JANUARY 30, 1940

TUESDAY
1940 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1940
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $8,324,276 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.30
Median Home Price$4,000.00
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 1940
Show screen release and event cards
1 Boom Town
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Boom Town
2 The Great Dictator
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The Great Dictator
3 Rebecca
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Rebecca
4 North West Mounted Police
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North West Mounted Police
5 Strike Up the Band
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Strike Up the Band
6 Northwest Passage
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Northwest Passage
7 Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
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Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
8 The Fighting 69th
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The Fighting 69th
9 Santa Fe Trail
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Santa Fe Trail
10 Kitty Foyle
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Kitty Foyle
The Shop Around the Corner
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The Shop Around the Corner
His Girl Friday
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His Girl Friday
The Blue Bird
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The Blue Bird
The Invisible Man Returns
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The Invisible Man Returns
Gone with the Wind
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Gone with the Wind
Ninotchka
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Ninotchka
Of Mice and Men
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Of Mice and Men
Allegheny Uprising
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Allegheny Uprising
Remember?
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Remember?
A Christmas Carol
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A Christmas Carol

January 30, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

January 30, 1940

On January 30, 1940, Romania's anxieties regarding Yugoslavia came to the forefront as the Balkan Parley unfolded, with Romania viewing Yugoslavia as a critical variable in the region's stability. This concern was set against a ba...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of January 1940

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

1 Photocopier (Xerography)
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Photocopier (Xerography)
2 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Concept
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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Concept
3 Jet Engine Flight Demonstration
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Jet Engine Flight Demonstration
4 Synthetic Detergent
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Synthetic Detergent
5 Mass-Produced Nylon Stockings
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Mass-Produced Nylon Stockings
6 Proximity Fuse
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Proximity Fuse
7 Electronic Fire Control System
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Electronic Fire Control System
8 Polyurethane Foam
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Polyurethane Foam
9 Early Speech Recognition Machine
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Early Speech Recognition Machine
10 Automatic Anti-Lock Brakes Concept
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Automatic Anti-Lock Brakes Concept

