References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 August 1.

1940 July 2 Lake Washington (Seattle) Floating bridge dedicated. [1] In Montreal, Canada, a train with sealed cars delivers to the Bank of Canada 30 million Pounds Sterling of gold bars and 200 million Pounds Sterling in marketable securities. This had been transferred from the Bank of England to Halifax, Nova Scotia, via the HMS Emerald battleship, for safekeeping during the war. This is the largest single transfer of wealth in world history to date. [10] July 3 A British naval group arrives at Oran and Mers-el-Kebir in Algeria, requesting the surrender of the French fleet. The French refuse, and the British ships open fire. Battleship Bretagne blows up, Dunquerque is run aground, battleship Provence is beached, and torpedo cruiser Magador explodes. 1300 French sailors die. [10] July 5 Diplomatic relations broken between Britain and Vichy government in France. [1] July 10 64 German airplanes fly for Britain. Five squadrons of RAF Fighter Command are launched to intercept them. Twelve German planes are shot down, at a cost of three British planes. This is considered the start of the Battle of Britain. [10] July 14 Lithuania becomes the Lithuanian SSR. [1] July 15 First betatron placed in operation, Urbana, Il. [1] Robert Wadlow world's tallest man (8'11.1"), dies at age 32. [1] July 18 First successful helicopter flight, Stratford, Connecticut. [1] July 19 Samuel H Chang American newspaper magnate murdered in Shanghai. [1] In the Reichstag, Adolf Hitler makes a peace offer to Britain. [10] July 20 Singles record charts first published by Billboard-Tommy Dorsey #1. [1] July 21 The People's Assembly of Lithuania declares entry of country into the USSR. [10] July 23 "Blitz" begins, all-night raid on London. [1] July 25 John Sigmund begins swimming for 89 hours 46 mins in the Mississippi R. [1] July 27 The animated short "A Wild Hare" is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny. [5] Billboard magazine starts publishing bestseller charts. [1] July 31 Adolf Hitler meets with Wilhelm Keitel, Alfred Jodl, Walther von Brauchitsch, and Franz Halder. Hitler announces his intention to launch an attack on Russia in the spring of 1941. [10] August 3 The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic is officially incorporated into the Soviet Union. [10] August 7 Largest amount paid for a stamp ($45,000 for 1-cent 1856 British Guiana). [1] August 8 Battle of Britain began as Germany launches air attacks. [1] August 13 Adolf Hitler's "Eagle Day" commences, with 1485 plane sorties against British ports and airfields, attempting to eliminate British air forces as an obstacle to invasion. [10] August 17 Franklin Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister William M King agree to joint defense commission. [1] August 20 British Prime Minister Churchill says of the Royal Air Force, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few". [1] Leon Trotsky icepicked by Frank Jackson. [1] August 21 Leon Trotsky dies of wounds inflicted by an assailant the day before. [1] August 25 First parachute wedding. [1] August 27 Caproni-Campini CC-2, experimental jet plane, maiden flight (Milan). [1] September 2 The US and Great Britain sign a deal in which the US will gain the lease of naval and air bases in Newfoundland, islands of Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Antigua, and British Guiana, in exchange for fifty naval destroyers. [10] September 3 First showing of high definition color TV. [1] US gives Britain 50 destroyers in exchange for Newfoundland base lease. [1] September 4 Adolf Hitler announces that British cities will be bombed night after night, in retaliation for their bombing of Berlin. [10] In Japan, a meeting is held of four principal ministers to establish guidelines for negotiating joining an alliance with Germany and Italy. They establish that Japan's sphere of influence would encompass China, Manchuria, former German-mandated islands, French Indochina and Pacific islands, Siam, British Malaya and Borneo, Netherlands East Indies, Burma, Australia, New Zealand, and possibly India. [10] September 7 German Air Force blitz London for first of 57 consecutive nights. [1] September 11 George Stibitz pioneers the first remote operation of a computer. [5] September 12 49 die and 200 injured when Hercules Powder Co plant explodes (New Jersey). [1] September 13 The Italian 10th Army of over 200,000 men, commanded by Marshal Graziani, crosses the Libyan frontier into Egypt, to gain control of the Suez Canal. They venture fifty miles in, and set up defences at Sidi Barrani. This act begins the war in North Africa. [10] September 14 US Congress passes first peace-time conscription bill (draft law). [1] September 15 Tide turns in Battle of Britain in WW II, RAF beats Luftwaffe. [1] September 16 Samuel T Rayburn of Texas elected speaker of the House. [1] September 17 Adolf Hitler gives orders to postpone indefinitely invasion plans of Great Britain. The invasion fleet and troops are ordered dispersed from the area. [10] September 18 Soviet Minister of Defence Marshal S.K. Timoshenko and Chief of General Staff K.A. Meretskov submit a war plan to Josef Stalin and Prime Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, proposing an attack on Germany north of the Pripet marshes, with a strong defence to the south, or vice-versa. [10] September 19 Nazi decree forbids gentile women to work in Jewish homes. [1] September 23 Japanese forces march into northern French Indochina, taking Tonkin Province quickly. [10] British and Free French forces commence a joint operation under Charles de Gaulle to try to seize Dakar in French West