1940

Year 1940 () was a (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the.

Events of 1940

 * (Below, many events of have the "" prefix.)

January

 * - : -  General  assumes control of all war industries in.
 * - : - General takes command of all Russian forces.
 * - : - Russian 44th Assault Division destroyed by Finnish forces in.
 * - - Brisbane swelters through its hottest day ever, 43.2 degrees.

February

 * - : - Russian forces launch major assault on Finnish troops which occupy the.
 * - releases 's second full-length, .
 * - : In the  destroyer ' pursues  tanker ' into  in southwestern.

March

 * - makes his debut in the short .
 * - In Sweden, a destroys the office of  newspaper of   - 5 dead.
 * - Members of Soviet politburo:, , , , and , signed an order, prepared by Beria, for the execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, including 14,700 Polish POWs. The action is known as the.
 * - and  sign a peace treaty in  ending the . Finns, along with the world at large, were shocked by the harsh terms.
 * - : -  and  meet at  in the  and agree to form an alliance against  and the.
 * resigns as prime minister of France. He is replaced by.
 * - The  is by the :  from every corner of  meet up around, , now in modern-day.

April

 * -, in what will prove to be a tragic lapse of judgment, declares in a major public speech that has "missed the bus".
 * - becomes the first  to be depicted on a.
 * - : invades  and  in operation . The  is simultaneously commenced.
 * - The were occupied by British troops following the invasion of  by . This action was taken to avert a possible German occupation of the islands, which would have had very grave consequences for the course of the.
 * - Opening day at Jamaica Racetrack features the use of pari-mutuel betting equipment, a departure from bookmaking heretofore used exclusively throughout New York state. Other NY tracks follow suit later in 1940.
 * - Rhythm Night Club burns in : 198 dead.

May

 * begins - forces invade.
 * by the.
 * With the resignation of, becomes.
 * , in his first address as Prime Minister, tells the, "I have nothing to offer you but blood, toil, tears, and sweat."
 * German armies open 60-mile wide breach in at.
 * of the and her government flee to ;  subjected to savage terror bombing by the  - 980 killed, 20,000 buildings destroyed.
 * Recruitment begins in for a home defence force - the, later known as the Home Guard.
 * surrenders.
 * founded. open their first  in, featuring a broad menu including . Eight years later, they would streamline production to focus on s only.
 * - U.S. President, addressing a joint session of , asks for an extraordinary credit of approximately $900 million to finance construction of at least 50,000 airplanes per year.
 * - falls to  forces;  government flees to.
 * - Marshal named vice-premier of.
 * - General replaces  as commander-in-chief of all  forces.
 * - : forces, under General, reach the .  :  concentration and death camp,  opens in.
 * - : passes Emergency Powers Act giving the government full control over all persons and property.
 * - : of  starts.
 * surrenders.
 * warns the to, "... prepare itself for hard and heavy tidings."
 * - : passes Emergency Powers Act giving the government full control over all persons and property.
 * - : of  starts.
 * surrenders.
 * warns the to, "... prepare itself for hard and heavy tidings."
 * warns the to, "... prepare itself for hard and heavy tidings."

June

 * - : proposes the.
 * ends - forces complete evacuating 300,000 troops from  in.
 * tells the, "We shall not flag or fail. We shall fight on the beaches...on the landing grounds...in the fields and the streets...We shall never surrender."
 * - : The are created.
 * declares war on and the.
 * U.S. President denounces Italy's actions with "Stab in the Back" speech from the graduation ceremonies of the.
 * declares war on.
 * surrenders to forces.
 * French government flees to.
 * - : 13,000 and  troops surrender to   at.
 * - : is declared an.
 * French government flees to.
 * falls under occupation.
 * U.S. President signs the  into law which aims to increase the 's tonnage by 11 %.
 * A group of 728 political prisoners from  become the first residents of the.
 * - : falls to  forces.
 * becomes of  and immediately asks  for peace terms.
 * Soviet Army enters s of,.
 * begins - troops start to evacuate, following 's takeover of  and most of the nation.
 * bomber sinks British ship , that was evacuating troops from near, . Death toll is over 2500. Wartime censorship prevents the story going public.
 * speaks to the : "... the  is over.  The  is about to begin."
 * General broadcasts from, calling on all French people to continue the fight against  :  "France has lost a battle.  But France has not lost the war."
 * - : and Germany sign armistice at  in the same wagon-lit railroad car used by Marshal  to accept the surrender of Germany in.
 * - : leader  surveys newly defeated  in now occupied.
 * U.S. politics:  begins its national convention in  and nominates  as its candidate for president.
 * signs armistice terms with.
 * - General is officially recognized by  as "Leader of all men, wherever they may be."
 * - : forces land in  marking the start of the 5-year.
 * - : leader  surveys newly defeated  in now occupied.
 * U.S. politics:  begins its national convention in  and nominates  as its candidate for president.
 * signs armistice terms with.
 * - General is officially recognized by  as "Leader of all men, wherever they may be."
 * - : forces land in  marking the start of the 5-year.
 * - : forces land in  marking the start of the 5-year.

