1939
year
1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday in the Gregorian calendar, the 1939th year in the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 939th year of the 2nd millennium, the 39th year of the 20th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1930s decade. 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 |
| Gregorian calendar | 1939 MCMXXXIX |
| Ab urbe condita | 2692 |
| Armenian calendar | 1388 ԹՎ ՌՅՁԸ |
| Assyrian calendar | 6689 |
| Bahá'í calendar | 95–96 |
| Balinese saka calendar | 1860–1861 |
| Bengali calendar | 1346 |
| Berber calendar | 2889 |
| British Regnal year | 3 Geo. 6 – 4 Geo. 6 |
| Buddhist calendar | 2483 |
| Burmese calendar | 1301 |
| Byzantine calendar | 7447–7448 |
| Chinese calendar | 戊寅年 (Earth Tiger) 4635 or 4575 — to — 己卯年 (Earth Rabbit) 4636 or 4576 |
| Coptic calendar | 1655–1656 |
| Discordian calendar | 3105 |
| Ethiopian calendar | 1931–1932 |
| Hebrew calendar | 5699–5700 |
| Hindu calendars | |
| - Vikram Samvat | 1995–1996 |
| - Shaka Samvat | 1860–1861 |
| - Kali Yuga | 5039–5040 |
| Holocene calendar | 11939 |
| Igbo calendar | 939–940 |
| Iranian calendar | 1317–1318 |
| Islamic calendar | 1357–1358 |
| Japanese calendar | Shōwa 14 (昭和１４年) |
| Javanese calendar | 1869–1870 |
| Juche calendar | 28 |
| Julian calendar | Gregorian minus 13 days |
| Korean calendar | 4272 |
| Minguo calendar | ROC 28 民國28年 |
| Nanakshahi calendar | 471 |
| Thai solar calendar | 2481–2482 |
| Tibetan calendar | 阳土虎年 (male Earth-Tiger) 2065 or 1684 or 912 — to — 阴土兔年 (female Earth-Rabbit) 2066 or 1685 or 913 |
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