JUNE 16, 1940

SUNDAY
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
Waterloo Bridge
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Waterloo Bridge
Virginia City
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Virginia City
My Favorite Wife
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My Favorite Wife
My Little Chickadee
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My Little Chickadee
Our Town
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Our Town
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

June 16, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

June 16, 1940

On June 16, 1940, the American Legion contributed a flag to a local library, symbolizing national pride and community service amid the escalating tensions in Europe. As World War II intensified, Italy announced its invasion of Sav...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of June 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 June 16, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Legion Honors Library with Flag Donation. Impact: This seemingly innocuous act of giving a flag to a library somehow sparked a century-long debate on whether flags should be allowed in libraries at all. Who knew that a piece of fabric could become the centerpiece of countless heated discussions over freedom of expression versus patriotism?. Fact: Libraries: where people go to read, and now apparently to debate the merits of flag decor. Next up, the 'Do we allow sombreros?' debate.
  • Headline: Clowns of the Night: A Unique Experience. Impact: This theatrical production inadvertently inspired a generation of people to pursue careers in circus arts, leading to an oversaturation of clowns in pop culture. Which ultimately culminated in the 'Clown Wars' of the 2020s. Spoiler: They fought with balloon animals. Fact: Ever wonder why clowns are so scary? It's because they all took this play way too seriously.
  • Headline: Italy's Invasion of Savoy: Key Event. Impact: This military confrontation not only shifted alliances but also accidentally led to the development of new pasta shapes that were 'inspired' by naval battles. The 'Sinking Spaghetti' was a particular favorite. Fact: The British cruiser loss became a running joke in Italy, leading to a popular dish called 'Defeated Cruiser Ravioli'.
  • Headline: U. S. OFFICIALS OFF ON YANKEE CLIPPER; Col. E. L. Lee to Take Post in London--Elbridge Durbow on Mission to Portugal COUNT DE FLEURY DEPARTS Carrying to France News of Our Support--Two Doctors Going to Aid Wounded To Cheer Up France Two Doctors Off to France. Impact: This diplomatic mission created a butterfly effect that eventually led to the invention of the 'bored American tourist' stereotype. Thanks to Col. Lee, now every American thinks they can just waltz into foreign countries and charm everyone with their mediocre accents. Fact: The last time a doctor went to cheer someone up, they ended up prescribing a vacation. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work out.
  • Headline: PLAY SPOTS OF LAKE ERIE; Islands and Beaches of the South Shore Beckon Vacationers and Tourists. Impact: This marketing effort to attract tourists resulted in an unforeseen rise in inflatable swan sales. Who knew that Lake Erie would be the birthplace of the inflatable swan craze, forever altering pool parties in America?. Fact: Lake Erie: where the swan-shaped floats outnumber actual swans at this point.
  • Headline: Opportunities Are Cited for Students In the Architectural and Realty Fields. Impact: This article inspired thousands of students to pursue architecture, many of whom later built homes with kitchens that had absolutely no storage space. Thanks a lot, 'opportunities'. Fact: Architectural students are like houseplants: they need just the right amount of nurturing, but too much can lead to a disaster.
  • Headline: ABOUT--. Impact: The discussion on sodium vapor lighting led to a global fascination with all things glowing, eventually resulting in the neon trend of the 80s. Who knew a little illumination could influence a decade's aesthetic?. Fact: Sodium vapor lighting: because regular light bulbs just aren't 'glow-y' enough.
  • Headline: IN MIDSOUTH; Asheville Celebrates The Rhododendron. Impact: This celebration unwittingly kick-started a rhododendron cult that led to an annual festival where people compete to see who can grow the largest flower. The winner is always just a little too smug about it. Fact: Asheville: where flowers are taken way too seriously and horticulture is practically a religion.
  • Headline: British Commodities Up Sharply On New Problems Posed by War; Impetus Comes in Week From Italy's Joining Conflict and the Battle of France-- Supply Difficulties Are Raised. Impact: This economic shift led to a frantic scramble for commodities that ultimately resulted in the invention of the phrase 'to cash in on a crisis'. It also inspired countless memes about stockpiling toilet paper. Fact: In times of war, remember: toilet paper is more valuable than gold. Who needs currency when you can wipe?.

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