Historical Events In 1939
May 22 Hitler & Mussolini sign "Pact of Steel"
May 13 SS St Louis departs Hamburg with 937 Jews fugitives
May 23 British parliament plans to make Palestine independent by 1949
May 17 Sweden, Norway and Finland reject Germany's non-aggression pact
May 17 King George VI 1895-1952 and Queen Elizabeth disembark at Wolfe's Cove from the CP ship Empress of Australia to start a month-long royal visit to Canada
May 17 Royal Tour of Canada commences with the arrival of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Wolfe's Cove, Quebec on the Empress of Canada. The 12 car train, (five from CP, five from CN and the two vice-regal cars), in royal blue and aluminum, left Quebec City on May 18. A pilot train, carrying officials and the press, preceeded the royal train by one hour and no other trains were permitted to travel within this period. The travel arrangements were shared by the two railways with CP being responsible for the westward journey to Victoria. CP used 4-6-4 locomotives 2850 and 2851 for the royal and pilot trains respectively, except for the Ottawa to Brighton, Ont, section, which was over CN track. 2850 hauled the royal train without change right through to Vancouver, a total distance of 3224 miles. Royal crowns were affixed to the running boards of both locomotives and these were eventually fitted to the entire class (2820-2864) which, following approval from their majesties, came to be known as Royal Hudsons.
May 25 The birth of Ian McKellen, English actor
May 23 Dmitri Shostakovitch appointed professor at conservatory of Leningrad
May 01 Pulitzer Prize awarded to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (The Yearling)
May 19 Churchill signs British-Russian anti-Nazi pact
May 16 Food stamps are first issued
May 07 Germany & Italy announced an alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis
May 17 British issue the Palestine "White Paper" fixing the upper limit to 75,000 Jews to be admitted into Palestine over the next five years.
May 23 Hitler proclaims he wants to move into Poland
May 23 Submarine Squalis sinks off Portsmouth NH, 26 die
May 01 Batman Comics hit the street
May 20 The first regular transatlantic airmail service begins (NY to Marsseille France)
May 03 Belly up to the bar for this one. " Beer Barrel Polka", one of the standards of American music, was recorded by The Andrews Sisters for Decca Records. Patti, Maxine and LaVerne turned this song into a giant hit.
May 23 British decoration, George Cross, first presented
May 20 Pan Am begins regular transatlantic airmail and passenger service across the North Atlantic
May 09 Catholic church beatified the first Native American, Kateri Tekakwitha
May 05 Flash floods kill 75 in Northeast Kentucky
May 20 "3 Little Fishies" by Kay Kyser hits #1
Jan 04 Frieda Wunderlich elected first woman dean of a US graduate school
Jan 15 Municipal Railway & Market St RR begin service to Transbay Terminal
Jan 24 30,000 killed by earthquake in Concepcion Chile
Jan 24 Spanish government moves to Figueras
Jan 02 Bradman scores 107 South Africa vs Victoria, his 4th consecutive century
Jan 13 Belgian premier signs Burgos-treaty for trade relations with Franco
Jan 14 Sydney, Australia swelters on one of its hottest days: a high of 45.3 degrees Celsius.
Jan 25 Joe Louis KOs John Henry Lewis in 1 for heavyweight boxing title
Jan 14 Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica
Jan 10 Bradman hits 186 South Africa vs Queensland before Christ catches him at short-leg
Jan 26 Fascist Franco conquers Barcelona
Jan 03 Gene Cox becomes first girl page in US House of Representatives
