January 2 Book publisher Simon and Schuster founded January 3 March of Dimes established to fight polio January 6 Bronze memorial statue of Henry Hudson erected in Bronx January 8 Bradman scores 107 for South Australia vs. Qld (1st innings) January 10 Eduard van Beinum becomes world's 1st conductor at Concert Hall January 10 Jean Anouilh's "La Sauvage," premieres in Paris January 10 Paul Vincent Carroll's "White Seed," premieres in New York City January 11 Bradman scores a second innings 113 vs. Qld after a ton in the 1st January 11 Frances Moulton elected 1st woman president of a U.S. national bank January 14 National Society for Legalization of Euthanasia forms (NY) January 16 Benny Goodman refuses to play Carnegie Hall when black members of his band were barred from performing January 17 Supreme Soviet elects Michail Kalinin as presidium chairman January 18 Bradman scores 104* for South Australia vs. NSW at the SCG January 18 Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander is elected to Hall of Fame January 19 GM began mass production of diesel engines January 21 Dutch government starts obligatory unemployment insurance January 22 "Our Town," Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer-winner of small-town life in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, premieres January 25 Ian Hay's "Bachelor Born," premieres in New York City February 3 Paul Osborn's "On Borrowed Time," premieres in New York City February 4 Hitler seizes control of German army and puts Nazi in key posts February 4 "Our Town," by Thornton Wilder opens on Broadway February 5 Hans Engnestangen skates world record 500m (41.8 sec) February 10 King Carol II of Romania drives out dictator Goga February 11 Steve Casey beats Lou Thesz in Boston, to become wrestling champ February 12 Austrian chancellor Schuschnigg visits Hitler in Berchtesgaden February 12 German troops entered Austria February 16 U.S. Federal Crop Insurance program authorized February 17 1st public experimental demonstration of Baird color TV in London February 19 Soviet arctic ice research station North Pole 1 evacuated, Denmark February 20 U.K. Foreign Secretary Eden resigns, says Prime Minister Chamberlain appeased Germany February 23 Joe Louis KOs Nathan Mann in 3 for heavyweight boxing title February 24 Du Pont begins commercial production of nylon toothbrush bristles February 25 British Lord Halifax becomes Foreign Minister February 26 1st passenger ship equipped with radar February 26 Rie Van Veen swims world record 200m free style (2:24.6) February 26 U.S. Female Figure Skating championship won by Joan Tozzer February 26 U.S. Male Figure Skating championship won by Robin Lee February 27 Britain and France recognize Franco government in Spain March 2 Landslides and floods cause over 200 deaths in Los Angeles, California March 2 Trials of Soviet leaders begins in the Soviet Union March 3 American Bowling Congress' largest tournament (24,765 competitors) March 11 Artur Seyss-Inquart replaces Kurt von Schuschnigg as Chancellor of Austria; German troops also entered the country March 12 Nazi Germany invades Austria (Anschluss) March 13 Austria annexed by Nazi Germany March 16 Noel Coward's musical "Operette," premieres in London March 16 Temple defeats Colorado to win 1st NIT March 18 Mexico takes control of foreign-owned oil properties March 18 New York 1st requires serological blood tests of pregnant women March 18 President Cardena of Mexico nationalizes U.S. and British oil companies March 19 Toronto Maple Leafs score 8 goals in 5 minutes March 23 Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis frees 74 St. L Cardinals minor leaguers March 25 1st U.S. bred horse (Battleship) to win Grand National Steeplechase March 26 NBC radio performance of Howard Hanson's 3rd Symphony April 1 Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, New York April 1 Joe Louis KOs Harry Thomas in 5 for heavyweight boxing title April 4 5th Golf Masters Championship: Henry Picard wins, shooting a 285 April 5 Anti-Jewish riots break out in Dabrowa Poland April 6 Teflon invented by Roy J Plunkett April 10 2nd government of Blum replaced by Daladier government in France April 10 Austria becomes a state of Germany April 10 New York makes syphilis test mandatory in order to get a marriage license April 12 1st U.S. law requiring medical tests for marriage