Explore 3967 historical events from 1940–1949.
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany in the Nazi era, from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Par…
World War II: Six days before Adolf Hitler issues his Directive 16 to the combined Wehrmacht armed forces 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. World War II …
World War II: Vichy France regime is formally established. Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of the French State.
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. World War II …
World War II: Battle of Cape Spada: The Royal Navy and the Regia Marina clash; the Italian light cruiser Bartolomeo…
The 1940 field marshal ceremony was a promotion ceremony held at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin in which Adolf Hitler promoted twelve generals to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall …
Field Marshal Ceremony: First occasion in World War II that Adolf Hitler appoints field marshals due to military…
The League of Nations was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Pea…
Denmark leaves the League of Nations.
Irwin Cotler is a retired Canadian politician who was Member of Parliament for Mount Royal from 1999 to 2015. He served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada fr…
Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
Emilio Ernest Delgado was an American actor best known for his role as Luis, the Fix-it Shop owner, on the children's television series Sesame Street. He joined the cast of Sesame …
Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor (died 2022)
Eric Hilliard "Ricky" or “Rick” Nelson was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzi…
Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 1985)
Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. A contralto, she is best known as one-half of the 1970s duo Captain & Tennille with her former …
Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
California is a U.S. state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, and Nevada and Arizona to the east; it also shares an intern…
California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
Henri Guisan was a Swiss military officer who held the office of General of the Swiss Armed Forces during the Second World War. He was the fourth and the most recent person to be a…
General Henri Guisan orders the Swiss Army to resist German invasion and makes surrender illegal.
A Wild Hare is a 1940 American animated comedy short film directed by Tex Avery, produced by Leon Schlesinger, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures as part of the Merrie Melodi…
The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny.
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, with many eng…
World War II: Italian forces begin the invasion of British Somaliland.
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, with many eng…
World War II: The Soviet Union formally annexes Latvia.
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the we…
Estonia is annexed by the Soviet Union.
William Bryan Jordan Jr. was an American art historian who facilitated acquisitions, curated exhibitions, and authored publications on Spanish artists and still life paintings, par…
William B
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter, and the founder of Gracie Films. He co-created the sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, and The Simpso…
James L
Arthur Alexander was an American country-soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely u…
Arthur Alexander, American country-soul singer-songwriter (died 1993)
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, with many eng…
World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches an air operation, codenamed Adlertag, during the Battle of Britain in an…
The Kingdom of Italy was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 18 June 1946, when the monarchy wa…
An Italian submarine torpedoes and sinks the Greek cruiser Elli at Tinos harbor during peacetime, marking the most…
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, with many eng…
World War II: The Hardest Day air battle, part of the Battle of Britain, takes place. At that point, it is the largest…
Lev Davidovich Trotsky, better known as Leon Trotsky, was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician and political theorist. He was a key figure in the 1905 Revolution, the October…
In Mexico City, exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky is fatally wounded with an ice axe by Ramón Mercader. He…
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, with many eng…
World War II: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes the fourth of his famous wartime speeches, containing the…
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter, composer, and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s. He has been credited as one of the creators…
Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer (died 2008)