AUGUST 16, 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 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
Foreign Correspondent
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Foreign Correspondent
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
Pride and Prejudice
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Pride and Prejudice
Our Town
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Our Town
Boys of the City
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Boys of the City
The Ghost Breakers
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The Ghost Breakers
The Sea Hawk
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The Sea Hawk
They Drive by Night
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They Drive by Night
Dr. Cyclops
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Dr. Cyclops
The Thief of Bagdad
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The Thief of Bagdad
The Mortal Storm
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The Mortal Storm
The Return of Frank James
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The Return of Frank James
Too Many Husbands
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Too Many Husbands
I Love You Again
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I Love You Again
The Great McGinty
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The Great McGinty
The Blue Bird
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The Blue Bird
The Invisible Man Returns
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The Invisible Man Returns
All This, and Heaven Too
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All This, and Heaven Too
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

August 16, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

August 16, 1940

On August 16, 1940, America mourned the passing of Fred J. Gould, the author of the poignant poem 'Remember the Maine,' who died in Ohio. This day also saw cultural engagements as the mayor conducted a band performance at Prospect...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of August 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 August 16, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Exploring The Way to Santiago. Impact: If only people knew that reading about Santiago would lead to a global obsession with pilgrimage routes, resulting in a surge of overpriced walking sticks and questionable 'spiritual' retreats. Fact: Did you know that the Way to Santiago inspired more people to walk long distances than any fitness app ever could? Talk about a trendsetter!.
  • Headline: LaGuardia Conducts Band in Prospect Park. Impact: LaGuardia’s conducting debut led to a chain reaction of politicians thinking they could also be rock stars, resulting in some truly questionable karaoke nights at future fundraiser events. Fact: Did you know that leading a band in the park is considered a 'politician's rite of passage'? Because nothing says 'I care about the community' like a poorly sung rendition of 'Sweet Caroline.'.
  • Headline: Death of Poet Fred J. Gould. Impact: Gould’s passing left a void that led to the rise of countless amateur poets attempting to write the next great war poem, most of which were promptly ignored by history. Fact: Did you know that 'Remember the Maine' was more than just a catchy phrase? It became a rallying cry that helped propel the U.S. into war, proving that catchy slogans can sometimes be more powerful than logic.
  • Headline: ATHLETICS WIN, 6-5, AFTER 9-4 SETBACK; Four-Run Rally Beats Senators -Hudson Victor in Opener. Impact: This game sparked a series of events leading to sports fans believing that winning could actually cure all ills, leading to the invention of 'sports therapy'β€”a very lucrative but entirely misguided industry. Fact: Did you know that the phrase 'it's not whether you win or lose' was probably coined by someone who had just lost a really close game? Yeah, it’s hard to be philosophical when your team just choked.
  • Headline: GIRL SCOUTS OPEN HEMISPHERE CAMP; Delegates at Briarcliff Manor Hear French Guides Praised for Aid to Refugees. Impact: The Girl Scouts’ camp opened up a new frontier of cookie sales strategies, paving the way for future generations to use sugary treats as a means of global diplomacy. Forget politics, it's all about Thin Mints now!. Fact: Did you know that Girl Scouts have been honing their leadership skills while selling cookies since time immemorial? Who knew that selling cookies could lead to future CEOs?.
  • Headline: Runs 3,000 Meters in 8:09. Impact: Kaelarne’s record-setting run inspired generations of athletes to chase records, inadvertently leading to the creation of more 'running' shoes than any planet could sustainably handle. Fact: Did you know that running 3,000 meters in under 9 minutes is basically the equivalent of being chased by a bear? Only slightly less terrifying, but still pretty intense!.
  • Headline: FOOLISHLY HANDCUFFED. Impact: This headline marked a pivotal moment in legislative history, where politicians began to realize that attaching ridiculous amendments to bills could lead to complete chaosβ€”proving once and for all that politics is just a game of 'who can out-fool the other.'. Fact: Did you know that political handcuffs are a thing? No, not actual handcuffs, but the metaphorical kind, where one bad decision leads to a whole series of policies that nobody wanted in the first place.
  • Headline: U.S. GAIN IN CONTROL IN SHANGHAI HAILED; But Japanese Indicate They Will Balk Plan for Marines to Guard British Zones. Impact: This geopolitical tug-of-war laid the groundwork for future international relations, where everyone learned that nothing says 'peace' quite like a well-armed standoff over territory. Fact: Did you know that international relations often resemble a game of chess? Except in this case, everyone is trying to figure out which pieces are worth sacrificing for a cup of tea.
  • Headline: EX-CONTRACTOR BANKRUPT; V.J. Aurisy, WPA Supervisor, Lists Debts of $14,181. Impact: Aurisy's financial downfall sent ripples of caution through the contractor community, leading to the age-old advice: 'Don’t bite off more than you can chew'β€”or at least, don't chew it in public. Fact: Did you know that declaring bankruptcy is just like a bad breakup? You get to start over, but first, you have to face the awkwardness of explaining your financial mess to everyone.

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