Explore 3967 historical events from 1940–1949.
Konrad Ernst Otto Zuse was a German civil engineer, pioneering computer scientist, inventor and businessman. His greatest achievement was the world's first programmable computer; t…
Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin
The Battle of Crete, codenamed Operation Mercury, was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of …
World War II: Battle of Crete: German paratroops invade Crete
The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq, then ruled by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani who had seized power in …
During the Anglo-Iraqi War, British troops take Fallujah
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and air…
World War II: German paratroopers start a series of mass executions of Greek civilians in Missiria for their participati
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and air…
World War II: Battle of the Atlantic: In the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the German battleship Bismarck sinks the prid
George Frederick Will is an American libertarian conservative writer and political commentator. He writes columns for The Washington Post on a regular basis and provides commentary…
George Will, American journalist and author
William Westwood Lockyer is an American politician and lawyer from the state of California. A Democrat, he served in both houses of the state legislature, having been a member of t…
Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
James Anthony Traficant Jr. was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. A staunch economic populist known …
James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (died 2014)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving US president and the…
World War II: U
Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss…
World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic, killing almost 2,100 men
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and air…
World War II: Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas climb the Athenian Acropolis and tear down the German flag
The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq, then ruled by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani who had seized power in …
Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns 'Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and air…
World War II: The Battle of Crete ends as Crete capitulates to Germany
Dorothy Hyman is an English retired sprinter. She competed at the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics in the 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 m events, winning three medals. She also won individ…
Dorothy Hyman, English sprinter
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the original lineup of the R&B and rock band the Animals and the funk band War. He is…
Eric Burdon, English musician
Ian Ritchie Redpath MBE was an Australian international cricketer who played in 66 Test matches and five One Day Internationals between 1964 and 1976. Greg Chappell said he was one…
Ian Redpath, Australian cricketer and coach (died 2024)
Senta Verhoeven is an Austrian-German actress. She received many award nominations for her acting in theatre, film, and television; her awards include three Bambi Awards, two Romys…
Senta Berger, Austrian actress
Richard Steven Valenzuela, better known by his stage name Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano …
Ritchie Valens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1959)
The Farhud was a pogrom carried out against the Jewish population of Baghdad, Iraq, on 1–2 June 1941, immediately following the British victory in the Anglo-Iraqi War. The riots oc…
The Farhud, a massive pogrom in Iraq, starts and as a result, many Iraqi Jews are forced to leave their homes
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and air…
World War II: German paratroopers murder Greek civilians in the villages of Kondomari and Alikianos
The Wehrmacht were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe. The designation "Wehrmach…
World War II: The Wehrmacht razes the Greek village of Kandanos to the ground and murders 180 of its inhabitants
The Allies, or Allied powers, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during World War II (1939–1945) to oppose the Ax…
World War II: The Allies commence the Syria–Lebanon Campaign against the possessions of Vichy France in the Levant
The June deportation of 1941 was a mass deportation of tens of thousands of people during World War II from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, present-day western Belarus and western Ukra…
June deportation: The first major wave of Soviet mass deportations of Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians from the occu
Jack Edward Jackson, also known by his pen name Jaxon, was an American cartoonist, illustrator, historian, and writer. He co-founded Rip Off Press, and some consider him to be the …
Jaxon, American illustrator and publisher, co-founded the Rip Off Press (died 2006)