1940
1940 (MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar).
March-April March 3 - n Sweden, a Time bomb destroys the office of Norrskenflamman newspaper of Swedish communists - 5 dead March 5 - Members of Soviet politburo: Stalin , Molotov , Lazar Kaganovich , Mikhail Kalinin , Kliment Voroshilov and Lavrenty Beria himself, signed prepared by Beria order of execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, including 14,700 Polish POW, known also as Katyn massacre . March 12 - Soviet Union and Finland sign a peace treaty in Moscow ending the Winter War . Finns, and the World opinion, shocked by the harsh terms. March 18 - World War II : Axis Powers - Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini meet at Brenner Pass in the Alps and agree to form an alliance against France and the United Kingdom . March 21 Édouard Daladier resigns as prime minister of France. He is replaced by Paul Reynaud . April 4 - Prime minister of Greece , Aleksandros Korizis, shoots himself - initial official explanation is "heart attack " April 7 - Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States Postage stamp . April 9 - World War II : Germany invades Denmark and Norway in operation Weserübung .British campaign in Norway is simultaneously commenced. April 12 - The Faroe Islands were occupied by British troops following the invasion of Denmark by Nazi Germany . This action was taken to avert a possible German occupation of the islands, which would have had very grave consequences for the course of the Battle of the Atlantic . April 23 - Rhythm Night Club burns in Natchez, Mississippi - 198 dead June July-August September-October November November 1 - French children discover Lascaux caves November 5 - U.S. presidential election, 1940 : Democrat incumbent Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Republican challenger Wendell Willkie and becomes the United States ' first third-term president. November 7 - In Washington , the middle section of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapses in a windstorm, a mere four months after the bridge's completion (it opened to traffic on July 1 , 1940 as the third-longest Suspension bridge in the world). November 9 - Premiere of Joaquin Rodrigo 's Concierto de Aranjuez in Barcelona , Spain . November 11 - World War II : Battle of Taranto - The Royal Navy launches the first Aircraft carrier strike in history, on the Italian fleet at Taranto . November 11 - World War II: The German Hilfskreuzer (cruiser) Atlantis Top Secret British mail, and sends it to Japan November 11 - Armistice Day Blizzard : An unexpected Blizzard kills 144 in U.S. Midwest . November 14 - World War II : In England , the city of Coventry is destroyed by 500 German Luftwaffe bombers (150,000 fire bombs , 503 tons of high explosives, 130 parachute mines leveled 60,000 of the city's 75,000 buildings; 568 people were killed). November 16 - World War II: In response to Germany leveling Coventry two days before, the Royal Air Force begins to bomb Hamburg (by war's end, 50,000 Hamburg residents died from Allied attacks). November 16 - Unexploded Pipe bomb founded in Consolidated Edison office building (only years later the culprit, George Metesky , is apprehended November 18 - World War II: German leader Adolf Hitler and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano meet to discuss Benito Mussolini 's disastrous invasion of Greece . November 20 - World War II: Hungary , Romania and Slovakia join the Axis Powers . November 27 - In Romania , coup leader General Ion Antonescu 's Iron Guard arrests and executes over 60 of exiled king Carol II of Romania 's aides. Among the dead is former minister and acclaimed historian Nicolae Iorga . November 27 - World War II: Royal Navy and Regia Marina fight the Battle of Cape Spartivento . December Unknown Date Ongoing Events Births See also @ 1940 birthsJanuary-February January 4 - Brian David Josephson , Welsh physicist, Nobel Prize laureate January 4 - Gao Xingjian , Chinese-born writer, Nobel Prize laureate January 6 - Penny Lernoux , American journalist and author (d. 1989 ) January 14 - Julian Bond , American civil rights activist January 20 - Carol Heiss , American figure skater January 22 - John Hurt , English actor February 2 - David Jason , English actor February 3 - Fran Tarkenton , American football player February 4 - George Romero , American film writer, producer, and director February 5 - H.R. Giger , Swiss artist February 6 - Tom Brokaw , American television news reporter February 6 - Jimmy Tarbuck , English comedian February 8 - Ted Koppel , American journalist February 8 - Joe South , American singer and songwriter February 9 - J. M. Coetzee , South African writer, Nobel Prize laureate February 12 - Richard Lynch , American actor February 19 - Smokey Robinson , American musician February 20 - Jimmy Greaves , English footballer February 21 - James Wong , Hong Kong composer (d. 2004 ) February 24 - Denis Law , Scottish footballer February 25 - Ron Santo , baseball player February 28 - Mario Andretti , American race car driver February 29 - Edward Frederic Benson , American writer March-April March 6 - Willie Stargell , baseball player (d. 2001 ) March 7 - Rudi Dutschke , German student leader (d. 1979 ) March 9 - Raúl Juliá , Puerto Rican actor (d. 1994 ) March 10 - Chuck Norris , American actor and martial artist March 12 - Al Jarreau , American singer March 15 - Phil Lesh , American musician (Grateful Dead ) March 16 - Bernardo Bertolucci , Italian writer and film director March 16 - Chuck Woolery , American game show host March 17 - Mark White , Governor of Texas March 22 - Haing S. Ngor , Cambodian actor (d. 1996 ) March 25 - Anita Bryant , American entertainer March 26 - Spiridon Louis , Greek runner March 27 - Cale Yarborough , American race car driver March 29 - Ray