What Happened in 1942

Agatha Christie publishes The Body in the Library

In her Author's Foreword, Agatha Christie describes "the body in the library" as a cliché of detective fiction. She states that when writing her... Read more

Mighty Mouse First Appears in "The Mouse of Tomorrow"

Mighty Mouse was created by story man Izzy Klein as a super-powered housefly named "Superfly." Studio head Paul Terry changed the character into a... Read more

Marcel Janbon Discovers the Antidiabetic Effects of Sulfonylureas by Chance

Sulfonylureas, on the other hand, are effective in controlling type 2 di abetes. Marcel J. Janbon discovered the antidiabetic effects of sulfony... Read more

Frank Sinatra records first solo tracks

On January 26, 1940, Sinatra made his first public appearance with the Dorsey band at the Coronado Theater in Rockford, IL.[20] In his first year... Read more

Hopeh Incident

Masujiro Kiru was going through his father's photo album from the China Campaign just before WWII when he found a photograph of a flying object.... Read more

Kellogg's Raisin Bran First Available In Stores

Raisin Bran is manufactured by several companies under a variety of brand names including General Mills' Total Raisin Bran and Raisin Nut Bran; and... Read more

George Rieveschl Discovers Benadryl

Diphenhydramine, which is more widely known in the United States as Benadryl, is a drug which is manufactured by McNeil-PPC, a subdivision of... Read more

Ford 2GA is First Produced

The Ford 2GA was a car produced by the Ford Motor Company in 1942. This car appears to have been produced only in 1942, coming stock with a 90 hp,... Read more

Battle of Slim River

The Battle of Slim River occurred during the Malayan campaign in January 1942 between the Imperial Japanese Army and the British Indian Army on the... Read more

Battle of Tarakan (1942)

The Battle of Tarakan took place on January 11–12, 1942. Even though Tarakan was only a small marshy island at northeastern Borneo in the... Read more

Battle of Manado

The unit of Compagnie Menado, which numbered only 188 men under Captain W.F.J. Kroon and Landstorm Compagnie with its 200 troops under 1st... Read more

Inter-Allied Resolution on German War Crimes

On January 14, 1942, representatives from the nine occupied countries met in London to draft the Inter-Allied Resolution on German War Crimes. At... Read more

Battle of Gemas

The Battle of Gemas—part of the wider Battle of Muar—during the invasion of Malaya in the Pacific Campaign of the Second World War. The action... Read more

Battle of Muar Begins

The Battle of Muar was the last major battle of the Malayan campaign. It took place from 14–22 January 1942 around Gemensah Bridge and on the Muar... Read more

Transcontinental and Western Air Flight 3 Crashes into a Cliff, Killing 22

Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA) Flight 3 was a twin-engine Douglas DC-3-382 propliner, registration NC1946, operating as a scheduled... Read more

Siege of Bakri

On 17 January, the surviving units of 45th Indian Brigade, with the Australian 2/19th and 2/29th Battalions serving as reinforcements, were... Read more

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) Is Born

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942) is a retired American boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who is... Read more

Adolf Hitler Lays Out His Vision of the 'Final Solution to the Jewish Question' to Nazi Officials at the Wannsee Conference

The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of senior officials of the Nazi German regime, held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee on 20 January 1942. The... Read more

Battle of Rabaul (1942)

The Battle of Rabaul (Operation R), on the island of New Britain, in the Australian Territory of New Guinea, in January and February 1942,... Read more

Parit Sulong Massacre

On January 23, 1942, the Parit Sulong Massacre was committed against Allied soldiers by members of the Imperial Guards Division of the Imperial... Read more

Battle of Balikpapan (1942)

While the Japanese invasion force was landing at Balikpapan, on the early morning of January 24, at around 02:45, the Allied (ABDACOM's) 59th US... Read more

Battle of Ambon

From 6 January onwards, Ambon was attacked by Japanese aircraft. Allied aircraft made some sorties against the approaching Japanese fleet, with... Read more

Battle of Makassar Strait

The Battle of Makassar Strait, also known as the Action of Madura Strait, the Action North of Lombok Strait and the Battle of the Flores Sea, was a... Read more

Battle of Sarimbun Beach

The Battle of Sarimbun Beach was the first stage of the Japanese assault on Singapore in February 1942, during World War II. Sarimbun, in the west... Read more

Battle of Kranji

The Battle of Kranji was the second stage of the Japanese plan for the invasion of Singapore during the Second World War. On 9 February 1942 the... Read more