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From January 30, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Rumania's Unease Over Yugoslavia's Stance. Impact: Rumania's anxiety about Yugoslavia led to a chain reaction in the Balkans, eventually inspiring a very enthusiastic game of 'pass the buck' where no one wanted to take responsibility for anything. This tension ultimately paved the way for a diplomatic soap opera that still has reruns playing today. Fact: Did you know that the Balkans have been in a constant state of 'Who's the Drama Queen?' since the dawn of time? It’s like a reality show, but with more borders and less commercial breaks.
  • Headline: Reich Honors Spaniards with Decorations. Impact: The decoration of 11 Spaniards by the Reich sparked a series of very questionable fashion choices in Spain, leading to a decade-long trend of wearing medals with everythingβ€”from pajamas to beachwear. Fact: Fun fact: the Spanish were so flattered by the German decoration that they started a new holiday called 'Medal Monday', where everyone wears random medals to feel special!.
  • Headline: Cuban Resistance Against Batista. Impact: The fervent cries of 'Down with Batista!' ignited a revolution that reshaped Cuba's political landscape. Little did they know, this would eventually lead to a guy named Castro showing up with a cigar and a whole new set of problems. Fact: Did you know that 'Down with Batista!' is the original 'Make Cuba Great Again'? Just kidding, but both had some serious implications for the future!.
  • Headline: STAYS WPA RULE REPEAL; McKellar Blocks a Senate Move to End 18-Month Job Limit. Impact: Senator McKellar's blocking of the WPA rule repeal ensured that Americans would continue to debate job limits for decades. This would later lead to a national pastime of arguing about government jobs over Thanksgiving dinner. Fact: Did you know that the WPA isn’t just a job program but also stands for 'We Politicians Argue'? Because that’s what they do best!.
  • Headline: IT'S A GOOD WINTER --AT LEAST TO BIRDS; Wild Swan, Bald Eagles and Rare Water Fowl Here and None Is Starving. Impact: The good winter for birds turned into a widespread urban legend that all birds possess secret weather control powers. This resulted in a flock of conspiracy theorists believing that aviary creatures were actually the true meteorologists. Fact: Did you know that if you feed birds during the winter, you might just become their unofficial spokesperson? They might even start a Twitter account in your name!.
  • Headline: Kuusinen 'Banknotes' Found. Impact: The discovery of Kuusinen's 'banknotes' led to a series of very awkward conversations about currency and credibility that echoed through Finland, eventually inspiring a line of novelty money that no one wanted to take seriously. Fact: Fun fact: Kuusinen's banknotes were so popular they became the hottest collectible item at Finnish garage salesβ€”right next to broken snow shovels.
  • Headline: 25 Die in Burning Bus. Impact: The tragic burning bus incident sparked a wave of safety regulations, leading to the awkward moment when everyone realized they had been riding death traps on wheels for years. This led to a surge in bus manufacturers claiming to have 'revolutionized safety,' which was just a fancy way of saying 'we added seat belts.'. Fact: Did you know that in the aftermath of the bus tragedy, some folks thought about creating a safety mascot named 'Buzzy the Bus'? Spoiler alert: it didn't catch on.
  • Headline: WYNNE IS BOY SCOUT HEAD; Manhattan Council Names Him Borough Commissioner. Impact: Wynne's appointment as Boy Scout head meant that the Manhattan Council had officially decided to trust a guy named Wynne with all their camping gear and snacks, leading to a generation of scouts who could start a campfire but had no idea how to set up a tent. Fact: Did you know that being the Boy Scout head in Manhattan is a lot like being the mayor, but with more cookies and less political responsibility?.
  • Headline: SOUTH'S COLD ENDS WITH WIDE DAMAGE; ICED FRUIT IN THE SOUTH AND ICED DRINKS IN THE NORTH. Impact: The cold snap in the South and iced drinks in the North caused an unprecedented surge in the sales of ice packs, leading to a brief national obsession with cold compresses that confused generations of parents wondering why their kids were hoarding ice. Fact: Did you know that the phrase 'I iced my drink' became slang for 'I'm really bad at dealing with temperature changes'? Welcome to our world!.
  • Headline: SWEDISH NEWSPAPER SUED ON WAR SCARE; Accused of Printing Story Aimed to Hart 'a Foreign Power'. Impact: The lawsuit against the Swedish newspaper for a war scare triggered a series of increasingly ridiculous lawsuits over the years, leading to a bizarre legal culture where people started suing for bad hair days and overcooked pasta. Fact: Fun fact: The lawsuit was so outrageous that it inspired a new genre of Swedish film titled 'War Scare: The Legal Battles,' which was a huge hit at the box officeβ€”because who doesn’t love courtroom drama?.

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 1940
$0.06
Stored value
$3,433,941

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1940, it would be worth $3,433,941 today (3433.9x return)

Rank #2
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1940
$0.25
Stored value
$586,657

Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1940, it would be worth $586,657 today (586.7x return)

Rank #3
KMB
Kimberly-Clark
Price in 1940
$0.69
Stored value
$147,887

Kimberly-Clark - If you invested $1,000 in 1940, it would be worth $147,887 today (147.9x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Batman #1
Batman #1
$2,220,000
Flash Comics #1
Flash Comics #1
$1,500
Green Lantern #1
Green Lantern #1
$150,000
Detective Comics #38
Detective Comics #38
$42,000
All Star Comics #3
All Star Comics #3
$2,500
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Lone Ranger Frontier Town
Lone Ranger Frontier Town
$150.00
Red Ryder BB Gun
Red Ryder BB Gun
$250.00
Sorry!
Sorry!
$30.00
Paper Dolls
Paper Dolls
$35.00
Microscope Kit
Microscope Kit
$200.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Walt Disney Comics and Stories #1 Card
Walt Disney Comics and Stories #1 Card
$800
Superman Gum Cards
Superman Gum Cards
$800
G-Men and Heroes of the Law
G-Men and Heroes of the Law
$11.00
1940 War Gum Cards
1940 War Gum Cards
$1,500
1940 Play Ball Baseball Cards
1940 Play Ball Baseball Cards
$3,000