MARCH 1, 1940

FRIDAY
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
Pinocchio
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Pinocchio
My Little Chickadee
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My Little Chickadee
The Thief of Bagdad
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The Thief of Bagdad
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

March 1, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

March 1, 1940

On March 1, 1940, a significant decision was made when city officials barred twelve shops from participating in upcoming printing bids after Purchase Commissioner Herlands presented evidence of collusion. This action reflected ong...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of March 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 March 1, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: City Bars Shops from Printing Bids. Impact: The banning of 12 shops from printing bids inadvertently encouraged a rise in underground printing operations, leading to the first-ever black market for flyers. Who knew flyers for local events could spark a revolution?. Fact: Collusion is just a fancy term for 'we're all in this together, but not really.'.
  • Headline: Lyman Beecher Stowe's Election Triumph. Impact: Her election to the Authors Club set off a chain reaction of literary greatness, causing future authors to feel the pressure to write something actually worth readingβ€”sorry, Twilight fans. Fact: Lyman Beecher Stowe was so talented that even her grocery lists were considered bestsellers.
  • Headline: Frank Murphy's Fire Department Innovations. Impact: With each mention of the fire department, the myth of fireproof marshmallows was born, leading to a disastrous camping trip for thousands of future generations. Fact: Firefighters are the original superheroes, except their capes are more like heavy jackets and their powers involve a lot of water and a lot of waiting.
  • Headline: Police Department. Impact: The quiet mention of the police department inevitably led someone to think that all movies should have a cop character, paving the way for a million clichΓ©s in Hollywood. Fact: In the history of police departments, β€˜just doing my job’ has been the most accomplished line in the script of life.
  • Headline: LOWELL THOMAS FETE AT ADVERTISING CLUB; Prelude to Organization's 35th Anniversary Celebration. Impact: Lowell Thomas's fete became the blueprint for every overly extravagant corporate party since, ensuring that free hors d'oeuvres would always come with a side of regret. Fact: Advertising clubs are basically just groups of people trying to convince each other that their ideas are better than they actually are.
  • Headline: Reserve Corps Orders. Impact: The issuance of Reserve Corps Orders led to an unexpected spike in military-themed birthday parties, as parents confused β€˜reserve’ with β€˜party favors.’. Fact: The Reserve Corps was originally meant to stand ready, but mostly just stood around looking important.
  • Headline: LEFT WINGERS WIN LABOR PARTY RULE IN COUNTY SESSION; Anti-Rose Faction Is Victor at Stormy Meeting Held Under Court Order TEST VOTE 455 TO 314 Then Slate Headed by Eugene Connolly Is Elected Amid Shouting and Confusion. Impact: This chaotic victory became the blueprint for future political debates, where shouting and confusion became the norm, making everyone wonder if they accidentally tuned into a circus. Fact: Political meetings are just like family reunions, minus the potato salad and with added shouting.
  • Headline: RIVAL UNIONS JOIN FORCES; A.F.L., C.I.0. Groups Unite in Fall River Strikes. Impact: The unification of rival unions sparked a trend of unlikely alliances, eventually inspiring the creation of the Justice Leagueβ€”though no capes were involved, just picket signs. Fact: Strikes often unite workers, but only until lunchtime, when all bets are off and the food fights begin.
  • Headline: Tax Payments Rising on Lower East Side; More Old Tenement Houses Undergo Repairs. Impact: The rise in tax payments led to a surprising spike in DIY home renovation shows, as everyone suddenly felt the need to fix up their crumbling apartments before the tax man came knocking. Fact: Home repairs are the adult version of 'let's see how much we can screw up before we call an expert.'.
  • Headline: Bishop Manning Makes Protest Against Russell's Appointment; He Charges That Noted British Scholar Is Propagandist Against Religion and Morality --Dr. Mead Says City College Is Lucky. Impact: This protest against Russell's appointment unknowingly set the stage for future debates between academia and religion, which would eventually lead to the creation of the infamous 'What is God?' seminar on college campuses. Fact: Bishops and scholars arguing is just a fancy way of saying, 'Let's have a debate that will probably not change anyone's mind.'.

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