licenses April 12 Stanley Cup: Chicago Blackhawks beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 3 games to 1 April 13 Clifford Goldsmith' "What a Life," premieres in New York City April 16 Great Britain recognizes Italian annexation of Abyssinia April 19 42nd Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson of RI in 2:35:34.8 April 19 Phil Emmett Mueller and Dodger Ernie Koy both homer in their 1st at bat April 23 Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia demand self government April 24 Lindenheuvel soccer team forms April 25 1st use of seeing eye dog April 26 Austrian Jews required to register property above 5,000 Reichsmarks April 28 King Zog of Albania marries Countess Geraldine of Hungary April 30 Bradman scores 258 Australia vs. Worcs, 293 minutes, 33 fours 1 five May 2 Ella Fitzgerald records "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" May 2 Pulitzer prize awarded to Thornton Wilder (Our Town) May 3 Concentration camp at Flossenburg goes into use May 3 Lefty Grove defeats Tigers 4-3 for 1st of record 20 consecutive wins at his home field Fenway Park; he doesn't lose there until May 12 1941 May 3 Vatican recognizes Franco-Spain May 4 Douglas Hyde (a protestant) becomes 1st president of Eire May 5 Phillies Harold Kelleher faces 16 batters in 6th, as Cubs score 12 runs, both marks are NL records off one hurler in a single inning May 6 Dutch writer Maurits Dekker sentenced to 50 days for "offending a friendly head of state" (Hitler) May 7 64th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Arcaro aboard Lawrin wins in 2:04.8 May 7 Dutch Minister of Justice Goseling calls fugitives of nazi-Germany "undesired strangers" May 8 Stravinsky's "Dumbarton Oaks," premieres in Washington, D.C. May 10 Banning speech on anti-fascism demonstration in Amsterdam May 12 Sandoz Labs manufactures LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) May 14 64th Preakness: Maurice Peters aboard Dauber wins in 1:59.8 May 14 English soccer team beats Nazi-Germany, 6-3 May 15 Paul-Henri Spak forms red coalition of Belgium May 16 1st animal breeding society forms in New Jersey May 16 38 die in Terminal Hotel fire in Atlanta, Georgia May 16 In cricket Bradman scores 278 Australia vs. MCC, 349 minutes, 35 fours 1 six May 17 Congress approves Vinson Naval Act, which funds a two-ocean navy May 17 Radio quiz show "Information Please!" debuts on NBC Blue Network May 21 Bradman scores 143 Australia vs. Surrey, 198 minutes, 11 fours May 22 Dodgers announce contracts to install lights at Ebbets Field May 26 House on un-American Activities forms May 28 Foundation for Tel Aviv harbor laid May 28 Hindemiths opera "Mathis der Maler," premieres in Zurich May 30 Yankees sweep Red Sox 10-0 and 5-4 in front of 83,533 at Yankee Stadium May 31 Bill Edrich scores his 1,000th run of cricket season, all at Lord's June 1 Protective baseball helmets 1st worn by batters June 1 Superman 1st appears in DC Comics' Action Comics Series issue #1 June 3 German law on "Entartete Art" legalizes art robbery June 4 10th Walker Cup: Britain - Ireland, 7 - 4 June 4 70th Belmont: James Stout aboard Pasteurized wins in 2:29.6 June 7 1st play telecast with original Broadway cast, "Susan and God" June 7 Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat 1st flown, Eddie Allen June 9 Second Chamber agrees to return Jews to nazi-Germany June 10 Charlie Barnett makes 98 by lunch vs. Australia at Trent Bridge June 11 42nd U.S. Golf Open: Ralph Guldahl shoots a 284 at Cherry Hills Denver June 11 Cincinnati Red Johnny Vander Meer no-hits Boston Braves, 3-0 June 11 Compton scores 1st Test Cricket ton (102 vs. Australia) aged 20 years 19 days June 11 Earthquake in Belgium June 11 England declare at 8 for 658 vs. Australia at Trent Bridge June 13 Great Cricket innings of 232 by Stan McCabe vs. England at Trent Bridge June 13 Jews injured and property destroyed in Przemyal Poland June 14 Bradman scores 144* in 1st Test Cricket at Trent Bridge June 14 Chlorophyll patented by Benjamin Grushkin June 14 Dorothy Lathrop wins 1st Caldecott Medal, kid books author June 15 1st night game at Brooklyn Ebbets Field (Reds 6, Dodgers 0) as Cincinnati Red Johnny Vander Meer hurls unprecedented 2nd consecutive no-hitter June 16 Jimmie Foxx is walked a record 6 consecutive times by Browns June 16 St. Louis Browns walk Boston Red Sox