Events Date 1939 October | History by KabAstro

Oct 1 After a one-month Siege of Warsaw, hostile forces entered the city.

The Enigma of Russia

Oct 1 Winston Churchill calls Russia a "riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma"

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill

Oct 2 Prototype for the Ilyushin Il-2, world's most-produced military airplane designed by Sergey Ilyushin, takes it first flight. Over 36,000 made for Soviet airforce in WWII.
Oct 2 Revival of Sidney Howard's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1924 stage drama "They Knew What They Wanted", opens at the Empire Theatre, NYC; runs for 24 performances
Oct 3 Lemmer-Urk Dike closes
Oct 4 Last Polish troops surrender

Hitler's Deception

Oct 6 WWII: Adolf Hitler speech at the Reichstag celebrates the defeat of Poland, offers peace to France and England, and mentions need for "settlement of the Jewish problem" [1]

Oct 6 WWII: Last Polish troops surrender to Soviet army
Oct 8 Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Cincinnati Reds, 7-3 at Crosley Field for 4-0 sweep; Yankees 4th straight WS title
Oct 8 Germany annexes Western Poland

Bucky Harris

Oct 11 Bucky Harris signs to manage Washington again

Einstein's Letter

Oct 11 FDR and advisor Alexander Sachs meet to discuss Albert Einstein's letter warning of the possibilities of an atomic bomb [1]

Oct 11 NAACP organized Legal Defense & Education Fund

Skylark

Oct 11 Samson Raphaelson's play "Skylark" starring Gertrude Lawrence premieres in NYC

Actress and Musical Performer Gertrude Lawrence

Oct 14 BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) formed
Oct 14 German U-47 sinks British battleship HMS Royal Oak, 833 killed
Oct 15 LaGuardia Airport opens in NYC
Oct 15 Yeshiva of Mir closes after 124 years

The Man Who Came to Dinner

Oct 16 George Kaufman and Moss Hart's comedy "The Man Who Came to Dinner" opens at the Music Box Theatre, NYC; runs for 739 performances

Oct 16 Sugar rationing begins in the Netherlands

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Oct 17 "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur, is released

Too Many Girls

Oct 18 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's musical "Too Many Girls" opens at the Imperial Theatre, later transferring to the Broadway Theatre, NYC; runs for 249 performances

Goering Begins Plunder

Oct 19 Hermann Goering begins plunder through Nazi's occupied areas

All the Things You Are

Oct 20 "All the Things You Are" recorded by Tommy Dorsey Orchestra

Jazz Trombonist and Big Band Leader Tommy Dorsey

Catholic Encyclical

Oct 20 Pope Pius XII publishes his 1st encyclical Summi pontificatus

Oct 21 Revival of Sidney Howard's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1924 stage drama "They Knew What They Wanted", closes at the Empire Theatre, NYC; after 24 performances
Oct 22 NBC becomes first network to televise a pro football game; Brooklyn Dodgers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 23-14 at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field

Let's Dance

Oct 24 Benny Goodman records "Let's Dance"

Jazz Musician, Clarinetist and Bandleader Benny Goodman

DiMaggio Wins MVP

Oct 24 Joe DiMaggio wins AL MVP, Jimmie Foxx is runner-up

MLB Hall of Fame 1st Baseman Jimmie Foxx

Oct 24 Nylon stockings go on sale for first time (Wilmington, Delaware)
Oct 25 William Saroyan's "Time of Your Life" premieres in NYC
Oct 26 Polish Jews forced into obligatory work service
Oct 28 Anti-German demonstrations and strikes in Czechoslovakia
Oct 28 Spitfire shoots German Heinkel-111 down above Scotland

The Roaring Twenties

Oct 28 Warner Bros, releases gangster film "The Roaring Twenties", directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart

Oct 29 Golden Gate International Exposition closes (1st closure)
Oct 29 NHL Babe Seibert Memorial Game: All-Stars beat Montreal 5-3
Oct 30 German U boat fails attack of English battleship Nelson with Winston Churchill, Dudley Pound & Charles Forbes aboard
Oct 30 USSR & Germany agree on partitioning Poland, Adolf Hitler deports Jews