JANUARY 13, 1939

FRIDAY
1939 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1939
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $7,875,940 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.30
Median Home Price$4,150.00
Gas Price Avg$0.18
Bread Price Avg$0.09
Movie Ticket Avg$0.30
First Class Stamp$0.03
Milk Price Avg$0.55
Top Movies From 1939
Show screen release and event cards
1 Gone with the Wind
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Gone with the Wind
2 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
3 Jesse James
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Jesse James
4 Babes in Arms
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Babes in Arms
5 The Wizard of Oz
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The Wizard of Oz
6 Goodbye, Mr. Chips
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Goodbye, Mr. Chips
7 Dodge City
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Dodge City
8 The Rains Came
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The Rains Came
9 The Women
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The Women
10 Drums Along the Mohawk
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Drums Along the Mohawk
Son of Frankenstein
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Son of Frankenstein
Angels with Dirty Faces
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Angels with Dirty Faces
A Christmas Carol
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A Christmas Carol
The Dawn Patrol
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The Dawn Patrol
Listen, Darling
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Listen, Darling
Kentucky
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Kentucky

January 13, 1939 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

January 13, 1939

On January 13, 1939, Australians faced a dramatic response to devastating brush fires that had forced many to flee to makeshift dugouts for safety. Eyewitness accounts emerged detailing the terrifying experiences endured as fierce...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of January 1939

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Jet-Powered Aircraft
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Jet-Powered Aircraft
2 Helicopter Practical Design
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Helicopter Practical Design
3 Electronic Digital Computer Prototype
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Electronic Digital Computer Prototype
4 FM Radio Broadcasting Service
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FM Radio Broadcasting Service
5 Fluorescent Light Commercialization
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Fluorescent Light Commercialization
6 Color Film (Kodachrome Improvements)
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Color Film (Kodachrome Improvements)
7 Aircraft Radar System
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Aircraft Radar System
8 Remote Control Device
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Remote Control Device
9 Microwave Oven Concept
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Microwave Oven Concept
10 Automatic Fire Sprinkler Improvements
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Automatic Fire Sprinkler Improvements

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From January 13, 1939

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Australians Seek Refuge in Dugouts. Impact: The terrifying experiences shared by Australians during the fires inspired a whole genre of disaster movies, ensuring that future generations would grow up thinking that natural disasters are just another excuse for a family outing. Fact: Fun fact: 'dugouts' were not a trendy new restaurant concept at the time; they were actually life-saving shelters. Who knew that safety could be so unappetizing?.
  • Headline: Hunter Concert Benefits German Refugees. Impact: The concert for refugees became a cultural touchstone, ultimately leading to the creation of 'musical charity' as a genre, where every pop star feels the need to rescue the world one single at a time, often while riding in a private jet. Fact: Did you know that concerts for refugees have been happening for decades, and yet we’re still waiting for the 'refugee rock star' to emerge?.
  • Headline: EVENTS TODAY. Impact: The mundane events of the day, recorded in history, remind us that while nothing may seem significant at the moment, the collective ennui led to the eventual rise of social media, where people share every boring detail of their lives. Fact: Did you know that 'Events Today' was basically the ancient equivalent of a Facebook status update? Very riveting, I’m sure.
  • Headline: REVISED TENETS SOUGHT; Theologian Sees New Phrasing as Bar to Totalitarianism. Impact: Dr. Brunner's concerns about totalitarianism paved the way for a series of philosophical debates that would eventually lead to the invention of the internet troll, who now debates everything, including the meaning of life, from the safety of their mother's basement. Fact: Did you know that avoiding totalitarianism is still a hot topic? And yet here we are, watching reality TV and arguing online. Progress!.
  • Headline: Chinese Cut the Peiping-Tientsin Railway; All Traffic Is Halted by Guerrilla Attack. Impact: The guerrilla attack that halted railway traffic inspired future generations to be more creative in their forms of protest, leading to everything from sit-ins to TikTok challenges aimed at social changeβ€”and you thought traffic jams were annoying. Fact: Fun fact: Cutting off railway access was a classic move long before it became a trendy way to gain attention in today's social justice movements.
  • Headline: ADULT EDUCATION IS CALLED 'CHAOTIC'; Purdue President Says Waste and Inefficiency Mark the System in This State. Impact: The criticism of adult education set off a chain reaction that led to the creation of online courses, where the chaos was only amplified by people learning in pajamas and pretending they were taking it seriously. Fact: Did you know that calling adult education 'chaotic' was basically a polite way of saying, 'Please, don't sign up for this unless you want to feel confused and unaccomplished'?.
  • Headline: Gives $100,000 for Dormitory. Impact: Mrs. Merner-Pfeiffer's generous donation for a dormitory set off a chain of philanthropy that eventually led to the rise of 'dorm life' reality shows, forever altering the landscape of higher education into a never-ending cycle of drama. Fact: Did you know that giving $100,000 for a dormitory was considered generous? Nowadays, that barely covers a semester’s worth of textbooks. Times have changed!.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1939
$0.06
Stored value
$3,433,942

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1939, it would be worth $3,433,942 today (3433.9x return)

Rank #2
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1939
$0.25
Stored value
$586,657

Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1939, it would be worth $586,657 today (586.7x return)

Rank #3
CVX
Chevron
Price in 1939
$0.31
Stored value
$474,913

Chevron - If you invested $1,000 in 1939, it would be worth $474,913 today (474.9x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Action Comics #10
Action Comics #10
$1,100
Detective Comics #27
Detective Comics #27
$3,000,000
Marvel Comics #1
Marvel Comics #1
$200,000
All-American Comics #1
All-American Comics #1
$150,000
Adventure Comics #40
Adventure Comics #40
$3,000
🧸 Top 5 Toys
View-Master
View-Master
$40.00
Little Golden Books
Little Golden Books
$300.00
The Game of Cootie
The Game of Cootie
$50.00
Tinkertoy Joy Boy and Joy Girl Sets
Tinkertoy Joy Boy and Joy Girl Sets
$150.00
Buck Rogers Atomic Pistol
Buck Rogers Atomic Pistol
$1,200.00
⚾ Notable Trading Cards
W.D. & H.O. Wills 'Life in the Tree Tops'
W.D. & H.O. Wills 'Life in the Tree Tops'
$236.61
Churchman's 'Treasure Trove'
Churchman's 'Treasure Trove'
$492,000
Cadet Suite Collection 'World Wonders'
Cadet Suite Collection 'World Wonders'
$0
Players Cigarettes 'Cycling 1939'
Players Cigarettes 'Cycling 1939'
$10.00