Jimmy Foxx 6 times in a row June 17 Japan declares war on China June 18 Babe Ruth is signed as a Dodgers coach for the rest of the season June 19 Italy beats Hungary 4-1 in soccer's 3rd World Cup at Paris June 19 "Olympian Flyer" express train crashes in Montana, killing 47 June 19 Paul Waner (Pirates) homers off Pete Sivess (Phillies) in DH June 19 Reds Johnny Vander Meer extends his string of hitless innings to 21 2/3 before Debs Garms singles for Boston in 4th June 21 Baseball's Pinky Higgins gets 12th straight hit June 21 Bradman scores 101* in 77 minutes, Australia vs. Lancashire June 22 Joe Louis KOs Max Schmeling at 2:04 of 1st round at Yankee Stadium June 23 Civil Aeronautics Authority (U.S.) established June 23 Marineland opens in Florida-1st aquarium June 23 New York City Mayor LaGuardia assigns 21 cops to patrol subway June 24 500 ton meteorite lands near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania June 25 "A Tisket A Tasket" by Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb hits #1 June 25 Federal minimum wage law guarantees workers 40 cents per hour June 26 Cincinnati Red Lonny Frey hits 8 doubles in a doubleheader June 28 Bradman scores 102* in drawn 2nd Test cricket at Lord's June 30 Final game at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl, Giants beat Phillies 14-1 July 1 58th Wimbledon Mens Tennis: Don Budge beats Henry Austin (61 60 63) July 2 51st Wimbledon Womens Tennis: Helen Moody beats Helen Jacobs (64 60) July 4 1st game at Shribe Park, Philadelphia; Braves beat Phillies 10-5 July 4 France-Turkish friendship treaty July 5 Herb Caen's 1st column in San Francisco Chronicle July 6 6th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 4-1 at Crosley Field, Cincinnati July 8 Would be start of Eng/Australia Test Cricket at Old Trafford Washout July 10 Howard Hughes flies around the world in 91 hours July 10 "Yankee Clipper" completes 1st passenger flight over Atlantic July 13 Kroller-Muller museum opens in Holland July 14 Mussolini publishes anti-Jewish/African manifest July 15 Arthur Fagg completes 244 and 202 in the same cricket game for Kent July 16 21st PGA Championship: Paul Runyan at Shawnee CC Shawnee-on-Del Pa July 17 Douglas (Wrong Way) Corrigan leaves New York for LA, wound up in Ireland July 18 Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan arrives in Ireland-left New York for California July 20 Finland awarded 1940 Olympic games after Japan withdraws July 21 Paul Hindemith and Leonide Massines ballet premieres in London July 23 Bradman scores 103 in 178 minutes on a Headingley sticky, 3rd Test July 25 Jewish artisans not allowed in Germany July 25 Revolutionary offensive of Ebro Spain (Hollander Piet) July 26 1st radio broadcast of "Young Widder Brown" on NBC July 28 34,000-ton Cunard-White Star liner Mauretania launched at Birkenhead July 28 Bradman scores 202 Australia vs. Somerset, 225 minutes, 32 fours July 29 Comic strip "Dennis the Menace," 1st appears July 29 Olympic National Park forms July 30 General Metaxas names himself premier of Greece July 31 New York Yankees suspend Jake Powell, after he said on Chicago radio he'd "hit every colored person in Chicago over head with a club" August 2 1st test of a yellow baseball (Dodgers vs Cardinals) August 5 33rd Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Philadelphia (3-2) August 7 2 die in a New York City subway accident August 7 Leo Durocher, hits 2,000th Dodger home run August 7 Nazi's close theologic department of Innsbruck university August 10 119 degrees F (48 degrees C), Pendleton, Oregon (state record) August 14 BBC's 1st feature film on TV (Student of Prague) August 17 1st aircraft owned by Forest Service in service (Oakland) August 17 Henry Armstrong won his 3rd concurrent boxing championship August 18 Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates Thousand Islands Bridge connecting U.S. and Canada August 20 Lou Gehrig hits record 23rd and last grand slam August 21 Italy bars all Jewish teachers in Public and High School August 23 England score 7-903 decl vs. Australia Hutton 364 August 24 England beat Australia by an innings and 579 runs at The Oval August 24 Virgil Trucks strikes out his 418th batter, highest season total in organized ball-for Andalusia in an Alabama-Florida League game August 26 British leaders and Arabians fight in Palestine August 26 