Top News Stories from 1939

World Events

• Germany invades Poland; occupies Bohemia and Moravia; renounces pact with England and concludes 10-year non-aggression pact with U.S.S.R.
• Russo-Finnish War begins; Finns to lose one-tenth of territory in 1940 peace treaty.
• World War II begins.

U.S. Events

• As World War II begins, Roosevelt submits $1,319-million defense budget, proclaims U.S. neutrality, and declares limited emergency.
• New York World's Fair opens. Background: exposition
• Daughters of the American Revolution refuses to allow Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture starts first food stamp program in Rochester, N.Y. Program ends in 1943.

Economics

Sports

World Series

Stanley Cup

Wimbledon

Kentucky Derby Champion

NCAA Basketball Championship

NCAA Football Champions

Entertainment

Events

• The big-screen adaptation of Gone with the Wind premieres, and will go on to gross $192 million, making it one of the most profitable films of all time. It's also one of the longest films, clocking in at 231 minutes.
• Robert Kane introduces the Batman cartoon.

Science

• Albert Einstein writes a letter to President Roosevelt regarding the possibility of using uranium to initiate a nuclear chain reaction, the fundamental process behind the atomic bomb.
• Paul Muller develops DDT.

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