What Happened in 1941

Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) Draws Political Cartoons for PM Magazine

These cartoons rail against isolationism, racism, and ant-Semitism with a conviction and fervor lacking in most other American editorial pages of... Read more

John Edward "Jack" Reagan dies

John Edward "Jack" Reagan (1883–1941) was the father of United States President Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) and his older brother Neil "Moon" Reagan... Read more

Ronald Reagan is Elected to Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild

Reagan was first elected to the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild in 1941, serving as an alternate. Following World War II, he resumed... Read more

Agatha Christie publishes N or M?

N or M? is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1941 and in the UK by the Collins... Read more

Llandaff Cathedral is Badly Damaged by a German Bomb During the Cardiff Blitz

On the evening of 2 January 1941 during World War II the cathedral was severely damaged when a landmine was dropped near it during the Cardiff... Read more

James Joyce Dies

With the death of James Joyce there passes the strangest and most original figure which Ireland gave to Europe in this generation. The ban... Read more

Franklin Roosevelt's third inauguration

The only chief executive to serve more than two terms, President Roosevelt took office for the third time as Europe and Asia engaged in war. The... Read more

"High Sierra" Is Released

High Sierra (1941) is an early heist film and film noir written by W.R. Burnett and John Huston from the novel by Burnett. The movie features Ida... Read more

The United Service Organization Is Chartered

The United Service Organizations, popularly known as the USO, was chartered on February 4, 1941, in order to provide recreation for on-leave... Read more

Paul E. Tsongas Is Born

Paul Efthemios Tsongas; February 14, 1941–January 18, 1997) was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a one-time candidate for the... Read more

Swansea Blitz

The Swansea Blitz was the heavy and sustained bombing of Swansea by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany on 19 February-21 February 1941. Swansea was... Read more

"The Lady Eve" Is Released

The Lady Eve is a 1941 screwball comedy film about a mismatched couple who meet on a luxury liner, written by Preston Sturges based on a story by... Read more

Eastern Airlines Flight 31 Crashes, Killing 16

Eastern Airlines Flight 21, night of February 26, 1941. Sometimes called the “Rickenbacker Crash” due to the presence of Eastern Airlines President... Read more

13th Academy Awards

The 1940 Academy Award Winners Picture: Rebecca Actor: James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story) Actress: Ginger Rogers (Kitty Foyle) Supporting... Read more

Clydebank Blitz

On 13th March, 1941, 236 Luftwaffe bombers attacked targets in the Clydebank area. These included the shipyards, Dalnottar tank farm and large... Read more

Blizzard of 1941

The most severe blizzard in modern history struck North Dakota and Minnesota. The blizzard hit on a Saturday night while many are traveling, and... Read more

The English City of Plymouth Sustains Heavy Bombing from German Luftwaffe in the 'March Raids'

At just after 8.30pm the alert was sounded and at 8.39 the attack started. First came a group of Heinkel III bombers flying at between 9,900 and... Read more

Battle of Cape Matapan

The Battle of Cape Matapan (Greek: Ναυμαχία του Ταίναρου) was a World War II naval battle fought from March 27 to March 29, 1941. The cape is on... Read more

Wisconsin Beats Washington State in NCAA Men's Basketball Championship

The 1941 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 8 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of... Read more

Craig Wood wins the 8th Masters Tournament

...by the time Wood reached the 1941 Masters, he was still winless in majors, but had lost playoffs at all four of what are now known as the major... Read more

Axis Powers Begin Invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia with the Bombing of Belgrade

At the end of March 1941 the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was forced to join the Axis, which ignited a popular revolution in the country; this led to a... Read more

Battle of Fort Roupel

Like the Maginot Line on the Franco-German border, the Metaxas Line was outflanked by German forces specifically when the Germans invaded Greece in... Read more

Yugoslav Army Begins Albanian Offensive

In accordance with the Royal Yugoslav Army’s war plan, R-41, a strategy was formulated that, in the face of a massive Axis attack, a retreat on all... Read more

Japanese Forces Retreat from Shanggao

On high at about 120 km southwest of Nanchang, the Jinjiang River north, briefly Hunan and Jiangxi Road (Nanchang to Changsha) hub of the east... Read more

German Forces Seize Thessaloniki

On the dawn of April 6, the German armies invaded Greece, while the Luftwaffe began an intensive bombardment of Belgrade. The XL Panzer Corps—which... Read more