"'40s" redirects here. For decades comprising years 4049 of other centuries see List of decades. Above title bar: events which happened during World War II (19391945): From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany carried out a programme of systematic state-sponsored genocide during which approximately six million European Jews were killed; The Japanese attack on the American naval base of Pearl Harbor launches the United States into the war; An Observer Corps spotter scans the skies of London during the Battle of Britain; The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the first uses of nuclear weapons killing over a quarter million people and leading to the Japanese surrender; Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the Japanese Government on board USS Missouri effectively ending the war. Below title bar: events which happened after World War II: From left to right: The Declaration of the State of Israel in 1948; The Nuremberg Trials were held after the war in which the prominent members of the political military and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany were prosecuted; After the war the United States carried out the Marshall Plan which aimed at rebuilding Western Europe; The ENIAC the world's first general-purpose electronic computer. Millennium: 2nd millennium Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Categories: Births Deaths Architecture Establishments Disestablishments

The 1940s was the decade that started on January 1 1940 and ended on December 31 1949.

The Second World War took place in the first half of the decade which had a profound effect on most countries and people in Europe Asia and elsewhere. The consequences of the war lingered well into the second half of the decade with a war-weary Europe divided between the jostling spheres of influence of the West and the Soviet Union. To some degree internal and external tensions in the post-war era were managed by new institutions including the United Nations the welfare state and the Bretton Woods system providing to the postWorld War II boom which lasted well into the 1970s. However the conditions of the post-war world encouraged decolonialisation and emergence of new states and governments with India Pakistan Israel Vietnam and others declaring independence rarely without bloodshed. The decade also witnessed the early beginnings of new technologies (including computers nuclear power and jet propulsion) often first developed in tandem with the war effort and later adapted and improved upon in the post-war era. Contents 1 Politics and wars 1.1 Wars 1.2 Major political changes 1.3 Internal conflicts 1.4 Decolonization and independence 2 Economics 3 Science and technology 3.1 Technology 3.2 Science 4 Popular culture 4.1 Film 4.2 Music 4.3 Literature 4.4 Fashion 5 People 5.1 World leaders 5.2 Military leaders 5.3 Activists and religious leaders 5.4 Entertainers 5.5 Musicians 5.6 Sports 5.6.1 Baseball 5.6.2 Boxing 6 See also 6.1 Timeline 7 References 8 External links Politics and wars Wars World War II (19391945) Nazi Germany invades Poland Denmark Norway Benelux and the French Third Republic from 1939 to 1941. Soviet Union invades Poland Finland occupies Latvia Estonia Lithuania and Romanian region of Bessarabia from 1939 to 1941. Germany faces the United Kingdom in the Battle of Britain (1940). It was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces and was the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign up until that date. Germany attacks the Soviet Union (June 22 1941). The United States enter World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 1941. It would face the Empire of Japan in the Pacific War. Germany and Japan suffer defeats at Stalingrad El Alamein and Midway in 1942 and 1943. Normandy Landings. The forces of the Western Allies land on the beaches of Normandy in Northern France (June 6 1944). Yalta Conference wartime meeting from 4 February 1945 to 11 February 1945 among the heads of government of the United States the United Kingdom and the Soviet UnionPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Premier Joseph Stalin respectivelyfor the purpose of discussing Europe's postwar reorganization intended to discuss the re-establishment of the nations of war-torn Europe. The Holocaust also known as The Shoah (Hebrew: Latinized ha'shoah; Yiddish: Latinized churben or hurban1) is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II a program of systematic state-sponsored extermination by Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler its allies and collaborators.2 Some scholars maintain that the definition of the Holocaust should also include the Nazis' systematic murder of millions of people in other groups including ethnic Poles the Romani Soviet civilians Soviet prisoners of war people with disabilities gay men and political and religious opponents.3 By this definition the total number of Holocaust victims is between 11 million and 17 million people.4 The German Instrument of Surrender signed (May 78 1945). Victory in Europe Day. Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6 and August 9 1945); Surrender of Japan on August 15. World War II officially ends on September 2 1945. ArabIsraeli conflict (Early 20th centurypresent) 1948 ArabIsraeli War (19481949) The war was fought between the newly declared State of Israel and its Arab neighbours. The war commenced upon the termination of the British Mandate of Palestine in mid-May 1948. After the Arab rejection of the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine (UN General Assembly Resolution 181) that would have created an Arab state and a Jewish state side by side Egypt Iraq Jordan Lebanon and Syria attacked the state of Israel. In its conclusion Israel managed to defeat the Arab armies. Major political changes Establishment of the United Nations Charter (June 26 1945) effective (October 24 1945). Establishment of the defense alliance NATO April 4 1949. Internal conflicts 19471948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine. Victory of Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong in the Chinese Civil War. Beginning of Greek Civil War which extends from 1946 to 1949. Decolonization and independence David Ben-Gurion proclaiming Israeli independence from the United Kingdom on May 14 1948 Mao Zedong proclaiming the establishment of the People's Republic of China on October 1 1949. 1944 - Iceland declares independence from Denmark. 1945 - Indonesia declares independence from the Netherlands (effective in 1949 after a bitter armed and diplomatic struggle). 1946 - The French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon dissolves to the independent states of Syria and Lebanon. The French settlers are forced to evacuate the French colony in Syria. 1947 - Partitioning of the British Raj into a secular Union of India and a Muslim Dominion of Pakistan. British rule in Burma ends in 1948. 1948 - Establishment of the State of Israel. 1949 - The People's Republic of China is officially proclaimed. Economics US Population is 132122000c. Unemployed in 1940- 8120000c. National Debt is $43 Billion Average Salary $1299 Average Teacher Salary $1441 Minimum Wage $.43 per hour 55% of US homes have indoor plumbing Life expectancy for women is 68.2 Life expectancy for men is 60.8 Auto Deaths 34500c. Science and technology ENIAC the first general-purpose electronic computer. Technology AtanasoffBerry Computer replica at 1st floor of Durham Center Iowa State University The Atanasoff-Berry computer is considered the first digital electronic computer built by John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry at Iowa State University during 1937-1942. Construction of the Colossus computer which was used by British codebreakers to read encrypted German messages during World War II. The first test of technology for an atomic weapon is made (Trinity test) as part of the Manhattan Project. The development of radar. The development of ballistic missiles. The development of jet aircraft. The Jeep. The development of commercial television. The Slinky. The microwave oven. The invention of Velcro. The invention of Tupperware. The invention of the Frisbee Science Kon-Tiki 1947 Physics: the development of quantum theory and nuclear physics. Mathematics: the development of game theory and cryptography. Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki crossed the Pacific Ocean proving the practical possibility that people from South America could have settled Polynesia in pre-Columbian times. Willard Libby developed radiocarbon dating - a process which revolutionized archaeology. The development of modern evolutionary synthesis. Popular culture Film Main article: 1940s in film Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane in "Citizen Kane" (1941) "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) Oscar winners: Rebecca (1940) How Green Was My Valley (1941) Mrs. Miniver (1942) Casablanca (1943) Going My Way (1944) The Lost Weekend (1945) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) Gentleman's Agreement (1947) Hamlet (1948) All the King's Men (1949). Some of Hollywood's most notable blockbuster films of the 1940s include: The Maltese Falcon directed by John Huston (1941) It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra (1946) Double Indemnity directed by Billy Wilder (1944) Meet Me in St. Louis directed by Vincente Minnelli (1944) Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz (1942) Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles (1941)"The Great Dictator directed by Charlie Chaplin (1940)."The Big Sleep directed by Howard Hawks (1946) The Lady Eve directed by Preston Sturges (1941) The Shop Around the Corner directed by Ernst Lubitsch (1940) White Heat directed by Raoul Walsh (1949) Yankee Doodle Dandy directed by Michael Curtiz (1942) and Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1946). The Walt Disney Studios released the animated feature films Pinocchio (1940) Dumbo (1941) Fantasia (1941) and Bambi (1942).

Although the 1940s was a decade dominated by World War II important and noteworthy films about a wide variety of subjects were made during that era. Hollywood was instrumental in producing dozens of classic films during the 1940s several of which were about the war and some are on most lists of all-time great films. European cinema survived although obviously curtailed during wartime and yet many films of high quality were made in the United Kingdom France Italy the Soviet Union and elsewhere in Europe. The cinema of Japan also survived. Akira Kurosawa and other directors managed to produce significant films during the 40s.

Film Noir a film style that incorporated crime dramas with dark images became largely prevalent during the decade. Films such as The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep are considered classics and helped launch the careers of legendary actors such as Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner. The genre has been widely copied since its initial inception.

