At A Glance

15 May 1942 at a glance

Day of the week
15 May 1942 was a Friday.
Top Film of 1942
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1942 was Bambi.
Bestselling Novel of 1942
“The Song of Bernadette” by Franz Werfel was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1942.
Star sign
The star sign for 15 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 15 May 1942 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 15 May 1942 was New Moon.

On this day: 15 May

  • 1940 USS Sailfish is recommissioned. It was originally the USS Squalus.
  • 1940 World War II: The Battle of the Netherlands: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation.
  • 1941 First flight of the Gloster E.28/39, the first British and Allied jet aircraft.
  • 1942 World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law.
  • 1943 Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International).

Famous people born on May 15

  • Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach (1940–2026)
  • Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress and singer (born 1981)
  • David Krumholtz, American actor (born 1978)
  • Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer (born 1997)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1942 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1942 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 2 – WWII: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an executive order directing the internment of Italian, German, and Japanese Americans and orders the seizure of their properties.
  • March 27 – Capitol Records, the first record label on the United States' West Coast of note, is founded by Jonny Mercer, Buddy DeSylvia, and Glenn E. Wallichis.
  • June 4–7 – WWII: Battle of Midway – The United States Navy defeats an Imperial Japanese Navy attack against Midway Atoll.
More events of 1942 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 1942

President

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Gas (per gallon)

$0.20

Loaf of Bread

$0.09

Average House

$3,200

Weekly Wage

$31

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.

Dolly Parton19 January 1946Singer-songwriterView their day →Donald Trump14 June 1946President of the United StatesView their day →Sylvester Stallone6 July 1946Actor & filmmakerView their day →Robert De Niro17 August 1943ActorView their day →Mitch McConnell20 February 1942Politician & lawyerView their day →George W. Bush6 July 1946President of the United StatesView their day →Michael Douglas25 September 1944Actor & producerView their day →Arnold Schwarzenegger30 July 1947Actor & bodybuilderView their day →

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

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