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

Last updated: 2008 April 30.

1939 January 1 William Hewlett and David Packard found Hewlett-Packard. [5] January 2 Bradman scores 107 South Africa vs Victoria, his 4th consecutive century. [1] January 3 Gene Cox becomes first girl page in US House of Representatives. [1] January 4 Frieda Wunderlich elected first woman dean of a US graduate school. [1] Hermann Goering appoints Reinhard Heydrich head of Jewish Emigration. [1] January 6 Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in Berlin, Germany, announce the discovery of uranium fission. [37] January 7 US worker's union leader Tom Mooney freed (jailed since 1916). [1] January 9 Johann Strauss Austrian conductor/Royal ball director, dies at 72. [1] January 10 Bradman hits 186 South Africa vs Queensland before Christ catches him at short-leg. [1] Jameson Thomas actor (Piccadilly, Farmer's Wife), dies at 50. [1] Julius Bittner Austria composer (Missa Austriaca, Little Violet), dies at 64. [1] January 13 Belgian premier signs Burgos-treaty for trade relations with Franco. [1] January 14 All commercial ferry service to East Bay ends. [1] Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica. [1] January 15 Municipal Railway and Market Steet railroad begin service to Transbay Terminal. [1] January 16 Albert Fish mass murderer, executed. [1] Comic strip "Superman" debuts. [1] January 19 Ernest Hausen of Wisconsin sets chicken-plucking record-4.4 seconds. [1] January 20 Charles Ives' first sonata "Concord" premieres. [1] Hitler proclaims to German parliament to exterminate all European Jews. [1] January 21 George Kaufman and Moss Hart's "American Way" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] January 22 Aquatic Park, near Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco California, is dedicated. [1] Uranium atom first split, Columbia University. [1] January 24 30,000 killed by earthquake in Concepcion Chile. [1] Spanish government moves to Figueras. [1] January 25 Earthquake hits Chillán Chile, 10,000 killed. [1] January 26 Federal Hall National Monument established. [1] Filming begins on "Gone With the Wind". [1] Franco conquers Barcelona. [1] Professor Cristescu Romania's iron guard leader, murdered. [1] January 28 William Butler Yeats Irish poet (Nobel), dies in France at 73. [1] January 30 Heavy after shocks destroy some of Chile. [1] Adolf Hitler addresses the Reichstag, saying that if Jews lead the world into war, it would cause the destruction of Jews in Europe. [10] February 4 Edward Sapir US linguist/cultural anthropologist (Indian), dies at 55. [1] Glenn Cunningham (top miler) says 4-minute mile beyond human effort. [1] Henri W A Deterding Dutch oil magnate (Royal Oil, Shell), dies at 72. [1] February 6 Spanish government flees to France. [1] February 9 Belgian Spaak government falls. [1] February 10 Pius XI [Ambrogio D A Ratti], Italian Pope (1922-39), dies at 81. [1] February 11 Franz Schmidt Austrian composer, dies at 64. [1] February 14 Victor Fleming replaces George Cukor as director of Gone With the Wind. [1] The German battleship Bismarck is first launched. [10] February 15 Foppe G Scheltema Dutch lawyer, dies at 47. [1] German battleship Bismarck is launched. [1] Henri Jaspar premier of Belgium (1926-31), dies at 68. [1] Lillian Hellman's "Little Foxes" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] February 16 Jura Soyfer writer, dies at 26. [1] February 18 Golden Gate International Exposition opens on Treasure Island. [1] Ludwig Bonvin composer, dies at 89. [1] February 21 Belgian government of Pierlot forms. [1] February 22 Netherlands recognizes Franco-regime in Spain. [1] February 23 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards an Oscar (Special Award) to Walt Disney for screen innovation for the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Disney is presented one statuette and seven miniature statuettes. [6] February 24 Roy Harris' third Symphony, premieres in Boston. [1] February 25 First Anderson bomb shelter in Britain erected in an Islington garden. [1] February 26 E Fernandez Arbós Spanish violinist/conductor/composer, dies at 75. [1] February 27 Belgian government of Pierlot falls. [1] English Spook house Borley Rectory destroyed in a fire. [1] Nadezjda K Krupskaya Russian revolutionary/wife of Lenin, dies at 70. [1] Supreme Court outlaws sit-down strikes. [1] February 28 Great-Britain recognizes