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December 2, 1939

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from December 2, 1939

FIGHTING IS INTENSE; Finns Tell of Checking Foe in Karelia, Seizing 1,200 as Prisoners 500 IN WARSHIP CREW Soviet Bombers Spread Death--Advances Are Claimed by Moscow

By Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Saturday, Dec. 2--As Soviet bombing planes continued to spread death and destruction throughout Finland yesterday, the defense forces reported that they were holding off the invading troops in Karelia, north of Leningrad, and that the Hangoe fortress had beaten off a Russian naval attack.

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Notable Births

Yael Dayan

1939Yael Dayan, Israeli journalist, author, and politician[†]

Yael Dayan, also known as Yaël Dayan, was an Israeli politician and author. She served as a member of the Knesset between 1992 and 2003, and from 2008 to 2013 was the chair of Tel Aviv city council. Her service on the city council ended with the 2013 election. She was the daughter of Moshe Dayan and the sister of Assi and Udi Dayan.

1939Francis Fox, Canadian lawyer and politician, 48th Secretary of State for Canada[†]

Francis Fox was a Canadian politician who was a member of the Senate, Cabinet minister, and Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, and thus was a senior aide to Prime Minister Paul Martin. He also worked as a lobbyist in the 1980s.

Harry Reid

1939Harry Reid, American lawyer and politician, 25th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada (died 2021)[†]

Harry Mason Reid Jr. was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Senate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2015.

Historical Events

LaGuardia Airport

1939New York City's LaGuardia Airport opens.[†]

LaGuardia Airport, colloquially known as LaGuardia or simply LGA, is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, situated on the northwestern shore of Long Island, bordering Flushing Bay. Covering 680 acres as of July 1, 2025, the facility was established in 1929, and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after Fiorello H. La Guardia, a former mayor of New York City.