At A Glance

18 November 1940 at a glance

Day of the week
18 November 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 18 November is Scorpio.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 18 November 1940 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for November is Topaz.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 18 November 1940 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 18 November

  • 1928 Release of the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon.
  • 1929 Grand Banks earthquake: Off the south coast of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean, a Richter magnitude 7.2 submarine earthquake, centered on the Grand Banks, breaks 12 submarine transatlantic telegraph cables and triggers a tsunami that destroys many south coast communities in the Burin Peninsula.
  • 1940 World War II: German leader Adolf Hitler and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano meet to discuss Benito Mussolini's disastrous Italian invasion of Greece.
  • 1944 The Popular Socialist Youth is founded in Cuba.
  • 1961 Vietnam War: United States President John F. Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam.

Famous people born on November 18

  • Duncan Sheik, American singer-songwriter and composer (1969–2026)
  • Owen Wilson, American actor (born 1968)
  • Chloë Sevigny, American actress, model, and fashion designer (born 1974)
  • Caleb Williams, American football player (born 2001)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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.

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

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 →