What Happened in Jun 1940

John F. Kennedy Graduates from Harvard University

In September 1936 he enrolled as a freshman at Harvard College, where he produced that year's annual Freshman Smoker, called by a reviewer "an... Read more

Winston Churchill Gives 'We Shall Fight on the Beaches' Speech

We Shall Fight On The Beaches is a common title given to a speech delivered by Sir Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the British... Read more

'The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter' is Published

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is the debut 1940 novel by American author Carson McCullers. Written in Charlotte, North Carolina in a house on East... Read more

The Gestapo Takes Control of Theresienstadt Fortress, Converting it to a Concentration Camp

Theresienstadt concentration camp (often referred to as Terezín) was a Nazi German concentration camp during World War II. It was established by... Read more

"The Mortal Storm" Is Released

The Mortal Storm is a 1940 film that was one of the most direct anti-Nazi Hollywood films released before the American entry into the Second World... Read more

Kaleva Shot Down by Two Soviet Bombers

Kaleva, registered OH-ALL, was a civilian Junkers Ju 52 passenger and transport plane, belonging to the Finnish carrier Aero O/Y. The aircraft was... Read more

Sinking of the RMS Lancastria

A fresh air raid began before 4 pm. She was bombed at 15:48 by Junkers 88 aircraft from II. Gruppe/Kampfgeschwader 30. Three direct hits caused the... Read more

Winston Churchill Gives 'This Was Their Finest Hour' Speech

Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years,... Read more

Chinese National Revolutionary Army Repels Imperial Japanese Army from Yichang

The Battle of Zaoyang-Yichang (simplified Chinese: 枣宜会战; traditional Chinese: 棗宜會戰; pinyin: Zǎoyí Huìzhàn), also known as the Battle of Zaoyi was... Read more

Italy Launches Invasion of France

On 20 June, the Italian campaign began and, on 21 June, troops of the Italian Royal Army crossed the French border in three places The Italians... Read more

Richard Nixon Marries Thelma "Pat" Ryan

In January 1938, Nixon was cast in the Whittier Community Players production of The Dark Tower. There he played opposite a high school teacher... Read more

France Surrenders to Nazi Germany

During this period, Hitler built up his forces on Germany's western frontier. In April 1940, German forces invaded Denmark and Norway. In May 1940,... Read more

France and Italy Sign Armistice Establishing Italian Zone of Occupation in France

On 25 June 1940, after the Fall of France, France and Italy signed an armistice and an Italian zone of occupation was agreed upon. The initial zone... Read more