Montreal Maroons dropped from NHL August 27 Yankees Monte Pearson no-hits Indians 13-0, DiMaggio hits 3 triples August 28 Mauthausen concentration camp opens in Austria August 28 Northwestern U awards honorary degree to dummy Charlie McCarthy August 28 On Connie Mack Day at Shibe Park, the A's win a doubleheader August 31 5th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 28, Washington 16 (74,250) September 1 Mussolini cancels civil rights of Italian Jews September 3 1940 Olympic site changed from Tokyo Japan to Helsinki Finland September 4 Vainio Muinonen wins 2nd European marathoner (2:37:28.8) September 6 Wilhelmina celebrates 40th anniversary jubilee as Dutch queen September 12 Adolph Hitler demands self-determination for Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia September 13 Alexander Cartwright selects to Baseball's Hall of Fame September 14 Graf Zeppelin II, world's largest airship, makes maiden flight September 15 British Prime Minister Chamberlain visits Hitler at Berchtesgarden September 15 John Cobb sets world auto speed record at 350.2 MPH (lasts 1 day) September 15 Only time brothers hit back-to-back home runs (Lloyd and Paul Waner, Pitts) September 16 George E T Eyston sets world auto speed record at 357.5 MPH September 17 52nd U.S. Womens Tennis: Alice Marble beats Nancye Wynne Bolton (60 63) September 17 58th U.S. Mens Tennis: J Donald Budge beats C Gene Mako (63 68 62 61) September 17 British premier Neville Chamberlain leaves Munich September 17 Don Budge wins U.S. Tennis open and completes Grand Slam September 18 Despite losing a double header, Yankees clinch pennant #10 September 20 Dmitri Shostakovich's Suite for jazz orchestra, premieres September 20 Emlyn Williams' "Corn is Green," premieres in London September 21 Hurricane (183 MPH winds) in New England kills 700 September 21 Winston Churchill condemns Hitler's annexation of Czechoslovakia September 23 British premier Neville Chamberlain flies to Munich September 23 Time capsule, to be opened in 6939, buried at World's Fair in New York City (capsule contained a woman's hat, man's pipe and 1,100' of microfilm) September 24 Alice Marble wins her 2nd singles U.S. tennis title September 24 Don Budge becomes 1st tennis player to grand slam September 26 Hitler issues ultimatum to Czechoslovakian government, demanding Sudenten Land September 27 British ocean liner "Queen Elizabeth," launches at Clydebank Scotland September 27 Jewish lawyers forbidden to practice in Germany September 27 League of Nations declares Japan the aggressor against China September 27 Ocean liner Queen Elizabeth launched at Glasgow September 28 Clare Boothe's "Boys Goodbye," premieres in New York City September 28 Dutch Premier Colijn sends radio message "No war coming" September 29 1st archival course is offered at Columbia University in New York City September 29 Treaty of Munich signed by Hitler, Mussolini, Daladier and Chamberlain September 30 British premier Chamberlain arrives in Munich September 30 Munich Agreement-forced Czechoslovakia to give territory to Germany October 1 Cubs clinch NL pennant October 1 Germany annexes Sudetenland (1/3 of Czechoslovakia) October 2 Indian Bob Feller strikes out record 18 Tigers (Chester Laabs 5 times) October 6 Yankees Lefty Gomez sets record of 6 World Series wins without a loss October 7 Germany demands all Jewish passports stamped with letter J October 8 G Kaufman and Moss Hart's "Fabulous Invalid," premieres in New York City October 9 A Copland and E Lorings ballet "Billy the Kid," premieres in Chicago October 9 Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears play a penalty free NFL game October 9 New York Yankees sweep Cubs in 35th World Series, 3rd straight WS win October 10 Germany completed annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland October 10 Premier of Dmitri Shostakovich's 1st String Quartet October 14 Nazis plan Jewish ghettos for all major cities October 15 Robert Sherwoods "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," premieres in New York City October 21 Japanese troops occupies Canton October 22 Chester Carlson demonstrates 1st Xerox copying machine October 24 U.S. forbids child labor in factories October 25 Japanese troops occupies Hankou and Wuhan October 26 Du Pont named its new synthetic fiber "nylon" October 27 DuPont announces its new synthetic