1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday in the Gregorian calendar. World War II started in this year.
| Millennium: | 2nd millennium |
|---|---|
| Centuries: | 19th century – 20th century – 21st century |
| Decades: | 1900s 1910s 1920s – 1930s – 1940s 1950s 1960s |
| Years: | 1936 1937 1938 – 1939 – 1940 1941 1942 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1939.
Events
change- May 15 – Nazi Germany opens Ravensbruück concentration camp, the largest Nazi concentration camp for women
- September 1 – The Second World War begins when Nazi Germany invades Poland
- September 17 – The Soviet Union invades Poland
- October 6 – Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union divide and take over Poland
- November 30 – The Winter War begins
Births
change- February 6 – Mike Farrell
- February 14 – John Conn (Scottish-Australian writer)
- March 13 - Neil Sedaka, American singer-songwriter and musician (The Tokens)
- April 2 – Marvin Gaye
- July 1 - Karen Black (d. 2013)
- July 30 - Peter Bogdanovich
- August 3 – Wes Craven
- August 19 - Ginger Baker, English drummer (Cream) (d. 2019)
- September 5 – George Lazenby
- September 18 – Frankie Avalon
- October 27 – John Cleese
- November 13 – Will Ryan (American actor)
Deaths
change- September - Khan Sahib Abdul Majid Khan Tarin, OBE, British Indian judge and legislator (b. 1877)
- November 12 -Norman Bethune
Movies released
change- Dodge City starring Errol Flynn
- Gone with the Wind starring Clark Gable
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips (Best Picture Academy Award)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughton
- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
- Stagecoach starring John Wayne
- The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland
New books
change- Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
Hit songs
change- "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" – by E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen, from the movieThe Wizard of Oz; won the Academy Award for the best song.
- "If I Didn't Care - by The Ink Spots