b. 1918) *July 28 – David W. Taylor, American naval architect (b. 1864) *July 30 – Spencer S. Wood, United States Navy Rear Admiral (b. 1861)


August

*August 3 ** Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Russian Zionist philosopher and intellectual (b. 1880) ** Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, Indian royal, Maharajah of Mysore (b. 1884) *August 4 – Joaquina Maria Mercedes Barcelo Pages, Filipino Roman Catholic nun and venerable (b. 1857) *August 5 – Frederick Cook, American explorer (b. 1865) *August 8 – Johnny Dodds, American jazz clarinetist (b. 1892) *August 13 **James Fairbairn, Australian pastoralist, aviator and politician (b. 1897) **Sir Henry Gullett, Australian politician (b. 1878) **Geoffrey Street, Australian politician (b. 1894) **Sir Brudenell White, Australian general (b. 1876) *August 16 – Henri Desgrange, French racing cyclist and founder of the Tour de France (b. 1865) *August 18 – Walter Chrysler, American automobile pioneer (b. 1875) *August 21 – Leon Trotsky, Russian communist revolutionary (assassinated) (b. 1879) *August 22 **Sir Oliver Lodge, British physicist (b. 1851) **Gerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland, Maltese politician, 4th Prime Minister of Malta, 23rd Governor of New South Wales, 15th Governor of Western Australia and 9th Governor of Tasmania (b. 1861) **Mary Vaux Walcott, American artist, naturalist (b. 1860) *August 24 – Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, German technician and inventor (b. 1860) *August 28 – William Bowie (engineer), William Bowie, American geodetic engineer (b. 1872) *August 30 **Thomas Snow (British Army officer), Sir Thomas Snow, British army general (b. 1858) **J. J. Thomson, British physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1856) *August 31 – Ernest Lundeen, American lawyer, politician (b. 1878)


September

*September 4 – George William de Carteret, Jerseiaise author (b. 1869) *September 5 – Charles de Broqueville, 20th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1860) *September 7 – José Félix Estigarribia, 34th President of Paraguay (b. 1888) *September 9 - Percy Abbott (Australian politician), Percy Abbott, Australian politician (b. 1869) *September 10 – Nikola Ivanov, Bulgarian general (b. 1861) *September 20 - E. Rosa Sawtell, New Zealand artist (b. 1865) *September 23 ** Robert Hichens (sailor), Robert Hichens, RMS ''Titanic'' quartermaster, man at the wheel when ''Titanic'' hit the iceberg (b. 1882) ** Hale Holden, American president of Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (1914–1918, 1920–1929) (b. 1869) *September 25 – Marguerite Clark, American stage and silent film actress (b. 1883) *September 26 – Walter Benjamin, German philosopher and cultural critic, suicide (b. 1892) *September 27 **Julián Besteiro, Spanish socialist politician (b. 1870) **Julius Wagner-Jauregg, Austrian neuroscientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1857)


October

*October 5 **Ballington Booth, American co-founder of Volunteers of America (b. 1857) **Lincoln Loy McCandless, Hawaiian politician, cattle rancher (b. 1859) **Silvestre Revueltas, Mexican composer (b. 1899) *October 6 – Michitarō Komatsubara, Japanese general (b. 1885) *October 8 **Robert Emden, Swiss astrophysicist and meteorologist (b. 1862) **Henry Head, Sir Henry Head, English neurologist (b. 1861) *October 9 – Wilfred Grenfell, Sir Wilfred Grenfell, English medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador (b. 1865) *October 10 – Berton Churchill, Canadian actor (b. 1876) *October 12 – Tom Mix, American actor (b. 1880) *October 15 – Lluís Companys, President of the Generalitat of Catalonia (executed) (b. 1882) *October 17 – George Davis (baseball), George Davis, American baseball player, MLB Hall of Famer (b. 1870) *October 20 – Gunnar Asplund, Swedish architect (b. 1885) *October 22 – Charles Harington (British Army officer, born 1872), Sir Charles Harington, British general (b. 1872)


November

*November 3 – Manuel Azaña, 55th Prime Minister of Spain, 2nd President of Spain (b. 1880) *November 5 – Otto Plath, American father of poet Sylvia Plath, entomologist (b. 1885) *November 9 **
Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...
,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
(b. 1869) **John Henry Kirby, American businessman, Texas legislator (b. 1860) *November 11 – Vladimir Vinnichevsky, Russian serial killer (executed) (b. 1923) *November 17 **Eric Gill, English sculptor, lettering designer and writer (b. 1882) **Raymond Pearl, American biologist (b. 1879) *November 18 – Ion Inculeț, Moldavian politician, 1st President of Moldova (b. 1884) *November 19 **Ralph Barnes (journalist), Ralph W. Barnes, American journalist (b. 1899) **Charles W. Woodworth, American entomologist (b. 1865) *November 24 – Saionji Kinmochi, Japanese prince and prime minister (b. 1849) *November 26 – assassinations **Gheorghe Argeșanu, Romanian general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1883) **Ioan Bengliu, Romanian general (b. 1881) **Victor Iamandi, Romanian politician (b. 1891) **Mihail Moruzov, Romanian intelligence chief (b. 1887) *November 27 **Henri Guillaumet, French aviator (b. 1902) **Nicolae Iorga, Romanian historian and politician, 34th Prime Minister of Romania (assassinated) (b. 1871)


December

*December 2 – Nikolai Koltsov, Russian biologist, genetist (b. 1872) *December 5 – Jan Kubelík, Czech violinist (b. 1880) *December 13 – Wilfred Lucas, Canadian-born American actor (b. 1871) *December 14 – Anton Korošec, Slovenian political leader (b. 1872) *December 15 – Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1866), Billy Hamilton, American baseball player, MLB Hall of Famer (b. 1866) *December 16 – Eugène Dubois, Dutch paleoanthropologist, geologist (b. 1858) *December 19 – Kyösti Kallio, Finnish farmerman, banker, 8th Prime Minister of Finland and 4th President of Finland (b. 1873) *December 21 – F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer (b. 1896) *December 22 – Nathanael West, American writer (b. 1903) *December 23 – Eddie August Schneider, American aviator (b. 1911) *December 25 – Agnes Ayres, American actress (b. 1898) *December 26 – Daniel Frohman, American theater producer (b. 1851)


Nobel Prizes

*Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – not awarded *Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – not awarded *Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – not awarded *Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – not awarded *Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – not awarded


References


Further reading

*Bloch, Leon Bryce and Lamar Middleton, ed. ''The World Over in 1940'' (1941) detailed coverage of world event
online free
914pp


External links



– from American Studies Programs at The University of Virginia
The 1940s , 1940-1949 , History Fashion Movies Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:1940 1940, Leap years in the Gregorian calendar