Franco-regime in Spain. [1] March 2 Eugenio Pacelli chosen as Pope Pius XII. [1] Howard Carter British archaeologist/Egyptologist (King Tut), dies at 65. [1] Mass Legislature votea to ratify the Bill of Rights; 147 years late. [1] March 6 [Carl L] Ferdinand von Lindemann German mathematician, dies at 86. [1] March 7 Amadeo Roldan composer, dies at 38. [1] Glamour magazine begins publishing. [1] Guy Lombardo and Royal Canadians first record "Auld Lang Syne". [1] March 8 Birth of George William Reed astronomy writer/cartoonist (Dark Sky Legacy). [1] Lenore Coffee and William Joyce Cowan's "Family Portrait" premieres. [1] March 10 Seventeen villages damaged by hailstones in Hyderabad India. [1] Josef Stalin makes a speech to the Eighteenth Party Congress in Moscow. He says Russia would look after her own affairs, not fight anyone else's battles. [10] March 12 Pope Pius XII crowned in Vatican ceremonies. [1] March 14 England draw with South Africa at Durban on the 10th day. [1] Slovakia and Ruthenice declare their independence from the Czech government in Prague. [10] March 15 German troops occupy the Czech parts of Bohemia and Moravia. [10] Czech president Emil Hacha accepts Adolf Hitler's demand to surrender the entire country. [10] German troops enter the capital of Czechoslovakia, Prague. Adolf Hitler declares "Czechoslovakia has ceased to exist". [10] March 16 Hungary annexes republic of Karpato-Ukraine. [1] March 18 The Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Maxim Litvinov, suggests to British Ambassador Sir William Seeds that delegates from the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France, Poland, and Romania should meet to discuss collective action in the event of war with Germany. [10] American President Franklin Roosevelt imposes punitive tariffs on imports from Germany. [10] March 20 7,000 Jews flee German occupied Memel Lithuania. [1] March 21 Evald Aav composer, dies at 39. [1] Nazi-Germany demands Gdansk (Danzig) from Poland. [1] March 22 Lithuania surrenders Memel to Germany. [10] March 23 Poland partially mobilizes its armed forces. [10] March 25 Billboard Magazine introduces hillbilly (country) music chart. [1] March 27 Constance Lindsay Skinner author (Rivers of America), dies at 57. [1] March 28 Dutch hunter shoots English bombers down. [1] Philip Barry's "Philadelphia Story" premieres in New York City, New York. [1] Poland rejects Adolf Hitler's demand that Danzig be ceded to Germany. [10] Spanish Civil War ends, Madrid falls to Francisco Franco. [1] March 30 The British and French governments guarantee Poland's independence. [10] March 31 Indrið Einarsson Iceland playwright (Skipið Sekkur), dies at 87. [1] April 1 German battleship Tirpitz launched at Wilhelmshaven. [10] US recognizes Franco government in Spain at end of Spanish civil war Pope Pius XII congratulates Generalissimo Franco's victory in Spain. [1] April 3 Adolf Hitler issues a directive to the Army High Command to prepare for an attack on Poland, code named Fall Weiss (Case White), to be ready to implement by September 1. [10] April 4 Faisal II ascends to throne of Iraq. [1] Ghazi I King of Iraq, dies in car accident. [1] April 5 Membership in Hitler Youth becomes obligatory. [1] April 6 Great Britain and Poland sign military pact. [1] Robert Courtneidge British theater producer, dies. [1] US and United Kingdom agree on joint control of Canton and Enderbury Islands (Pacific). [1] April 7 Italy invades Albania. [10] April 8 King Zog I of Albania, flees. [1] April 9 Emilio Serrano y Ruiz composer, dies at 89. [1] Marian Anderson sings before 75,000 at Lincoln Memorial. [1] April 10 Alfredo Panzini Italian author (Il Bacio de Lesba), dies at 75. [1] Colijn's Dutch government opens camp Westerbork for German Jews. [1] Grens mobilization due to Italian invasion in Albania. [1] April 11 Hungary leaves League of Nations. [1] SS Van Dine [William Huntingdon Wright] detective writer, dies at 50. [1] April 13 W Saroyan's "My Heart's in the Highlands", premieres in New York City. [1] April 14 John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" published. [1] April 15 Albert Lebrun elected President of France. [1] April 16 Stalin requests British, French and Russian anti-nazi pact. [1] April 17 Samuel Nathaniel Behrman's "No Time for Comedy", premieres in New York City. [1] Stalin signs British-France-Russian anti-nazi pact. [1] April 18 Franz von Papen becomes German ambassador in