At A Glance

20 March 1940 at a glance

Day of the week
20 March 1940 was a Wednesday.
Top Film of 1940
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1940 was Pinocchio.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 March is Pisces.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 March 1940 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for March is Aquamarine.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 March 1940 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 20 March

  • 1933 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler orders the creation of Dachau concentration camp as Chief of Police of Munich and appoints Theodor Eicke as the camp commandant.
  • 1942 World War II: General Douglas MacArthur, at Terowie, South Australia, makes his famous speech regarding the fall of the Philippines, in which he says: "I came out of Bataan and I shall return".
  • 1948 With a Musicians Union ban lifted, the first telecasts of classical music in the United States, under Eugene Ormandy and Arturo Toscanini, are given on CBS and NBC.
  • 1951 Fujiyoshida, a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū is founded.
  • 1952 The US Senate ratifies the Security Treaty between the United States and Japan.

Famous people born on 20 March

  • Chester Bennington, American singer and songwriter (1976–2017)
  • Ruby Rose, Australian actress and model (born 1986)
  • Fred Rogers, American television host and author (born 1928)
  • William Hurt, American actor (1950–2022)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1940 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1940 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 28 February – The Australian 7th Division is formed.
  • 16 March – A state election is held in Victoria. The Country Party led by Albert Dunstan is returned to government.
  • 14 June – The Volunteer Defence Corps is formed, a militia force based on the British Home Guard.
More events of 1940 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in Australia in 1940

Prime Minister

Robert Menzies

Monarch

King George VI

Petrol (per litre)

$0.01

Loaf of Bread

$0.05

Average House

$1,200

Weekly Wage

$3.00

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1940s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Olivia Newton-John26 September 1948SingerView their day →Angry Anderson5 August 1947Rock singerView their day →Rick Springfield23 August 1949Musician & singer-songwriterView their day →Bon Scott9 July 1946SingerView their day →Miriam Margolyes18 May 1941ActressView their day →John Farnham1 July 1949SingerView their day →Cassandra Harris15 December 1948ActressView their day →Helen Reddy25 October 1941Singer & actressView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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