July

 * - : British naval units sink or seize ships of the French fleet anchored in the n ports of  and Mers-el-Kebir.  The following day,  breaks off diplomatic relations with.
 * - British musician is born Richard Starkey in.
 * - : begins with a constitutional law where only  voted against.
 * - U.S. politics: begins its national convention in  and nominates  for an unprecedented third term as president.
 * - : makes peace appeal to  in an address to the . , British foreign minister, flatly rejects peace terms in a broadcast reply on.
 * -, and  are proclaimed.
 * -  is released, introducing.

August

 * -,  and   are incorporated into the.
 * - Gen., in a nationwide radio broadcast, urges all-out aid to in order to defend the Americas, while  speaks to an  rally at  in.
 * - signs the "" directive.
 * pays tribute in the to the :  "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
 * assassinated in by, a Soviet agent, with an.
 * - is the first French colony to proclaim its support for the Allies.
 * - is the first French colony to proclaim its support for the Allies.

September

 * September - (previously a  in, , , and ), activated and ordered into federal service for one year to engage in a training program in  and  prior to serving in.
 * - : Agreement between and  announced.  Fifty U.S. destroyers needed for escort work transferred to Great Britain. In return, America gains 99-year leases on British bases in the,  and.
 * loses to.
 * - begins to rain bombs on . This will be the first of 57 consecutive nights of.
 * , - 17,000-year-old s are discovered by a group of young Frenchmen hiking through Southern France.  The paintings depict animals and date to the.
 * The in  explodes, killing 55 people.
 * - : signed into law by, creating the first peacetime draft in  history.
 * - : imposes a total  on all shipments of scrap metal to.
 * - :, and  sign.
 * - : imposes a total  on all shipments of scrap metal to.
 * - :, and  sign.

October

 * October - #19 issues the first  comic.
 * - Original section of the opens between  and.
 * - : Battle of Britain - During a nighttime air raid by the,  is pierced by a bomb; musician  is born during an air-raid in ,.
 * - First release of , directed by who is cast as  dictator Adenoid Hynkel, clearly modeled on   of.
 * - : Draft registration of approximately 16 million men begins in the.
 * - The 40-hour work week goes into effect in the under regulations of the.
 * - ends.
 * - : invades.
 * - : lottery held in.
 * - : ends - The  prevents  from invading Britain.

November

 * - : incumbent  defeats  challenger  and becomes the ' first third-term president.
 * - In, the middle section of the collapses in a windstorm, a mere four months after the bridge's completion (it opened to traffic on , 1940 as the third-longest  in the world).
 * - Premiere of 's  in,.
 * - in,  - 1,000 dead.
 * - The launches the first  strike in history, on the  fleet at.
 * The  (cruiser)  captures   mail, and sends it to.
 * An unexpected kills 144 in.
 * - 's  is released. It is the first box office failure for Disney, though it will eventually recoup its cost years later, and become one of the most highly regarded of Disney's films.
 * - : In, the city of is destroyed by 500   bombers (150,000 s, 503 tons of high explosives, 130 parachute mines leveled 60,000 of the city's 75,000 buildings; 568 people were killed).
 * In response to leveling  two days before, the  begins to bomb  (by war's end, 50,000 Hamburg residents died from  attacks).
 * Unexploded found in  office building. (Only years later is the culprit,, apprehended.)
 * The is founded.
 * - : leader  and  Foreign Minister  meet to discuss 's disastrous invasion of.
 * - :, and  join the.
 * In, coup leader General 's Iron Guard arrests and executes over 60 of exiled king 's aides. Among the dead is former minister and acclaimed historian.
 * and fight the.
 * In, coup leader General 's Iron Guard arrests and executes over 60 of exiled king 's aides. Among the dead is former minister and acclaimed historian.
 * and fight the.
 * and fight the.

