What Happened in 1939

"Midnight" Is Released

Midnight is a 1939 romantic comedy (with some elements of screwball comedy) directed by Mitchell Leisen and written by Charles Brackett and Billy... Read more

Germany establishes the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia,... Read more

"Love Affair" Is Released

Love Affair is a 1939 romantic film starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer and featuring Maria Ouspenskaya. It was directed by Leo McCarey and... Read more

Battle of Nanchang

The Battle of Nanchang (Traditional Chinese: 南昌會戰, Simplified Chinese: 南昌会战) was a major battle between the Chinese National Revolutionary Army and... Read more

Frank Sinatra first recording, Our Love with Frank Mane

On March 18, 1939, Sinatra made a demo recording of a song called "Our Love", with the Frank Mane band. In June, Harry James hired Sinatra on a one... Read more

First NCAA Men's Basketball Championship - Oregon Defeats Ohio State 46-33

The 1939 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 8 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of... Read more

Ralph Guldahl wins the 6th Masters Tournament

After consecutive runner-up finishes in 1937 and 1938, Ralph Guldahl shot a second nine 33 Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Sam... Read more

End of the Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict that devastated Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939. It began after an attempted coup d'état against... Read more

Italy Invades Albania

On April 7 Mussolini's troops invaded Albania. The operation was led by General Alfredo Guzzoni. The invasion force was divided into three groups,... Read more

'The Grapes of Wrath' is Published

The Grapes of Wrath is the Oakies' saga. It is John Ernst Steinbeck's longest novel (619 pages) and more ambitious than all his others combined... Read more

Dusty Springfield is Born

Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien OBE (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known as Dusty Springfield, was a singer. Of all the female British... Read more

Boston Bruins win Stanley Cup

The 1939 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was Boston's first appearance... Read more

Battle of Suixian-Zaoyang

The Battle of Suixian-Zaoyang (simplified Chinese: 随枣会战; traditional Chinese: 隨棗會戰; pinyin: Suízǎo Huìzhàn), also known as the Battle of Suizao was... Read more

"Dark Victory" Is Released

Dark Victory is a 1939 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding. The screenplay by Casey Robinson was based on the unsuccessful 1934 play of... Read more

Hitler renounces the Anglo-German Naval Agreement

The Anglo-German Naval Agreement (A.G.N.A) of June 18, 1935 was a bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and German Reich regulating the... Read more

Hitler renounces German-Polish Non-Agression Pact

The German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact was an international treaty between Nazi Germany and the Second Polish Republic signed on January 26, 1934.... Read more

Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes First President to Appear on TV

In April of 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president of the United States to appear on television. The setting was the 1939 World's... Read more

Ravensbrück, the Largest Concentration Camp for Women, Opens

Ravensbrück or Ravensbrueck (German pronunciation: [ʁaːfənsˈbʁʏk]) was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in... Read more

British Parliament approves The White Paper

The White Paper of 1939, also known as the MacDonald White Paper after Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary who presided over it, was... Read more

"Only Angels Have Wings" Is Released

Only Angels Have Wings (1939) is a movie directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. It is generally regarded as being among... Read more

"Goodbye, Mr. Chips" Is Released

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) is a British film based on the novel of the same name by James Hilton. It was directed by Sam Wood, and starred Robert... Read more

Pact of Steel signed by Italy and Germany

The Pact of Steel, known formally as the Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy, was an agreement between Fascist Italy and Nazi... Read more

U.S.S. Sailfish Sinks

On 12 May, following a yard overhaul, Squalus began a series of test dives off Portsmouth, New Hampshire. After successfully completing 18 dives,... Read more

Agatha Christie publishes Murder Is Easy

Murder is Easy is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on June 5, 1939 and in the... Read more

Mary MacPhee Is Recorded Performing Gaelic Songs

On June 15, 1939, in Oakland, California, folk music collector Sidney Robertson Cowell recorded Mary MacPhee performing Gaelic songs from the... Read more