MAY 14, 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 Grapes of Wrath
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The Grapes of Wrath
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
Virginia City
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Virginia City
My Little Chickadee
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My Little Chickadee
Dr. Cyclops
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Dr. Cyclops
The Thief of Bagdad
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The Thief of Bagdad
Too Many Husbands
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Too Many Husbands
The Blue Bird
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The Blue Bird
The Invisible Man Returns
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The Invisible Man Returns
Beyond Tomorrow
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Beyond Tomorrow
Road to Singapore
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Road to Singapore
Black Friday
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Black Friday
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

May 14, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

May 14, 1940

On May 14, 1940, H.G. James advocated for a renewed focus on civic responsibility among youth at a conference at Indiana College, emphasizing the importance of understanding democracy and the need for active participation in votin...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of May 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 May 14, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Youth Urged to Embrace Democracy. Impact: This event sparked a secret society of students who, in an effort to save democracy, accidentally created the world's first 'Democracy Escape Room'. The only way to get out? Solve the riddle of voter apathy!. Fact: In the 1930s, voting was such a 'hot' topic that some people actually thought it required a degree in rocket science. Spoiler: it doesn't.
  • Headline: Primaries Impact CAA Transfer Discussion. Impact: The CAA Transfer debacle led to a chain reaction where politicians began to realize that their actions in primaries could affect actual human lives, leading to an unprecedented rise in yoga retreats for stressed-out senators. Fact: Political speculation has been a favorite pastime since ancient Rome, where senators would gather to discuss who would betray whom over a good cup of wine.
  • Headline: FUND WILL HOLD LUNCHEON TODAY; 7 Guest Speakers to Address Brooklyn Report Meeting. Impact: The luncheon turned into a secret meeting of the Brooklyn Illuminati, who plotted to take over the world one poorly catered meal at a time. Fact: Luncheons have been known to produce some of the most powerful decisions in history, right alongside the infamous 'snack time' meetings of the 1980s.
  • Headline: ALIENS TRY TO STEAL GASOLINE FORMULA; Two Attack Chemist in Laboratory, but He Routs Them. Impact: This close encounter with aliens led to the creation of an intergalactic gas station chain, revolutionizing roadside stops across the galaxy, though the prices are still out of this world. Fact: Aliens really do love gasoline; it’s just like their version of a five-star meal. But they still can't figure out how to get the taste of Earth dirt out of their mouths.
  • Headline: Exonerated of Perjury Charge. Impact: The exoneration set off a wave of legal dramas, influencing Hollywood to create a new genre of courtroom thrillers that would lead to the eventual rise of the 'lawyer as hero' trope. Fact: Being cleared of a charge is like winning the legal lottery, but instead of cash, you get your life backβ€”minus any shred of dignity you had left.
  • Headline: CAPT. LOSEY'S ASHES HERE FROM NORWAY; Wife of U.S. Naval Aide Did Not Know at First That Bag She Carried Held Them TOOK THEM ACROSS REICH Liner Manhattan Brings 300 American Citizens and 350 Refugees, Much Mail. Impact: Capt. Losey's ashes inadvertently became a rallying point for veterans' rights, leading to the establishment of the 'Ashes to Action' movement, which encouraged veterans to advocate for their needsβ€”even after death. Fact: Carrying ashes across borders is quite the journey; they always seem to have more passport stamps than I do!.
  • Headline: JEWISH YOUTH GROUP TO FIGHT REDS, NAZIS; Cooperation With Protestants and Catholics Is Planned. Impact: The Jewish Youth Group's formation created a legacy of interfaith collaborations that led to the eventual establishment of community potlucks, where everyone brought their best recipes and a side of enlightenment. Fact: Working together to combat evil is all fun and games until someone brings the potato salad. Then it gets real.
  • Headline: NAZI REPRISAL SET AT 10 LIVES FOR ONE; High Command Warns Allies That Prisoners Will Pay for Parachutists Shot PARIS ORDERED AT ALERT Governor Asks Vigilance for Air Troop Landing--U.S. Experts Discuss Problem. Impact: The Nazi's brutal reprisal policy inadvertently fueled global outrage, leading to a spike in anti-war art and protest music, which is still being performed at coffee shops today. Fact: High Command's strategy has always been 'if they fight back, just make it worse,' which is ironically the playbook for many modern relationships.
  • Headline: Simon Raised to Peerage. Impact: Simon’s elevation to the peerage led to a series of unfortunate events where he couldn't go anywhere without being hounded by people asking if he had any β€˜royal’ connections, ultimately inspiring a reality show called 'Keeping Up with the Peerage.'. Fact: Becoming a viscount is like winning a lifetime supply of fancy titlesβ€”congratulations, you’re now important enough to be invited to the boringest parties!.

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