December

 * - The, in what will become the most one-sided victory in history, defeat the  73-0 in the 1940 NFL Championship Game.
 * & - : The "". The  is badly damaged by German air-raids.
 * -, in a broadcast address to the people of , squarely blames for leading his nation to war against the British contrary to Italy's historic friendship with them.
 * - The film version of , starring, , and , premieres at  in.
 * , in a to the nation, declares that the  must become, "... the great arsenal of democracy."
 * "Second Great Fire of London"; carries out massive incendiary bombing raid starting 1500 fires.  Many famous buildings, including the  and Trinity House, are either damaged or destroyed.
 * - 's first modern, the future , is opened to traffic in , as the Arroyo Seco Parkway. It is now called the Pasadena Freeway.
 * - 's first modern, the future , is opened to traffic in , as the Arroyo Seco Parkway. It is now called the Pasadena Freeway.

Undated

 * ,, acquires the current name.
 * , province of : five-year-old was proclaimed the   of the thirteenth.
 * The Hunmin Jeong-eum Haerye (1446) was discovered, explaining the basis of Hangul.
 *  debuts on Radio.

January-February

 * -, American televangelist
 * , Welsh physicist, laureate
 * , Chinese-born writer, laureate
 * -, American journalist and author (d. )
 * -, a Costa Rican politician, lawyer, economist, and businessman.
 * -, American civil rights activist
 * -, English actor (d. )
 * -, American figure skater
 * -, English actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, South African rugby coach (d. )
 * -, English actor
 * -, American football player
 * -, American film writer, producer, and director
 * -, Swiss artist
 * , American television news reporter
 * , English comedian
 * , American journalist
 * , American singer and songwriter
 * -, South African writer, laureate
 * -, American actor
 * -, American singer (d. )
 * -, American musician
 * -, English footballer
 * -, Hong Kong composer (d. )
 * , South African politician
 * , American photographer and archivist
 * -, American actor
 * -, Scottish footballer
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, American race car driver
 * -, American writer
 * -, Scottish footballer
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, American race car driver
 * -, American writer

March-April

 * -, Colombian writer and journalist
 * -, English broadcaster, journalist and clergyman
 * -, baseball player (d. )
 * -, German student leader (d. )
 * -, Puerto Rican actor (d. )
 * -, American actor and martial artist
 * -, American singer
 * -, American musician
 * , Italian writer and film director
 * , Dutch politician and diplomat
 * -, Governor of Texas
 * -, Cambodian actor (d. )
 * -, American entertainer
 * -, American actor
 * , American actor
 * , American race car driver
 * -, American musician
 * -, Brazilian-born singer
 * -, Kenyan environmentalist, recipient of the
 * -, English actress
 * , American musician
 * , American
 * - Queen
 * -, American scientist, recipient of the
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, Italian film composer
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, Italian film composer

May-June

 * -, Italian jewelry designer
 * , American author (d. )
 * , English author and editor (d. )
 * , American singer (d. )
 * -, American singer
 * -, American film producer and writer
 * -, Chilean-born video artist (d. )
 * -, American computer scientist
 * -, American inventor
 * , Slovakian-born hockey player
 * , Japanese baseball player
 * -, American journalist and television news reporter
 * -, Russian-born poet, laureate (d. )
 * -, American actor
 * - King
 * -, American actor (d. )
 * -, Welsh singer
 * -, British actress
 * -, American singer
 * -, Governor of Oregon
 * -, American economist, laureate
 * -, English-born actor
 * -, American actress
 * , Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film producer
 * , British broadcaster
 * , English singer and actor (d. )
 * , American athlete (d. )
 * -, English writer (d. )
 * -, Russian composer
 * , English singer and actor (d. )
 * , American athlete (d. )
 * -, English writer (d. )
 * -, Russian composer
 * -, English writer (d. )
 * -, Russian composer

