What Happened in 1939

1939 World Series

The 1939 World Series featured the three-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds, who were making their first Series... Read more

Germany Directly Annexes Western Poland and the Former Free City of Danzig

On 8 October, Germany directly annexed western Poland and the former Free City of Danzig and placed the remaining block of territory under... Read more

Britain Refuses Hitler's Offer of Peace

On 10 October 1939, the British refused Hitler's offer of peace; on 12 October the French did the same. Franz Halder, the chief of staff of the... Read more

German U-47 sinks British battleship HMS Royal Oak

HMS Royal Oak (pennant number 08) was a Revenge-class battleship of the British Royal Navy, torpedoed at anchor by the German submarine U-47 on 14... Read more

Finland and Soviet Union Hold Negotiations to Resolve Border Dispute

On 5 October 1939, the Soviet Union invited a Finnish delegation to Moscow for negotiations. J.K. Paasikivi, the Finnish ambassador to Sweden, was... Read more

"Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" Is Released

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is an American 1939 comedy/drama film starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur, about one man's effect on American... Read more

Advisory Committee on Uranium Holds Meeting Determining the Potential for Weaponizing of Uranium Ore

In August 1939, prominent physicists Leó Szilárd and Eugene Wigner drafted the Einstein–Szilárd letter, which warned of the potential development... Read more

Chinese Nationalist Army Begins Disastrous Winter Offensive Against Japanese Forces

The 1939–40 Winter Offensive was one of the major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second... Read more

Agatha Christie publishes Then There Were None

And Then There Were None is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November... Read more

Diego Rivera Divorces Frida Kahlo

In 1939, Kahlo went to live in Paris for a time. There she exhibited some of her paintings and developed friendships such artists as Marcel Duchamp... Read more

"Ninotchka" Is Released

Ninotchka is a 1939 American film made for Metro Goldwyn Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch which stars Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas.... Read more

Al Capone paroled and returns home to Palm Island, Florida

Al Capone was paroled on November 16, 1939 from the Federal Correctional Institution at Terminal Island in California, spent a short time in a... Read more

The Shelling of Mainila

Seven shots were fired, and their fall was detected by three Finnish observation posts. These witnesses estimated that the shells detonated... Read more

Soviet Union Launches Invasion of Finland

On 30 November, Soviet forces invaded Finland with 21 divisions, totaling some 450,000 men, and bombed Helsinki. Later the Finnish statesman J.K.... Read more

Soviet Union Forms Puppet Government Intended to Rule Finland

On 1 December, the Soviet Union formed a puppet government intended to rule Finland once the war was over. Called the Finnish Democratic Republic,... Read more

Nile Kinnick Wins Heisman Trophy

Nile Kinnick is the Hawkeyes' greatest football player of all time. In his football career, he gained 1,674 yards. In his senior year, he completed... Read more

Battle of Tolvajärvi

The Battle of Tolvajärvi ['tol.va.jær.vi] was fought on 12 December 1939 between Finland and the Soviet Union. It was the first large victory for... Read more

Soviet Union is Expelled from the League of Nations

At the start of the Winter War, Finland brought up the matter of the Soviet invasion before the League of Nations. The League expelled the Soviet... Read more

"Gone With The Wind" Is Released

Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American drama romance film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel of the same name and directed by Victor... Read more

Gone With the Wind (film) released

Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American drama romance film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel of the same name and directed by Victor... Read more

Soviet Tanks Advance on Finnish Village of Summa

The Battle of Summa was fought between the Soviet Union and Finland, in two phases, first in December 1939 and then in February 1940. It was part... Read more

Battle of Kunlun Pass

The Battle of Kunlun Pass (simplified Chinese: 昆仑关战役; traditional Chinese: 崑崙關戰役; pinyin: Kūnlúnguān Zhànyì) was a series of struggles between... Read more

"Destry Rides Again" Is Released

Destry Rides Again is a 1939 western directed by George Marshall, starring Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart, Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian... Read more

"Of Mice And Men" Is Released

Of Mice and Men is a 1939 film based on the novel of the same title by American author John Steinbeck. It stars Burgess Meredith, Betty Field, Lon... Read more