In France during the war the tour de force Children of Paradise directed by Marcel Carn (1945) was shot in Nazi occupied Paris.567 Memorable films from post-war England include David Lean's Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948) Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947) and The Third Man (1949) and Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death (1946) Black Narcissus (1946) and The Red Shoes (1948) Laurence Olivier's Hamlet the first non-American film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) directed by Robert Hamer. Italian neorealism of the 1940s produced poignant movies made in post-war Italy. Roma citt aperta directed by Roberto Rossellini (1945) Sciusci directed by Vittorio De Sica (1946) Pais directed by Roberto Rossellini (1946) La terra trema directed by Luchino Visconti (1948) The Bicycle Thief directed by Vittorio De Sica (1948) and Bitter Rice directed by Giuseppe De Santis (1949) are some well-known examples.

In Japanese cinema The 47 Ronin is a 1941 black and white two-part Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945) and the post-war Drunken Angel (1948) and Stray Dog (1949) directed by Akira Kurosawa are considered important early works leading to his first masterpieces of the 1950s. Drunken Angel (1948) marked the beginning of the successful collaboration between Kurosawa and actor Toshir Mifune that lasted until 1965. Music This section requires expansion. Main article: 1940s in music The most popular music style during the 1940s was swing which prevailed during World War II. In the later periods of the 1940s less swing was prominent and crooners like Frank Sinatra along with genres such as bebop and the earliest traces of rock and roll were the prevalent genre. Literature Main articles: List of years in literature and List of years in poetry For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway in 1940. The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus in 1942. The Stranger by Albert Camus in 1942. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupry in 1943. Anti-Semite and Jew by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1943. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand in 1943. No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1944. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren in 1945. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank in 1947. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller in 1949. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell in 1949. Fashion

Even with the challenges imposed by shortages in rayon nylon wool leather rubber metal (for snaps buckles and embellishments) and even the amount of fabric which could be used in any one garment the fashion industries wheels kept chugging slowly along producing what it could. After the fall of France in 1940 Hollywood drove fashion in the United States almost entirely with the exception of a few trends coming from war torn London in 1944 and 1945 as America's own rationing hit full force and the idea of function seemed to overtake fashion if only for a few short months until the end of the war. Fabrics shifted dramatically as rationing and wartime shortages controlled import items such as silk and furs. Floral prints seem to dominate the early 1940s with the mid to late 40s also seeing what is sometimes referred to as "atomic prints" or geometric patterns and shapes. The color of fashion seemed to even go to war with patriotic nautical themes and dark greens and khakis dominating the color palates as trousers and wedges slowly replaced the dresses and more traditional heels due to shortages in stockings and gasoline.

