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November 20, 1940

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

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Headlines from November 20, 1940

MIDLAND CITY FIRED; Nazi Bombers Fly in Waves to Hammer at Industrial Center HEAVY DAMAGE IS FEARED British Defenses Said to Be Helpless Against Technique of Night Mass Assault

By Percival Knauth Wireless To the New York Times

Germans rept night raid on Birmingham; claim destruction greater than at Coventry; rept raids on London and southern counties; Birmingham air view; Brit rept raids on 3 Midland cities; Liverpool has 3 raids; towns in northwest and southeast Eng, northeast Scotland, Wales and East Anglia bombed; London Xmas shoppers killed; St James Ch, Picadilly, reptd wrecked; Air Marshal Joubert repts on efforts to meet night bomber problem

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Notable Births

Wendy Doniger

1940Wendy Doniger, American indologist[†]

Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty is an American Indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades. A scholar of Sanskrit and Indian textual traditions, her major works include The Hindus: An Alternative History; Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva; Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook; The Origins of Evil in Hindu Mythology; Women, Androgynes, and Other Mythical Beasts; and The Rig Veda: An Anthology, 108 Hymns Translated from the Sanskrit.

Helma Sanders-Brahms

1940Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2014)[†]

Helma Sanders-Brahms was a German film director, screenwriter and producer.

Ediz Hun

1940Ediz Hun, Turkish actor and politician[†]

Ediz Hun is a Turkish film actor and politician.

Arieh Warshel

1940Arieh Warshel, Israeli-American biochemist and biophysicist[†]

Arieh Warshel is an Israeli-American biochemist and biophysicist. He is a pioneer in computational studies on functional properties of biological molecules, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and holds the Dana and David Dornsife Chair in Chemistry at the University of Southern California. He received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, together with Michael Levitt and Martin Karplus for "the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems".

Notable Deaths

Arturo Bocchini

1940Arturo Bocchini, Chief of Police under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini (born 1880)[†]

Arturo Bocchini was an Italian civil servant, who was appointed Chief of the Police under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. Bocchini held the office from September 1926 until his death in November 1940, becoming a key figure in the Italian regime.

Tim Coleman

1940Tim Coleman, English footballer (born 1881)[†]

John George "Tim" Coleman MM was an English footballer who played as a forward for Kettering Town, Northampton Town, Woolwich Arsenal, Everton, Sunderland, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Queen Park Rangers and Tunbridge Wells Rangers. He made a single appearance for the England national football team and later in life was a manager in the Netherlands.

1940Robert Lane, Canadian soccer player (born 1882)[†]

Robert George Lane was a Canadian amateur soccer player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. He was born in Galt, Ontario and died in Winnipeg. In 1904 he was a member of the Galt F.C. team, which won the gold medal in the soccer tournament. He played both matches as a midfielder.

Historical Events

World War II

1940World War II: Hungary becomes a signatory of the Tripartite Pact, officially joining the Axis powers.[†]

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.