At A Glance

10 January 1940 at a glance

Day of the week
10 January 1940 was a Wednesday.
Top Film of 1940
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1940 was Pinocchio.
Star sign
The star sign for 10 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 10 January 1940 fell in the Year of the Rabbit.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 10 January 1940 was New Moon.

On this day: 10 January

  • 1920 The Treaty of Versailles takes effect, officially ending World War I for all combatant nations except the United States.
  • 1927 Fritz Lang's futuristic film Metropolis is released in Germany.
  • 1941 World War II: The Greek army captures Kleisoura.
  • 1946 The first General Assembly of the United Nations assembles in the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. Fifty-one nations are represented.
  • 1946 The United States Army Signal Corps successfully conducts Project Diana, bouncing radio waves off the Moon and receiving the reflected signals.

Famous people born on 10 January

  • Jared Kushner, American real estate investor and political figure (born 1981)
  • Sarah Shahi, American actress (born 1980)
  • Rod Stewart, British singer-songwriter (born 1945)
  • George Foreman, American boxer, actor, and businessman (1949–2025)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1940 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1940 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 3–9 March – RMS Queen Elizabeth makes her maiden voyage from Clydebank to New York.
  • 9 April – British campaign in Norway commences following Operation Weserübung, the German invasion of neutral Denmark and Norway.
  • 26 May – 4 June – The Dunkirk evacuation of British Expeditionary Force takes place. 300,000 troops are evacuated from France to England.

Life in 1940

Prime Minister

Neville Chamberlain

Monarch

George VI

Pint of Beer

3p

Loaf of Bread

2p

Average House

£675

Weekly Wage

£3.50

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1940s

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

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

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →