UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
17 August 1940 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 17 August 1940 was a Saturday.
- Top Film of 1940
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1940 was Pinocchio.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 17 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 17 August 1940 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 17 August 1940 was Full Moon.
On this day: 17 August
- 1942 World War II: U.S. Marines raid the Japanese-held Pacific island of Makin.
- 1943 World War II: The U.S. Seventh Army under General George S. Patton arrives in Messina, Italy, followed several hours later by the British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, thus completing the Allied conquest of Sicily.
- 1943 World War II: First Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins.
- 1945 Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.
- 1945 The novella Animal Farm by George Orwell is first published.
Famous people born on 17 August
- Robert De Niro, American actor, entrepreneur, director, and producer (born 1943)
- Phoebe Bridgers, American singer/songwriter (born 1994)
- Sean Penn, American actor, director, and political activist (born 1960)
- Larry Ellison, American businessman, co-founded the Oracle Corporation (born 1944)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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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
Winston Churchill
Monarch
George VI
Pint of Beer
3p
Loaf of Bread
2p
Average House
£675
Weekly Wage
£3.50
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Famous Faces Born in the 1940s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Tim Curry19 April 1946ActorView their day →Charles III14 November 1948King of the United KingdomView their day →Freddie Mercury5 September 1946Singer & songwriterView their day →Paul McCartney18 June 1942Musician & member of the BeatlesView their day →David Bowie8 January 1947Musician & actorView their day →John Lennon9 October 1940MusicianView their day →Jeffrey Archer15 April 1940Author & politicianView their day →George Harrison25 February 1943Musician & member of the BeatlesView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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