8 See also: 19301945 in fashion and 19451960 in fashion This section requires expansion. People World leaders

Adolf Hitler during the 1940s Hirohito Emperor Shwa c. late 1930s Winston Churchill Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin in the Yalta Conference February 1945 Mao Zedong proclaiming the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949 Chancellor Adolf Hitler Prime Minister Ion Victor Antonescu Emperor Hirohito Prime Minister Benito Mussolini General Secretary Joseph Stalin President Franklin D. Roosevelt President Harry S. Truman Prime Minister Winston Churchill Prime Minister Clement Attlee President Charles de Gaulle Prime Minister John Curtin Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan Chairman Mao Zedong Chairman Chiang Kai-shek Reza Shah Pahlavi Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Prime Minister and President H Ch Minh Prime Minister David Ben Gurion Head of state Francisco Franco President smet nn Prime-Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru President Juan Pern President Eduardo Santos President Daro Echanda Olaya President Alberto Lleras Camargo President Mariano Ospina Prez General Aung San President Getlio Vargas President Romulo Betancourt Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Military leaders General Eisenhower speaks with troops prior to D-Day Isoroku Yamamoto Japanese Imperial Navy Fleet Admiral responsible for attack on Pearl Harbor. Erwin Rommel German Field Marshal who led the North African Campaign. The Supreme Commanders on 5 June 1945 in Berlin: Bernard Montgomery Dwight D. Eisenhower Georgy Zhukov and Jean de Lattre de Tassigny. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel Reichs Marshall Hermann Gring Field Marshal Erich von Manstein Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt Marshal Ion Victor Antonescu General Hideki Tj General Kuniaki Koiso Field Marshal Hajime Sugiyama Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto Fleet Admiral Osami Nagano Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov Field Marshal Ivan Konev General Dwight D. Eisenhower General George Marshall General Douglas MacArthur General Omar Bradley General George S. Patton Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King Field Marshal Harold Alexander Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery Gnral d'Arme Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Gnral d'Arme Charles de Gaulle General Henri Winkelman Activists and religious leaders Mohandas Gandhi during the 1940s Raoul Wallenberg c. 1944 Muhammed Ali Jinnah with Gandhi 1944. Chiune Sugihara c.1940s See also: List of individuals and groups assisting Jews during the Holocaust List of Righteous among the Nations by country Resistance during the Holocaust and Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust Joel Brand Behic Erkin Varian Fry Mohandas Gandhi Billy Graham Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog Muhammad Ali Jinnah Necdet Kent Aristides de Sousa Mendes Pope Pius XII Martha Sharp Waitstill Sharp Chiune Sugihara Raoul Wallenberg Entertainers Humphrey Bogart 1946 Rita Hayworth as Doa Sol des Muire in Blood and Sand (1941) Betty Grable famous pin-up girl 1943. Clark Gable with 8th AF B-17 in Britain 1943 Dana Andrews Jean Arthur Fred Astaire Mary Astor Lauren Bacall Josephine Baker Joseph Barbera Carl Barks Anne Baxter Jack Benny William Bendix Ingrid Bergman Humphrey Bogart Charles Boyer Walter Brennan James Cagney Cab Calloway Lon Chaney Jr. Charles Chaplin Montgomery Clift Claudette Colbert Ronald Colman Gary Cooper Abbott and Costello Joseph Cotten Joan Crawford Bing Crosby Dorothy Dandridge Bette Davis Doris Day Olivia de Havilland Marlene Dietrich Walt Disney Kirk Douglas Irene Dunne Duke Ellington Alice Faye Errol Flynn Henry Fonda Joan Fontaine Clark Gable Ava Gardner Judy Garland Greer Garson Paulette Goddard Betty Grable Cary Grant Sidney Greenstreet Carl Stuart Hamblen William Hanna Rita Hayworth Katharine Hepburn Bob Hope Lena Horne Walter Huston Jennifer Jones Danny Kaye Gene Kelly Alan Ladd Veronica Lake Hedy Lamarr Dorothy Lamour Bert Lancaster Laurel and Hardy Charles Laughton Peter Lawford Vivien Leigh Gene Lockhart June Lockhart Carole Lombard Peter Lorre Myrna Loy Ida Lupino Vera Lynn Fred MacMurray Fredric March Ray Milland Carmen Miranda Marilyn Monroe Margaret O'Brien Maureen O'Hara Gregory Peck Walter Pidgeon Dick Powell Eleanor Powell William Powell Tyrone Power Anthony Quinn Claude Rains Basil Rathbone Ronald Reagan Edward G. Robinson Ginger Rogers Roy Rogers Cesar Romero Mickey Rooney Rosalind Russell Joseph Schildkraut Lizabeth Scott Barbara Stanwyck James Stewart Elizabeth Taylor Robert Taylor Gene Tierney Spencer Tracy Lana Turner Robert Walker John Wayne Orson Welles Richard Widmark Cornel Wilde Jane Wyman Loretta Young Musicians Marian Anderson The Andrews Sisters Louis Armstrong Gene Autry Pearl Bailey Benny Carter Charlie Barnet Count Basie Irving Berlin Mills Brothers Les Brown Les Paul Sammy Cahn Cab Calloway Nat King Cole Perry Como Bing Crosby Jimmy Dorsey Tommy Dorsey Billy Eckstine Duke Ellington Ella Fitzgerald Ira Gershwin Dizzy Gillespie Benny Goodman Dick Haymes Billie Holiday Lena Horne Betty Hutton Mahalia Jackson Frank Sinatra performing Ol' Man River in 1946's Till the Clouds Roll By Perry Como as Nicky Ricci performing "Here Comes Heaven Again" in 1946 Doll Face. Benny Goodman performing in 1943 Stage Door Canteen. Harry James Al Jolson Danny Kaye Sammy Kaye Gene Krupa Mario Lanza Peggy Lee Johnny Mercer Glenn Miller Charles Mingus Vaughn Monroe Charlie Parker dith Piaf Cole Porter Bud Powell Max Roach Richard Rodgers Paul Robeson Artie Shaw Dinah Shore Frank Sinatra Kate Smith Ink Spots Billy Strayhorn Ernest Tubb Sarah Vaughan Hank Williams Bob Wills Teddy Wilson Sports During the 1940s Sporting events were disrupted and changed by the events that engaged and shaped the entire world. The 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games were cancelled because of World War II. During World War II in the United States Heavyweight Boxing Champion Joe Louis and numerous stars and performers from American baseball and other sports served in the armed forces until the end of the war. Among the many baseball players (including well known stars) who served during World War II were Moe Berg Joe Dimaggio Bob Feller Hank Greenberg Stan Musial (in 1945) Warren Spahn and Ted Williams. They like many others sacrificed their personal and valuable career time for the benefit and well being of the rest of society. The Summer Olympics were resumed in 1948 in London and the Winter games were held that year in St. Moritz Switzerland. Baseball Ted Williams being sworn into the military on May 22 1942. Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg See also: History of baseball in the United States#The war years and All-American Girls Professional Baseball League During the early 1940s World War II had an enormous impact on Major League Baseball as many players including many of the most successful stars joined the war effort. After the war many players returned to their teams while the major event of the second half of the 1940s was the 1945 signing of Jackie Robinson to a players contract by Branch Rickey the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Signing Robinson opened the door to the integration of Major League Baseball finally putting an end to the professional discrimination that had characterized the sport since the 19th century. Joe Dimaggio Bill Dickey Bob Feller Josh Gibson Hank Greenberg Monte Irvin Buck Leonard Johnny Mize Stan Musial Satchel Paige Branch Rickey Jackie Robinson Ted Williams Boxing See also: Ring Magazine fighters of the year and List of The Ring world champions During the mid-1930s and throughout the years leading up to the 1940s Joe Louis was an enormously popular Heavyweight boxer. In 1936 he lost an important 12 round fight (his first loss) to the German boxer Max Schmelling and he vowed to meet Schmelling once again in the ring. Louis's comeback bout against Schmelling became an international symbol of the struggle between the USA and democracy against Nazism and Fascism. When on June 22 1938 Louis knocked Schmelling out in the first few seconds of the first round during their rematch at Yankee Stadium his sensational comeback victory riveted the entire nation. Louis enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 10 1942 in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Louis's cultural impact was felt well outside the ring. He is widely regarded as the first African American to achieve the status of a nationwide hero within the United States and was also a focal point of anti-Nazi sentiment leading up to and during World War II.9 Buddy Baer Ezzard Charles Billy Conn Rocky Graziano Joe Louis Sugar Ray Robinson Max Schmelling Jersey Joe Walcott Tony Zale See also 1940s in television 1940s in literature Timeline The following articles contain brief timelines which list the most prominent events of the decade. 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 References "Holocaust" Encyclopaedia Britannica 2009: "the systematic state-sponsored killing of six million Jewish men women and children and millions of others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II. The Germans called this "the final solution to the Jewish question ..." Niewyk Donald L. The Columbia Guide to the Holocaust Columbia University Press 2000 p.45: "The Holocaust is commonly defined as the murder of more than 5000000 Jews by the Germans in World War II." Also see "The Holocaust" Encyclopaedia Britannica 2007: "the systematic state-sponsored killing of six million Jewish men women and children and millions of others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II. The Germans called this "the final solution to the Jewish question". Niewyk Donald L. and Nicosia Francis R. The Columbia Guide to the Holocaust Columbia University Press 2000 pp. 4552. Donald Niewyk suggests that the broadest definition including Soviet civilian deaths would produce a death toll of 17 million. 1 Estimates of the death toll of non-Jewish victims vary by millions partly because the boundary between death by persecution and death by starvation and other means in a context of total war is unclear. Overall about 5.7 million (78 percent) of the 7.3 million Jews in occupied Europe perished (Gilbert Martin. Atlas of the Holocaust 1988 pp. 242244). Compared to five to 11 million (1.4 percent to 3.0 percent) of the 360 million non-Jews in German-dominated Europe. Small Melvin and J. David Singer. Resort to Arms: International and civil Wars 1816-1980 and Berenbaum Michael. A Mosaic of Victims: Non-Jews Persecuted and Murdered by the Nazis. New York: New York University Press 1990 DeWitt Bodeen Les Enfants du Paradis filmreference.com 2 Gio MacDonald Edinburgh University Film Society program notes 1994-95 Quoted by Roger Ebert Children of Pardise Chicago Sun-Times 6 January 2002 review oif the Criterion DVD release http://www.womeninwwii.com/fashion/1940sfashion.asp Bloom John; Willard Michael Nevin (2002). John Bloom and Michael Nevin Willard. ed. Sports Matters: Race Recreation and Culture. New York: New York University Press. pp. 4647. ISBN 978-0-8147-9882-9. http://books.google.com/idkC4qYeafQzMC&pgPA64&dqisbn9780814798829.  External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 1940s Heroes of the 1940s - slideshow by Life magazine 1940's.org