History in the 1940s

The following events occurred in the decade beginning in 1940. These are the events that shaped the world during the lives of your ancestors, both here in the United States and throughout the world. If you've ever wondered who your ancestors voted for, what their primary mode of transportation was, and how they received the news of their day — this may give you a clue.

1790 • 1800 • 1810 • 1820 • 1830 • 1840 • 1850 • 1860
1870 • 1880 • 1890 • 1900 • 1910 • 1920 • 1930

• 1/1940 - Henry Fonda stars in 'The Grapes of Wrath' (the novel by John Steinbeck)
• 3/1940 - 120,000 census enumerators complete the 1940 census of the U.S. population
• 3/1940 - The ship Queen Elizabeth quietly completes her maiden voyage arriving in NY
• 5/1940 - Winston Churchill delivers first speech as Prime Minister of England
• 6/1940 - German troops marched through Paris, France
• 10/1940 - First military draft number was drawn, initiating selective service
• 11/1940 - U.S. President Roosevelt re-elected for historic third term
• 11/1941 - U.S. Supreme Court rules Negroes entitled to first-class train service
• 6/1941 - Nazi troops invade Soviet Union
• 12/1941 - Japanese launch surprise attack on U.S. at Pearl Harbor
• 1/1943 - George Washington Carver, noted Negro botanist and chemist, dies
• 4/1945 - President Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. President, dies at the age of 63
• 4/1945 - Vice President Harry S. Truman sworn in as 33rd President of the U.S.
• 4/1945 - Adolph Hitler dead of an apparent suicide
• 8/1945 - WWII comes to an end as U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• 1/1946 - 800,000 steel workers join millions already on strike in U.S.
• 2/1946 - International Business Machines (IBM) unveils ENIAC (computer)
• 10/1946 - Scientists gather in Buffalo to discuss health hazards of smoking
• 4/1947 - Henry Ford, automotive pioneer, died at the age of 83
• 4/1947 - First nationwide strike of telephone industry sees 350,000 on strike
• 7/1947 - Babe Didrickson becomes the 1st U.S. woman to win British Open golf contest
• 8/1947 - Aviator William Odom circles the globe in a record 73:05:11 (h:m:s)
• 1/1948 - Mahatma Gandhi assasinated in India, dead at the age of 78
• 8/1948 - London, England plays host to Summer Olympics
• 11/1948 - President Truman victorious in his bid to full term as U.S. President
• 4/1949 - Sam Snead wins the Masters golf tournament at Augusta, Georgia

If you know of a particular event we should add to our listing for the 1940s, please contact us.

1790 • 1800 • 1810 • 1820 • 1830 • 1840 • 1850 • 1860
1870 • 1880 • 1890 • 1900 • 1910 • 1920 • 1930