fiber will be called "nylon" October 28 Farewell parade of International Brigade (Barcelona) October 30 Orson Welles panics a nation with broadcast of "War of the Worlds" November 1 German colonel-general Gerd von Runstedt retires November 1 NL batting champ Ernie Lombardi is named MVP November 1 Seabiscuit beats War Admiral in a match race at Pimlico November 2 Babe Ruth applies for job of St. Louis Browns' manager November 2 Jimmie Foxx wins his 3rd AL MVP November 5 Ottawa Roughriders score on 5-man, 4-lateral, 65-yard punt return November 5 Rugers beats Princeton 1st time in 60 years as Rutgers Stad dedicated November 6 3 DiMaggio brothers play together for 1st time, charity all star game November 8 1st black woman legislator, Crystal Bird Fauset of Philadelphia November 9 Al Capp, cartoonist of Lil' Abner creates Sadie Hawkins Day November 9 Crystal Night - Germans break windows owned by Jews November 10 8.3 earthquake shakes East of Shumagin Islands, Alaska November 10 Nobel for literature awarded to Pearl Buck (Good Earth) November 11 German and Austrian Jewish suffer 1 billion Mark damage in nazi November 11 Kristallnacht; Jews forced to wear Star of David November 12 Hermann Goering announces he wants Madagascar as a Jewish homeland November 13 America's 1st saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, beatified November 14 Dutch DC3 crashes at Schiphol, 6 die November 15 1st telecast of an unscheduled event (fire), W2XBT, New York November 15 Farewell Parade of International Brigades in Barcelona November 16 K B Regiment refuses round-table conference in East-India November 17 Italy passes their own version of anti-Jewish Nuremberg laws November 20 1st documented anti-semitic remarks over U.S. radio (by Father Coughlin) November 21 Belgian king Leopold III visits Netherlands November 21 Nazi forces occupy western Czechoslovakia and declared them German citizens November 24 Clifford Odets' "Rocket to the Moon," premieres in New York City November 24 National Semi-Pro Basketball Congress authorizes yellow basketball November 28 4th Heisman Trophy Award: Davey O'Brien, Texas Christian (quarterback) November 29 Mayor Oud of Rotterdam forbids soccer match between Netherlands-Germany November 30 Fascist coup in Romania, fails November 30 Germany bans Jews being lawyers December 1 School bus and train collide in Salt Lake City Utah December 3 AAU's decides to continue linear measuring system over metric December 6 117 Spanish knights under Captain Piet Laros return to Netherlands December 6 French/German non-attack treaty drawn (Ribbentrop-Bonnet Pact) December 7 Philip Barry's "Here Come the Clowns," premieres in New York City December 7 W9XZY broadcasts facsimile of St. Louis Post-Dispatch by radio December 8 Highest temperature for December in U.S. recorded in La Mesa California December 8 LP Beria follows Nikolai Jezjov as head of Russian secret police December 10 26th CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts defeats Winn Blue Bombers, 30-7 December 10 Ruth Fuller Sasaki, Zen teacher, Rinzai line, enters Zen priesthood December 11 New York Giants win NFL championship December 13 Los Angeles freezes at 28 degrees F December 14 AL permits Cleveland and Philadelphia to play night games December 14 Major leagues agrees on standard ball December 14 Major leagues disagree on increasing rosters from 23 to 25 December 14 Will Harridge is elected to a 10-year-term as AL president December 15 Groundbreaking begins for Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. December 16 Bradman scores 143 South Australia vs. NSW, 11 fours 91 singles December 17 Utrecht Central Station destroyed by fire December 20 Vladimir K Zworykin (Penn) receives patent on Iconoscope TV system December 23 Margaret Hamilton's costume catches fire in filming of "Wizard of Oz" December 25 George Cukor announces Vivien Leigh will play Scarlett O'Hara December 26 Bradman scores 225 South Australia vs. Qld before Christ gets him out December 26 Tom Goddard takes a cricket hat-trick for England vs. South Africa December 28 Paul Gibb scores 106 on Test Cricket debut vs. South Africa December 29 Construction on Lake Washington Floating Bridge, Seattle, begins December 30 Electronic television system patented by V. K. Zworykin December 31 Dr. R N Harger's "drunkometer," 1st breath test, introduced in Indiana
