DECEMBER 3, 1939

SUNDAY
$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
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
Made for Each Other
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Made for Each Other
Idiot's Delight
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Idiot's Delight
The Oklahoma Kid
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The Oklahoma Kid
Stagecoach
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Stagecoach
Midnight
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Midnight
The Ice Follies of 1939
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The Ice Follies of 1939
The Hound of the Baskervilles
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The Hound of the Baskervilles
They Made Me a Criminal
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They Made Me a Criminal
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
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The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
The Little Princess
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The Little Princess
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Union Pacific
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Union Pacific
Gunga Din
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Gunga Din
Only Angels Have Wings
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Only Angels Have Wings
Young Mr. Lincoln
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Young Mr. Lincoln
The Roaring Twenties
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The Roaring Twenties
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
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Confessions of a Nazi Spy
Destry Rides Again
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Destry Rides Again
Love Affair
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Love Affair
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
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The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Beau Geste
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Beau Geste
The Man in the Iron Mask
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The Man in the Iron Mask
Five Came Back
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Five Came Back
Each Dawn I Die
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Each Dawn I Die
Bachelor Mother
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Bachelor Mother
Intermezzo: A Love Story
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Intermezzo: A Love Story
The Old Maid
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The Old Maid
Golden Boy
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Golden Boy
In Name Only
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In Name Only
Another Thin Man
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Another Thin Man
Ninotchka
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Ninotchka
The Three Musketeers
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The Three Musketeers
Dark Victory
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Dark Victory
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame
When Tomorrow Comes
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When Tomorrow Comes
On Borrowed Time
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On Borrowed Time
Allegheny Uprising
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Allegheny Uprising
Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
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Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
The Cat and the Canary
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The Cat and the Canary
At the Circus
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At the Circus
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
December 3, 1939 Trivia
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The Story of December 3, 1939

On December 3, 1939, the world mourned the loss of George W.

Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 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 ON December 3, 1939

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Tragic End of Cartoonist George W. Rehse. Impact: George W. Rehse's tragic demise sent shockwaves through the art community, leading to a dramatic increase in mental health awareness. In an ironic twist, his story fueled a movement that led to people actually talking about feelings rather than just posting memes about them.. Fact: Suicide rates among artists have historically been high, raising the question: is it the creativity or the existential dread that drives them?.
  • Headline: Julian Green's Reflective Journal Insights. Impact: Julian Green's introspective journaling somehow led to the rise of social media influencers who think their daily musings are worthy of global attention. Thanks, Julian, for paving the way for everyone’s lunch pics and existential crises online.. Fact: Journals have been around for centuries, and yet, somehow, people still think their boring daily life is interesting enough to share with the world..
  • Headline: NEW DEAL AND UTILITIES REOPEN AN OLD DEBATE; CHAIRMAN OF TVA. Impact: The debate over utilities initiated by the New Deal turned into a never-ending saga of political posturing that continues today. Spoiler alert: it still involves endless meetings and no solutions.. Fact: Politicians have been arguing about utilities since the dawn of time. If only they could just agree on a coffee break instead..
  • Headline: SETS HONOR 2 RUSSIANS; Portraits of Lermontoff And Chernyshevsky Are Reproduced. Impact: The honoring of Lermontov and Chernyshevsky with stamps inadvertently sparked a global obsession with collectible stamps, leading to a black market for rare postage. Who knew that two dead Russian authors could turn into the gateway drug for philately?. Fact: Stamps are still a thing! People collect them, trade them, and some even use them to send letters. Remember those?.
  • Headline: UNDER POSTAGE. Impact: The discussion on American art under postage led to a bizarre obsession with art on envelopes, resulting in some truly questionable designs that still haunt us in the form of junk mail.. Fact: There was a time when people actually wrote letters to each other instead of sending emojis. Crazy, right?.
  • Headline: MAKERS OF SPRINGS MOVING TO JERSEY; Miller & Van Winkle to Quit Brooklyn After 58 Years. Impact: Makers of springs moving to Jersey created a ripple effect that made New Jersey a hotbed for all things spring-related, leading to an unexpected spike in mattress sales. Sleep tight, America!. Fact: New Jersey is known for many things, but apparently, springs are now at the top of the list. Who knew?.
  • Headline: EXPORTERS WARNED ON SALES TO LATINS; Council Asks Them to Retain Coservative Credit Terms. Impact: The warning to exporters about sales to Latin America led to a century-long suspicion that continues to color U.S.-Latin American relations, resulting in awkward family dinners and uncomfortable small talk.. Fact: The U.S. government giving financial advice is like taking diet tips from a donut: not the most credible source..
  • Headline: 'MORAL EMBARGO' OF SOVIET BY U.S.; President Assails 'Obviously Guilty'--Lie to Molotoff Passed on Bombings. Impact: The 'moral embargo' against the Soviet Union inadvertently inspired countless conspiracy theories and spy novels, laying the groundwork for a cultural obsession with espionage that persists today. Thanks for the drama, guys.. Fact: The Army-Navy football game has been used as a metaphor for U.S.-Soviet tensions. Talk about a game changing moment!.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1939, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1939
$0.06
2025 dataset 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
2025 dataset 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
2025 dataset 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