The 1940s

1941 85 years ago

American entertainer Bob Hope performed his first show with the United Service Organizations, beginning a 50-year involv

Lester Townes "Bob" Hope was a British-born American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network ra…

American entertainer Bob Hope performed his first show with the United Service Organizations, beginning a 50-year involv

1941 85 years ago

World War II: German Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess (pictured) parachuted into Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with

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 Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess (pictured) parachuted into Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with

1941 85 years ago

German engineer Konrad Zuse presented the Z3, the first working programmable and fully automatic computer, to an audienc

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…

German engineer Konrad Zuse presented the Z3, the first working programmable and fully automatic computer, to an audienc

1941 85 years ago

World War II: German paratroopers began the Battle of Heraklion on the island of Crete, capturing the airfield and port

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 began the Battle of Heraklion on the island of Crete, capturing the airfield and port

1941 85 years ago

Second World War: The German battleship Bismarck sank the British battlecruiser Hood at the Battle of the Denmark Strait

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…

Second World War: The German battleship Bismarck sank the British battlecruiser Hood at the Battle of the Denmark Strait

1941 85 years ago

World War II: The German battleship Bismarck was sunk by gun and torpedo fire by the British battleships HMS Rodney and

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 German battleship Bismarck was sunk by gun and torpedo fire by the British battleships HMS Rodney and

1941 85 years ago

German forces dropped four bombs on neutral Ireland, killing 28 people and damaging the residence of the President of Ir

During World War II, Dublin was first bombed early on the morning of 2 January 1941, when German bombs were dropped on the Terenure area. This was followed early on the following m…

German forces dropped four bombs on neutral Ireland, killing 28 people and damaging the residence of the President of Ir

1941 85 years ago

The United Kingdom completed its re-occupation of Iraq, returning Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II

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 …

The United Kingdom completed its re-occupation of Iraq, returning Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II

1941 85 years ago

World War II: German forces dropped four bombs on neutral Ireland, killing 28 people and damaging Áras an Uachtaráin, th

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 forces dropped four bombs on neutral Ireland, killing 28 people and damaging Áras an Uachtaráin, th

1941 85 years ago

World War II: In reprisal for the participation of the local population in the Battle of Crete, the German Wehrmacht des

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: In reprisal for the participation of the local population in the Battle of Crete, the German Wehrmacht des

1941 85 years ago

Second Sino-Japanese War: About 4,000 people died of asphyxiation in Chongqing when the tunnel in which they were hiding

The Second Sino-Japanese War, known in China as the War of Resistance Against Japan, was fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan and its puppet states between …

Second Sino-Japanese War: About 4,000 people died of asphyxiation in Chongqing when the tunnel in which they were hiding

1941 85 years ago

World War II: The Allies commenced the Syria–Lebanon campaign against Vichy French possessions in the Levant

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 Allies commenced the Syria–Lebanon campaign against Vichy French possessions in the Levant

1940

The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people

The Rhythm Club fire 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…

The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people

1940

World War II: Norwegian campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after

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: Norwegian campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after

1940

John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath

John Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer and novelist. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic hu…

John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath

1940

World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister N

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 Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister N

1940

World War II: German fighters accidentally bomb the German city of Freiburg

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 fighters accidentally bomb the German city of Freiburg

1940

Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald's restaurant

Richard James McDonald and Maurice James "Mac" McDonald, known as the McDonald brothers, were American entrepreneurs who founded the fast food company McDonald's.

Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald's restaurant

1940

World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway

The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, …

World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway

1940

Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland", an idea that had first been considered by 19th

Franz Rademacher was a German lawyer and diplomat. As an official in the Nazi government of the Third Reich during World War II, he was known for initiating action on the Madagasca…

Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland", an idea that had first been considered by 19th

1940

King Haakon VII, Crown Prince Olav and the Norwegian government leave Tromsø and go into exile in London

Haakon VII was King of Norway from 1905 until his death in 1957, having reigned for nearly 52 years.

King Haakon VII, Crown Prince Olav and the Norwegian government leave Tromsø and go into exile in London

1940

World War II: Winston Churchill is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the resignation of Neville C

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Second World …

World War II: Winston Churchill is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the resignation of Neville C

1940

World War II: Germany's conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the Meuse

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: Germany's conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the Meuse

1940

World War II: Rotterdam, Netherlands is bombed by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany despite a ceasefire, killing about 900 p

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: Rotterdam, Netherlands is bombed by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany despite a ceasefire, killing about 900 p