July-August

 * -, Venezuelan player (d. )
 * -, British drummer
 * , baseball player
 * , Scottish entrepreneur
 * , American soprano
 * -, English actor
 * , English comedian
 * , American sportscaster
 * , baseball player and manager
 * , American actor and director
 * , American musician
 * , Canadian game show host
 * -, American theologian
 * -, American aide to (d. )
 * -, Indian-born novelist
 * -, comedian and TV presenter of ITV's Catchphrase (1986-1999)
 * -, American actor
 * -, former Indian Test cricketer (d. )
 * -, American actress
 * -, American singer (d. )
 * -, American actress
 * , Chechen poet and historian
 * , American politician
 * -, American actress
 * -, Belgian bass-baritone
 * -, American actor (d. )
 * , American musician (d. )
 * , American musician
 * , American politician
 * -, American actress
 * -, Belgian bass-baritone
 * -, American actor (d. )
 * , American musician (d. )
 * , American musician
 * , American musician

September-October

 * -, American actress
 * -, American artist (d. )
 * , American actor
 * , baseball player
 * -, Costa Rican politician, recipient of the
 * -, American basketball coach
 * -, Iranian traditional singer and undisputed Master
 * -, British musician and singer (d. )
 * -, American saxophonist
 * -, English singer
 * -, Australian immunologist, recipient of the
 * -, Irish actor
 * Manfred Mann, South African musician ( bands)
 * , English cricketer
 * -, Brazilian footballer
 * -, American basketball coach
 * -, American gangster (d. )
 * -, Brazilian footballer
 * -, American basketball coach
 * -, American gangster (d. )

November-December

 * -, American actor
 * -, U.S. Navy SEAL team member and author
 * -, American football coach
 * -, Chinese American martial artist and actor (d. )
 * -, famous American player
 * -, American actor and comedian (d. )
 * -, American murderer
 * -, Swedish writer
 * -, Indian politician
 * -, American singer
 * -, American musician, composer, and satirist (d. )
 * -, British ambassador to Kazakhstan (d. )
 * -, former mayor of old city of
 * -, American economist, laureate
 * -, American economist, laureate

Unknown dates

 * , Irish poet and novelist
 * Founder and President of

January - June

 * -, English-born actress and comedian (b. )
 * -, Polish poet and writer (b. )
 * -, Ukrainian writer (b. )
 * , Japanese business executive


 * -, (b. )
 * -, second (b. )


 * -, Chinese educator (b. )
 * -, Russian writer (b. )
 * -, Swedish writer, laureate (b. )
 * -, German physician, biologist, and eugenicist (b. )
 * -, Greek runner
 * -, English footballer (b. )


 * -, German chemist, laureate (b. )
 * -, Lithuanian-born anarchist (b. )
 * -, Dutch writer (b. )
 * -, Swedish writer, laureate (b. )
 * -, Canadian film director (b. )
 * - (b. )
 * -, Jamaican-born publisher, entrepreneur, and black nationalist (b. )
 * -, American (b. )
 * -, English chemist, laureate (b. )
 * -, U.S. general (b. )
 * -, Swiss artist (b. )

July - December

 * -, tallest man ever (infection) (b. )
 * -, American jazz clarinetist (b. )
 * -, American automobile pioneer (b. )
 * -, Russian revolutionary (b. )
 * -, Swiss Federal Councillor (b. )
 * -, American artist and naturalist (b. )
 * -, English physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, Austrian neuroscientist, recipient of the (b. )


 * -, American co-founder of Volunteers of America (b. )
 * -, English medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador (b. )
 * -, Canadian actor (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, Texas legislator and American businessman (b. )
 * -, British sculptor and writer (b. )
 * -, American biologist (b. )
 * -, Czech violinist (b. )
 * or -, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, American writer (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )

Unknown dates

 * (none)

Nobel prizes

 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded