On this day
Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
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Brit freighter Kensington Ct attacked by U-boat: planes rescue crew; illus; Brit lays mines along northeast coast
Brit Govt pub Blue Book containing messages between Brit diplomats and Foreign Office on events leading to war
to fight arms embargo repeal
French communiques reflect strategic waiting; Germans rept all quiet; French troops within sight of Zweibruecken; Germans mass at Aachen; French mobilization completed; Senegal troops on way; map
1939Bogdan Baltazar, Romanian economist and engineer (died 2012)[â ]
Bogdan Baltazar was a leading Romanian banker and the first spokesman of the Romanian government following the fall of the communist regime. He was also a significant financial and banking advisor.
1939Deborah Lavin, South African-English historian and academic[â ]
Deborah Margaret Lavin, FRSA, is a South African academic and historian, resident in the United Kingdom for most of her career.
1939Gilbert E. Patterson, American bishop (died 2007)[â ]
Gilbert Earl Patterson was an American Holiness Pentecostal leader and pastor. He served as the founding pastor of the Temple of Deliverance COGIC Cathedral of Bountiful Blessings, one of the largest COGIC churches in the Eastern United States, from 1975 to 2007. He also served as the Presiding Bishop the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a 6 million-member Holiness Pentecostal denomination from 2000 to 2007.
1939Marlena Shaw, American jazz singer (died 2024)[â ]
Marlina Burgess, professionally known by her stage name Marlena Shaw, was an American singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and continued to perform until her death. Her music has often been sampled in hip hop music, and used in television commercials.
1939Junko Tabei, Japanese mountaineer (died 2016)[â ]
Junko Tabei was a Japanese mountaineer, author, and teacher. She was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest and ascend the Seven Summits, climbing the highest peak on every continent.
1939World War II: A joint GermanâSoviet military parade in Brest-Litovsk is held to celebrate the successful invasion of Poland.[â ]
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising all resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the first and only nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II is the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 70 to 85 million people, more than half of whom were civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.