At A Glance

21 November 1940 at a glance

Day of the week
21 November 1940 was a Thursday.
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 November is Scorpio.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 21 November 1940 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for November is Topaz.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 21 November 1940 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 21 November

  • 1942 The completion of the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alcan Highway) is celebrated (however, the highway is not usable by standard road vehicles until 1943).
  • 1944 World War II: American submarine USS Sealion sinks the Japanese battleship Kongō and Japanese destroyer Urakaze in the Formosa Strait.
  • 1945 The United Auto Workers strike 92 General Motors plants in 50 cities to back up worker demands for a 30-percent raise.
  • 1953 The Natural History Museum, London announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax.
  • 1954 People's Action Party, an eventual dominative political party in Singapore, was established.

Famous people born on November 21

  • Goldie Hawn, American actress, singer, and producer (born 1945)
  • Isabel May, American actress (born 2000)
  • Björk, Icelandic singer-songwriter (born 1965)
  • Jena Malone, American actress and singer (born 1984)

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 →