Turkey. [1] Hubert Pierlot forms Belgian government. [1] Theo Mann actress (Pink Bernd, Hedda Gabler), dies at 88. [1] April 19 Connecticut finally approves Bill of Rights (148 years late). [1] April 20 New York World's Fair opens. [1] April 21 Herman Finck composer, dies at 66. [1] April 23 First performance of Béla Bartók's second Concerto for violin. [1] April 24 John Foulds composer, dies at 58. [1] April 28 Adolf Hitler addresses the Reichstag in the Kroll Opera House in Berlin, Germany. Hitler denounces the ten-year non-aggression pact with Poland (signed in January 1934), and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of June 1935. Hitler calls the Anglo-Polish Agreement an alliance directed exclusively against Germany. Hitler demands the return of Danzig to Germany. [10] April 29 Whitestone Bridge connecting Bronx and Queens opens. [1] April 30 NBC/RCA first public TV demo with Franklin Roosevelt at opening of New York World's Fair. [1] Tropicana ballet of Havana Cuba, forms. [1] May 1 Batman Comics hit the street. [1] Pulitzer Prize awarded to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (The Yearling). [1] Wilhelm Normann German chemist (harden van oliën), dies. [1] May 3 [Karl Eduard] Wilhelm Groener German general, dies at 71. [1] May 4 Japanese Prime Minister Kiichiro Hiranuma declares to Adolf Hitler that Japan would support Germany and Italy with political, economic, and military aid if one was attacked by a power other than the Soviet Union, but not right away. [10] May 5 Flash floods kill 75 in Northeast Kentucky. [1] May 6 First performance of Honegger/Claudel's "Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher". [1] Two warships escort Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on a visit to Canada. Each ship carries about 15 million Pounds Sterling in gold for safekeeping in Canada. [10] May 7 Germany and Italy announced an alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. [1] May 9 Catholic church beatified the first Native American, Kateri Tekakwitha. [1] May 11 The Japanese army attacks Outer Mongolia at Nomonhan (Khalkin Gol). [10] May 12 Turkey and Great Britain conclude a security pact. [10] May 13 SS Saint Louis departs Hamburg with 937 Jews fugitives. [1] May 16 Food stamps are first issued. [1] May 19 Churchill signs British-Russian anti-Nazi pact. [1] May 20 "3 Little Fishies" by Kay Kyser hits #1. [1] Pan Am begins regular transatlantic airmail and passenger service across the North Atlantic. [1] May 22 Ernst Toller writer, dies at 45. [1] At the Reich Chancellory in Berlin, Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano and German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop sign a ten-year political and military alliance, dubbed the Pact of Steel. [10] Willem de Mérode poet (Precious Blood), dies at 51. [1] May 23 British decoration, George Cross, first presented. [1] British parliament plans to make Palestine independent by 1949. [1] Dmitri Shostakovich appointed professor at conservatory of Leningrad. [1] Hitler proclaims he wants to move into Poland. [1] Submarine Squalis sinks off Portsmouth New Hampshire, 26 die. [1] May 26 Charles H Mayo US surgeon/co-founder (Mayo Clinic), dies at 74. [1] Cornelis J Cutters supreme commander of Navy (1910-18), dies. [1] May 27 Joseph Roth Austria, journalist (Fluctuate ohne Ende), dies at 44. [1] June 1 British submarine "Thetis" sinks in Liverpool Bay with all 99 aboard. [1] June 3 British Winston Churchill writes in Collier's magazine: "Unless some change of heart or change of regime takes place in Germany she will deem it in her interest to make war, and this is more likely to happen in the present year than later on." [10] June 7 First king and queen of England to visit US, George VI and Elizabeth. [1] June 11 King and Queen of England taste first "hot dogs" at Franklin Roosevelt's party. [1] June 17 Eugene Weldman last guillotined in France. [1] June 19 Grace Abbott social worker (US Children Bureau), dies at 60. [1] June 20 C Jackson discovers asteroid #1817 Katanga. [1] Test flight of first rocket plane using liquid propellants. [1] June 23 France turns over Sanjak of Alexandretta (the Hatay) to Turkey. [1] June 27 First transatlantic airline service, between Newfoundland and England, by Pan American Airways, 18 hours 42 minutes. Two-way fare is 140 pounds. [1] [55.16] June 30 Heinkel He. 176 rocket plane flies for first time, at Peenemünde. [1]