What Happened in 1939
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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"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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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"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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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"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
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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
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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
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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
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"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
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"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
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