Davis , American musician (P-Funk ) March 30 - Astrud Gilberto , Brazilian-born singer April 1 - Wangari Maathai , Kenyan environmentalist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize April 2 - Penelope Keith , English actress April 12 - Herbie Hancock , American musician April 16 - Queen Margrethe II of Denmark April 20 - George Takei , American actor April 25 - Al Pacino , American actor April 26 - Giorgio Moroder , Austrian film composer May-July May 1 - Elsa Peretti , Italian jewelry designer May 8 - Ricky Nelson , American singer (d. 1985 ) May 9 - James L. Brooks , American film producer and writer May 11 - Juan Downey , Chilean-born video artist (d. 1993 ) May 20 - Stan Mikita , Slovakian-born hockey player May 20 - Sadaharu Oh , Japanese baseball player May 22 - Bernard Shaw , American journalist and television news reporter May 24 - Joseph Brodsky , Russian-born poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996 ) May 29 - Farooq Leghari , President of Pakistan June - Carole Ann Ford , British actress June 1 - René Auberjonois , American actor June 2 - King Constantine II of Greece June 16 - Neil Goldschmidt , Governor of Oregon June 17 - George Akerlof , American economist, Nobel Prize laureate June 20 - John Mahoney , English-born actor June 21 - Mariette Hartley , American actress June 23 - Adam Faith , English singer and actor (d. 2003 ) June 23 - Lord Irvine of Lairg , Lord Chancellor of England June 23 - Wilma Rudolph , American athelete (d. 1994 ) June 25 - A.J. Quinnell , English writer (d. 2005 ) July 3 - César Tovar , Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (d. 1994 ) July 7 - Ringo Starr , English drummer (The Beatles ) July 10 - Helen Donath , American soprano July 10 - Gene Alley , baseball player July 13 - Patrick Stewart , English actor July 18 - Joe Torre , baseball player and manager July 22 - Alex Trebek , Canadian game show host July 24 - Stanley Hauerwas , American theologian July 26 - Mary Jo Kopechne , American aide to Robert F. Kennedy (d. 1969 ) July 27 - Bharati Mukherjee , Indian-born novelist August-December August 3 - Martin Sheen , American actor August 7 - Jean-Luc Dehaene , Prime Minister of Belgium August 9 - Beverlee McKinsey , American actress August 10 - Bobby Hatfield , American singer (Righteous Brothers ) (d. 2003 ) August 20 - Rubén Hinojosa , American politician August 25 - José van Dam , Belgian bass-baritone September 10 - David Mann , American artist (d. 2004 ) September 12 - Mickey Lolich , baseball player September 14 - Larry Brown , American basketball coach September 13 - Óscar Arias , Costa Rican politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize October 9 - John Lennon , English musician and singer (The Beatles ) (d. 1980 ) October 13 - Pharaoh Sanders , American saxophonist October 14 - Cliff Richard , English singer October 19 - Michael Gambon , Irish actor October 23 - Pelé , Brazilian footballer October 25 - Bobby Knight , American basketball coach November 1 - Ramesh Chandra Lahoti , Chief Justice of India November 15 - Sam Waterston , American actor November 21 - Richard Marcinko , U.S. Navy SEAL team member and author November 25 - Joe Gibbs , American football coach November 27 - Bruce Lee , American martial artist and actor (d. 1973 ) December 1 - Richard Pryor , American actor and comedian December 4 - Gary Gilmore , American murderer December 5 - Peter Pohl , Swedish writer December 12 - Sharad Pawar , Indian politician December 12 - Dionne Warwick , American singer December 21 - Frank Zappa , American musician, composer, and satirist (d. 1993 ) December 22 - Noel Jones , British Ambassador to Kazakhstan (d. 1995 ) December 26 - Edward C. Prescott , American economist, Nobel Prize laureate Deaths January 4 - Flora Finch , English-born actress and comedienne (b. 1869 ) January 18 - Kazimierz Tetmajer , Polish poet and writer (b. 1865 ) January 27 - Isaac Babel , Ukrainian writer (b. 1894 ) February 11 - John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir , Governor General of Canada (b. 1875 ) March 10 - Mikhaïl Boulgakov , Russian writer (b. 1891 ) March 16 - Selma Lagerlöf , Swedish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858 ) March 20 - Alfred Ploetz , German physician, biologist, and eugenicist (b. 1860 ) March 31 - Tinsley Lindley , English footballer (b. 1865 ) April 26 - Carl Bosch , German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874 ) May 15 - Menno ter Braak , Dutch writer (b. 1902 ) May 20 - Verner von Heidenstam , Swedish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859 ) May 25 - Joe De Grasse , Canadian film director (b. 1873 ) May 28 - Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse (b. 1868 ) June 10 - Marcus Garvey , Jamaican-born publisher, entrepreneur, and black nationalist (b. 1887 ) June 17 - Arthur Harden , English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865 ) June 21 - Smedley Butler , U.S. general (b. 1881 ) June 29 - Paul Klee , Swiss artist (b. 1879 ) July 4 - Robert Pershing Wadlow , tallest man in the world (infection) (b. 1918 ) August 8 - Johnny Dodds , American jazz clarinettist (b. 1892 ) August 18 - Walter Chrysler , American automobile pioneer (b. 1875 ) August 21 - Leon Trotsky , Russian revolutionary (b. 1879 ) August 22 - Mary Vaux Walcott , American artist and naturalist (b. 1860 ) August 30 - J.J. Thomson , English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1856 ) October 10 - Berton Churchill , Canadian actor (b. 1876 ) November 9 - Neville Chamberlain , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1869 ) December 5 - Jan Kubelík , Czech violinist (b. 1880 ) December 19 - Kyösti Kallio , President of Finland (b. 1873 ) December 21 - F. Scott Fitzgerald , American writer (b. 1896 ) December 25 - Agnes Ayres , American actress (b. 1898 ) Nobel Prizes