Africa. [10] September 24 Jimmy Foxx hits his 500th career home run. [1] September 25 Operation Menace ends at Dakar in French West Africa, as the occupation force withdraws at night. [10] September 27 Black leaders protest discrimination in US armed forces. [1] Floyd Giebells, first game, 2-0 pennant clinching beating Bob Feller. [1] In Berlin, Germany, Japanese premier Prince Fumimaro Konoye and Italian and German officials sign the Tripartite Pact defensive alliance. Each nation pledges mutual support in the event of attack by a power not presently involved in the European or Chinese-Japanese conflict. The intent is to keep the United States out of the war. [10] September 29 First US merchant ship "Booker T Washington" commanded by a black captain (Hugh Mulzac), launched at Wilmington Delaware. [1] October 1 Pennsylvania Turnpike, pioneer toll thruway, opens. [1] October 2 British liner Empress loaded with refugees for Canada, sunk. [1] October 4 Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini confer at Brenner Pass in the Alps. [1] October 6 Zoological Gardens opens on Sloat and Skyline in San Francisco. [1] October 8 German troops enter Romania to protect its oilfields. [10] October 11 French Marshal Pétain announces his intention of collaborating with Germany. [10] October 12 Tom Mix dies. [5] October 16 Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr named first black general in regular army. [1] Lottery for first US WW II draftees held; #158 drawn first. [1] Warsaw Ghetto established. [1] October 24 Adolf Hitler meets with Marshal Pétain at Montoire, France. Pétain agrees to collaborate against Britain, in return for compensation in Africa and a high place in the New Europe. [10] 40 hour work week goes into effect (Fair Labor Standards of 1938). [1] October 26 The P-51 Mustang makes its maiden flight. [5] October 28 Italy launches an attack on Greece from Albania. [10] Greece successfully resists Italy's attack. [1] October 29 Secretary of War Henry L Stimson drew first number-158-in first peacetime military draft in US history. [1] October 31 Deadline for Warsaw Jews to move into the Warsaw Ghetto. [1] November 1 First US air raid shelter, Fleetwood, Pennsylvania. [1] November 5 President Franklin Roosevelt (Democrat) wins unprecedented third term beating Wendell Willkie (Republican). [1] November 7 Tacoma Narrows (Galloping Gertie) Bridge collapses, Washington. [1] November 11 (evening) British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious launches 21 Swordfish planes, attacking the Italian naval fleet at Taranto. Four major ships are sunk or put out of action. Two attacking aircraft are shot down. [10] Blizzard strikes midwestern US killing over 100. [1] November 12 Blizzard strikes midwest, 154 die (69 on boat on Great Lakes). [1] November 13 RKO Radio Pictures world premieres Disney's third animated feature film, Fantasia, at New York's Broadway Theater. The film introduces stereophonic sound to motion pictures via a special sound system called Fantasound. This is Mickey Mouse' feature film debut, in the segment The Sorcerer's Apprentice. [6] November 14 During WW II, German planes destroyed most of Coventry, England. [1] November 15 First 75,000 men called to armed forces duty during peacetime. [1] November 18 George Matesky Mad Bomber's first time bomb. [1] November 20 Hungary signs the Tripartite Pact with Germany, Japan, and Italy. [10] November 23 Romania joins the Tripartite Pact. [10] November 25 Patria steamer sinks killing 200, outside of Haifa. [1] University of Michigan retires Tom Harmon's #98. [1] November 26 Nazis force 500,000 Warsaw Jews to live in walled ghetto. [1] November 30 First game of only two-game Grey Cup (Ottawa 8, Toronto Balmy Beach 2). [1] December 5 Jan Kubelik composer, dies at age 60. [1] December 6 Gestapo arrest German resistance fighter/poster artist Helen Ernst. [1] Pietro Badoglio resigns as viceroy of Ethiopia. [1] December 7 North Africa: British counter offensive under General O'Connor. [1] December 9 British assault on Banghazi Libya. [1] British troops first major offensive in North Africa (Libya) during WWII. [1] Illegal Jewish immigrants to Haifa are deported to Mauritius. [1] Maletti Italian general, dies in battle. [1] December 10 British anti-offensive in Libya (Sidi Barrani). [1] December 11 Russian General Zhukov warns of German assault. [1] December 12 British troops conquer Sidi el-Barrani. [1] December 15 British forces drive Italians out of Egypt, and invade Libya. [10] December 16 British air raid on Mannheim. [1] M Eugène F T Dubois geologist/paleontologist (Wadjakmens), dies. [1] William Wallace composer, dies at age 80. [1] December 17 British troops occupies Sollum. [1] December 20 Connie Mack acquires controlling interest in the Athletics for $42,000. [1] December 21 Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, author (Great Gatsby, Zelda), dies of a heart attack in Hollywood at age 44. [1] [5] December 22 Nathanael West [Weinstein] US writer (Cool Million), dies at age 37. [1] December 23 John Van Druten's "Old Acquaintance" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] December 25 Agnes Ayres actress (Johnny Belinda, Sheik), dies at age 42. [1] Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's "Pal Joey" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] December 26 JA Fields/J Chodorov's "My Sister Eileen" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] December 29 Germany begins dropping incendiary bombs on London (WWII). [1] December 30 California's first freeway (Arroyo Seco Parkway) opens. [1] Fritz Volbach composer, dies at age 79. [1] December 31 37 U boats sunk this month (213,000 ton). [1]