January 8
January 8
Mussolini questions Hitler’s plans
A message from Benito Mussolini is forwarded to Adolf Hitler. In the missive, the Duce cautions the Fuhrer against waging war against Britain. Mussolini asked if it was truly necessary…
A Year In History: 1940
This Year in History:
1940
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
February 23
February 23
Woody Guthrie writes “This Land Is Your Land”
Folk singer Woody Guthrie writes one of his best‑known songs, “This Land is Your Land.” It would become one of America’s most famous folk songs. Born in Okemah, Oklahoma, in…
February 25
February 25
NHL game televised in US for first time
On February 25, 1940, the first telecast of a National Hockey League game is transmitted over New York’s W2XBS—the National Broadcasting Company’s experimental station used to test TV technology. A viewing…
February 29
February 29
Hattie McDaniel becomes first African American actress to win Oscar
On February 29, 1940, Gone with the Wind is honored with eight Oscars by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. An epic Southern romance set during the…
April 9
April 9
Germany invades Norway and Denmark
On April 9, 1940, German warships enter major Norwegian ports, from Narvik to Oslo, deploying thousands of German troops and occupying Norway. At the same time, German forces occupy Copenhagen,…
May 6
May 6
John Steinbeck wins a Pulitzer for “The Grapes of Wrath”
On May 6, 1940, John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath. The book traces the fictional Joad family of Oklahoma as they lose…
May 10
May 10
Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of Britain
Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, is called to replace Neville Chamberlain as British prime minister following the latter’s resignation after losing a confidence vote in the House of…
May 13
May 13
Churchill announces: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat”
On May 13, 1940, as Winston Churchill takes the helm as Great Britain’s new prime minister, he assures Parliament that his new policy will consist of nothing less than “to…
May 20
May 20
Germans break through to English Channel at Abbeville, France
On May 20, 1940, the German army in northern France reaches the English Channel. In reaching Abbeville, German armored columns, led by General Heinz Guderian (a tank expert), severed all…
May 21
May 21
Nazis begin killing “unfit” people in East Prussia
On May 21, 1940, a “special unit” carries out its mission and begins murdering more than 1,500 hospital patients in East Prussia. The massacre lasted until June 6, 1940. Mentally…
May 26
May 26
Britain’s Operation Dynamo gets underway as President Roosevelt makes a radio appeal for the Red Cross
On May 26, 1940, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt makes known the dire straits of Belgian and French civilians suffering the fallout of the British‑German battle to reach the northern…
May 27
May 27
British evacuation of Dunkirk turns savage as Germans commit atrocity
On May 27, 1940, units from Germany’s SS Death’s Head division battle British troops just 50 miles from the port at Dunkirk, in northern France, as Britain’s Expeditionary Force continues…
June 3
June 3
Germans bomb Paris, killing hundreds of civilians
On June 3, 1940, the German air force bombs Paris, killing 254 people, most of them civilians. Determined to wreck France’s economy and military, reduce its population, and in short,…
June 4
June 4
Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk ends
As the German army advances through northern France during the early days of World War II, it cuts off British troops from their French allies, forcing an enormous evacuation of…
June 4
June 4
“The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,” Carson McCullers’ debut novel, is published
On June 4, 1940, 22‑year‑old Carson McCullers’ first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, is published. The novel, about misfits in a Georgia mill town, is an instant success.…
June 10
June 10
Norway surrenders to Germany
After two months of desperate resistance, the last surviving Norwegian and British defenders of Norway are overwhelmed by the Germans, and the country is forced to capitulate to the Nazis.…
June 10
June 10
Italy declares war on France and Great Britain
On June 10, 1940, after withholding formal allegiance to either side in the battle between Germany and the Allies, Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy, declares war on France and Great…
June 14
June 14
Germany invades Paris
On June 14, 1940, Parisians awaken to the sound of a German‑accented voice announcing via loudspeakers that a curfew was being imposed for 8 p.m. that evening as German troops…
June 17
June 17
France signals intention to surrender to the Nazis
With Paris fallen and the German conquest of France reaching its conclusion, Marshal Henri Petain replaces Paul Reynaud as prime minister and announces his intention to sign an armistice with…
June 18
June 18
Hitler and Mussolini meet in Munich
On June 18, 1940, Benito Mussolini arrives in Munich with his foreign minister, Count Ciano, to discuss immediate plans with the Fuhrer, and doesn’t like what he hears. Embarrassed over…
