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