FEBRUARY 15, 1940

THURSDAY
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
My Little Chickadee
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My Little Chickadee
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

February 15, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

February 15, 1940

On February 15, 1940, international tensions escalated as the German Reich issued new regulations regarding neutral vessels traveling to control ports. This directive indicated that any such vessels would be deemed hostile, placin...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of February 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 February 15, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Germany Threatens Neutral Vessels in 1940. Impact: The Reich's declaration led to a chain reaction of naval skirmishes and diplomatic incidents, ultimately resulting in a global game of 'hot potato' where no one wanted to touch a neutral ship. Who knew that sinking ships could lead to sinking economies?. Fact: Did you know that this was the start of many people questioning whether 'neutral' really meant 'safe'? Spoiler: it didn't.
  • Headline: Bishop Tucker Advocates for Global Idealism. Impact: Bishop Tucker's call for idealism sparked a wave of lofty aspirations, leading to a century of people feeling guilty about not saving the world while they binge-watched TV. Thanks a lot, Bishop. Fact: Fun fact: 'Idealism' is just a fancy word for saying, 'I have no idea how to fix this, but let's all feel good about it!'.
  • Headline: Western Auto Reports Record Profits in 1940. Impact: Western Auto's profits led to an unforeseen boom in DIY projects, resulting in millions of well-intentioned but disastrous home renovations across the country. The world is still recovering from that unfortunate 'open concept' trend. Fact: Did you know that this profit surge indirectly contributed to the rise of home improvement shows? You're welcome, HGTV.
  • Headline: 70TH YEAR MARKED BY HUNTER COLLEGE; Its Achievements Toward Reestablishing Old Ideal ofWomanhood Praised. Impact: Hunter College's celebration of womanhood may have contributed to a feminist awakening that would ripple through generations, leading to many women asking, 'Why am I still doing all the housework?'. Fact: Did you know that Hunter College was one of the first institutions to embrace the concept of 'womanhood'? Little did they know, it would become a never-ending debate.
  • Headline: OPERA FUND RECEIVES TWO $10,000 GIFTS; Benefactors Remain Anonymous --Sloan Lauds Radio's Aid. Impact: The anonymous donations to the opera fund sparked a secret society of wealthy benefactors, leading to a dramatic increase in artistic censorship and the birth of an elite 'opera mafia'. Fact: Did you know that some of the greatest artistic endeavors were funded by people who preferred to remain anonymous? Maybe they just didn’t want to be asked for more money.
  • Headline: COST OF EDUCATION DEFENDED BY SMITH; Former Governor Gets Medal for Service to Schools. Impact: Smith's defense of education costs led to an inflation in tuition fees, resulting in future generations drowning in student debt. Talk about a legacy!. Fact: Did you know that the only thing more inflated than education costs is the student loan debt that follows? It's like a magic trick, but with less applause.
  • Headline: PARIS SPRING MODE FAVORS CONTRASTS; Choice of Jackets Shown for One Skirt, With Novelty in Tailored Effects NEW FABRICS FEATURED Lulu Nepotny Costumes in Red-White Checked Gingham Among Late Offerings. Impact: The Paris Spring Mode trends set off a fashion frenzy that resulted in more mismatched outfits than ever, leading to a cultural acceptance of the phrase, 'What was I thinking?' for decades to come. Fact: Did you know that the real reason for fashion trends is to make everyone else feel better about their own wardrobe choices? It's all a conspiracy, really.

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