At A Glance

21 April 1940 at a glance

Day of the week
21 April 1940 was a Sunday.
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 21 April is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 21 April 1940 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for April is Diamond.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 21 April 1940 was Full Moon.

On this day: 21 April

  • 1934 The "Surgeon's Photograph", the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1994, it is revealed to be a hoax).
  • 1945 World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.
  • 1946 The U.S. Weather Bureau records that a tornado which struck Timber Lake, South Dakota was 4 miles (6.4 km), among the widest tornadoes on record.
  • 1948 United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 relating to Kashmir conflict is adopted.
  • 1952 Secretary's Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) is first celebrated.

Famous people born on April 21

  • Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms (1926–2022)
  • Andie MacDowell, American model, actress, and producer (born 1958)
  • James McAvoy, Scottish actor (born 1979)
  • Glen Hansard, Irish singer-songwriter (1970–2026)

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.
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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