At A Glance

16 December 1940 at a glance

Day of the week
16 December 1940 was a Monday.
Top Film of 1940
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1940 was Pinocchio.
Bestselling Novel of 1940
“How Green Was My Valley” by Richard Llewellyn was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1940.
Star sign
The star sign for 16 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 16 December 1940 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 16 December 1940 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 16 December

  • 1912 First Balkan War: The Royal Hellenic Navy defeats the Ottoman Navy at the Battle of Elli.
  • 1914 World War I: Admiral Franz von Hipper commands a raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby.
  • 1942 The Holocaust: Schutzstaffel chief Heinrich Himmler orders that Roma candidates for extermination be deported to Auschwitz.
  • 1944 World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the Ardennes forest.
  • 1968 Second Vatican Council: Official revocation of the Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain.

Famous people born on December 16

  • Theo James, English actor (born 1984)
  • Zara Larsson, Swedish singer and songwriter (born 1997)
  • Jane Austen, English novelist (1775–1817)
  • Catherine of Aragon, Spanish princess, Queen Consort of England (1485–1536)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1940 in the United States

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

  • February 7 – RKO release Walt Disney's second full-length animated film, Pinocchio.
  • February 10 – Tom and Jerry make their debut in Puss Gets the Boot.
  • May 15 – The very first McDonald's restaurant opens in San Bernardino, California.
More events of 1940 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 1940

President

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Gas (per gallon)

$0.18

Loaf of Bread

$0.08

Average House

$2,938

Weekly Wage

$25

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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