September 1939 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the pages of world history.When someone mentions 1940, the first thing that comes to mind is the war that broke out between the Axis Powers and Allied Forces. But the war is not the end of the history chapter.We all know everything that followed the attack on Poland by Nazi Germany in the year 1939. Most of the ’40s were spent in war, and it changed the lives of every single individual. The Germans appeared to be winning in 1942. People were starting to accept the new lifestyle that demanded change in their previous ways of living. Men fought in battles, while women took care of the house, office, and pretty much everything else. The scarcity of essential materials forced civilians to limit their usage. Life became a struggle, and people left behind the glamorous, superficial life and held hands together as they marched into this era. However, post-World War II times were not all sad and gloomy. There have been many other events that would have gone into the history books if not for the war. With that, let’s dive into the facts about the events that took place in the year 1940.If you love yearly facts like this one, further reads like 1954 facts and 1910 facts will surely interest you as well.Cost Of Living In 1940The cost of living was hit hard by the inflation that was an effect of the ongoing war. 1940 was indeed hard. With inflation and war spreading all over the country, infesting all kinds of people, and the growing demand of the military for daily essentials, many things became scarce, compelling people to limit their luxuries. Before going into the cost of living in the year 1940, you need to know that the average wage was $1,725 annually. If you had tried to buy a house in 1940, it would have cost an average of $3,920, but the average rent would be anywhere around $30 per month. Everything saw a spike in its price as compared to 1939. Eggs would cost around 33 cents per dozen, while 1 lb (0.5 kg) of bread would cost around 10 cents. Butter was unbelievably higher in price and would cost you around $22.26. The price of milk would be around 52 cents for 1 gal (3.8 L). According to a new federal law that was passed in the year 1940, every child in school was required to be provided with affordable milk. However, as the price went up, the demand grew higher. Wonder how much a movie ticket would have cost you? Movie tickets were just around a quarter. If you were trying to buy a new car in the year 1940, you would have had to pay around $850, and 1 gal (3.8 l) of gas was priced at 11 cents. The price of the radio was around $16.95 cents, and the battery for a torch was being sold for 10 cents. If you had been planning to get a vacuum cleaner back in those days, it would have charged you a good average of around $52.50. Campbell’s tomato soup was priced at a rate of about 25 cents for three cans of soup, and buying three chewing gums would have charged you 12 cents. Flour was being sold at the price of 25 cents for a bag of 5 lb (2.3 kg) and chicken at around 55 cents for 1 lb (0.5 kg). Guess how much a postage stamp would have cost you, though? Since postage stamps became an essential part of life because of the lack of communication, these stamps were priced at three cents. The United States showed an extremely high rise in GNP, or gross national product, between 1940 and 1944.Events Of World War II In 1940World War II began in 1939 and lasted until 1945. World War II was a conflict between the Axis Powers and the Allied Forces that involved almost the entire world. The principal belligerents involved in the Axis Powers were Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the Allies involved the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union.On January 4, Luftwaffe Colonel Hermann Göring started assuming control over most of the war industries in Germany, following which, on January 6, the Winter War broke out and General Semyon Timoshenko took command of the Soviet forces. January 8 marked the beginning of the rationing of food in the United Kingdom, which remained in force until 1954. On February 1, 1940, a major assault on Finnish troops was launched by the Soviet forces, and they occupied the Karelian Isthmus. The Altmark Incident occurred on February 16, when the British destroyer HMS Cossack pursued the German tanker Altmark into the neutral waters of Jossingfjord in southwest Norway, freeing 290 British seamen held by the enemy.The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed between the Soviet Union and Finland on March 12. On March 18, the Axis Powers, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, met at Brenner Pass in the Alps and agreed on their plans to bring Italy into the war. The Battle of France began on May 10, along with the Battle of the Netherlands, the Battle of Belgium, the Invasion of Luxembourg, and the British invasion of Iceland. By May 15, German troops kept moving towards the Allied Forces and surrounded them in Dunkirk. On May 20, Nazi concentration camps were opened in Poland, killing 1.1 million people by the end of the war. Within six weeks of May 1940, German troops occupied western Europe in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France.Italy declared war on France on June 10 and Canada declared war on Italy. After France was defeated, Hitler planned a German invasion of Switzerland on June 25. On July 3, following the invasion by German forces, British troops fired on the French fleet openly on Mers-el-Kebir, killing around 1200 French servicemen. From August 3-19, Italy conquered British Somaliland, and August 18 was called the ‘Hardest Day’ in the Battle of Britain. The Destroyers for Bases Agreement was signed on September 2, whereby Britain was favored by getting 50 obsolete destroyers. On September 16, the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was signed by President Roosevelt.Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia joined the Axis Powers on November 20th, and on November 27th, the British Royal Navy and Italian Regia Marina battled to a draw between them in the Battle of Cape Spartivento.Popular Culture The pop-culture history of the ’40s was mostly surrounded by anti-German, anti-Japanese, and anti-North African sentiment. Although most of the celebrities went on to the battlefield for their country, American pop culture still blossomed around the sentiment of war, followed by a lot more in the succeeding years, including Walt Disney’s Der Fuehrer’s Face, which would later win an Academy Award. Satires like the first parody movie, ‘You Natzy Spy!’ that was released, mocking Adolf Hitler, are also a part of the pop-culture history of 1940. A few months later, comic legend Charlie Chaplin came out with the movie ‘The Great Dictator’ which was a satirical comedy movie. Apart from satires and comedies, other pop culture history includes many cartoon characters that were born this year. Disney’s animated musical ‘Pinocchio’ was first released in America in the year 1940, and the forever legendary Tom and Jerry debuted for the first time in ‘Puss Gets the Boot’. Other cartoon characters like Elmer Fudd, too, made their first debut in March 1940. Batman’s trusted sidekick, Robin, was introduced in April 1940. In June 1940, the audience also witnessed the debut of Daisy Duck in ‘Mr. Duck Steps Out’. In November 1940, the first stereophonic sound film came out with a world premiere, the Walt Disney animated film Fantasia. It was also the birth year of our favorite Bugs Bunny, with his first real appearance, although he was featured earlier in Warner Brothers cartoons, in ‘A Wild Hare’.In February 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American actor to win the Academy Award, furthering the African American community. Booker T. became the first black person featured on an American postage stamp. The ‘Philadelphia Story’, which was based on a Broadway play, was also released in the same year. Chiune Sugihara lost his entire career after going against orders and giving out visas to thousands of people who wanted to get out of the Nazi regime.The ’40s were also the time when most legends were born. To start off with, John Lennon and Ringo Starr. Other celebrities born in 1940 were Al Pacino, Jeffrey Archer, John Gotti, Tom Jones, John Hurt, Chuck Norris, and Nancy Sinatra, along with British scientist J. J. Thomson, who would later contribute hugely to the world of physics and be a Nobel laureate.Elections In 1940The election of 1940 in the United States marked history with an unprecedented third term for Franklin D. Roosevelt.The presidential election that was held in the year 1940 was conducted on November 5. What was really striking about this election was how Roosevelt broke the rules and became president for the third time. Although Roosevelt was reluctant to stand for a third term, at the sight of the growing tensions of the famous battle of the Second World War, Roosevelt was the only candidate that had earned the people’s trust and respect, and out of urgency, the Democrat had not been sure of a better replacement. Gradually, Roosevelt started hinting at his willingness to contest for a third term, and at the Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago, Roosevelt was nominated on the first ballot. Roosevelt chose Wallace as his running mate, who did receive a lot of opposition, especially from the conservative delegates, and Roosevelt hinted that he would withdraw his nomination if the position of vice-president was not reserved for Wallace. In the end, Wallace received the nomination and the acceptance of the delegates, winning three-fifths of the votes. Roosevelt won the election for the third time with a total of 449 votes.In the United Kingdom, Neville Chamberlain was replaced by the new Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, in May 1940. Churchill had a major role to play in the victory of Allies Forces in 1945 under his supervision of the British involvement. Prime Minister Churchill was also the First Lord of the Admiralty during the First World War.Other Major Events From 1940There have also been a lot of other major events as well that went down in the history pages of 1940, the year that had an estimated world population of 2.5 billion. Interestingly, the estimated population of New York City was a whopping 7,454,995. This year in New York City also marked a huge rise in the Hispanic community.The ‘Captain America’ comic book was published at the end of the year 1940. The cover of the comic features Captain America punching the real-life villain of 1940, the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The first issue was priced at 10 cents and, although published earlier, was dated March 1941. The comic was envisioned by the editor, Joe Simon, and was created by Jack Kirby, the famous comic creator of the time. It was released by the publisher ‘Timely Comics’, the comic company that would later be named ‘Marvel Comics’. Captain America became quite popular during World War II and somehow faded around the ’50s.The Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico on August 21, 1940. Trotsky was also one of the most influential theorists and intellectuals during the Russian revolution.Women’s silk stockings also made a swift change towards nylon stockings. Although nylon was first invented in 1935 by DuPont researcher Wallace Carother, it only gained popularity during the war. Nylon stockings were sold out instantly the moment they hit the market and were very popular among women. These seamed stockings were a new fashion statement that later became a huge demand, making nylon stockings expensive, scarce, and not easily accessible. Later, women used tan makeup and drew a straight line behind them to mimic the nylon stockings.The Selective Training and Service Act was also signed into law in 1940. The draft required men between the ages of 21 and 35 to be registered in the draft lottery. Towards the end of October, draft lotteries also began in Washington, D.C. Roosevelt called the first number, which was 158. This turned out to be the first peacetime draft in the history of the United States, as it had not been completed in the war yet. When chosen through the draft, men would be required to serve a term of 12 months in the military, which would later be extended as the United States would enter into World War II completely. The draft later extended the age requirement for men, and the age bracket was then shifted to 18-45. Between 1940-1946, around 45 million men registered, and around 10 million were selected through the system.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1940 facts then why not take a look at 1956 fun facts, or 1922 facts.
September 1939 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the pages of world history.
