SEPTEMBER 15, 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
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
Dance, Girl, Dance
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Dance, Girl, Dance
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

September 15, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

September 15, 1940

On September 15, 1940, the carpet wool industry faced a notable shortage as reports indicated an 8% increase in imports this year, prompting traders to shift their sourcing strategies. This shortage comes against the backdrop of W...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of September 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 September 15, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Carpet Wool Shortage in 1940. Impact: This wool shortage led to an unexpected rise in popularity for synthetic carpets, which eventually sparked a massive industry focused on producing increasingly weird and whimsical carpet designs, including one that resembled a giant avocado. You know, priorities. Fact: Wool was once so valuable that people used it as currency. So, if you had a spare sheep, you were basically a millionaire!.
  • Headline: Defense Officials Reassure Builders in 1940. Impact: The reassurance from defense officials about construction led to a sudden boom in building projects, which made everyone forget that a strong foundation is just as important as a strong government. Spoiler alert: roofs still need to be built over heads. Fact: In a world where reassurance is key, the phrase 'trust me' has never been more suspicious!.
  • Headline: Magician Signs Wage Pact. Impact: The magician signing a wage pact inadvertently sparked a nationwide trend of performers demanding fair pay, which led to the modern day 'pay your entertainers well or face their wrath' movement. Nobody wants a magician pulling rabbits out of hats in protest!. Fact: Prof Dante's signature was so magical that it was rumored to have appeared on several other magical contracts, including one with the local pizza joint for unlimited free slices!.
  • Headline: Chicagoans Are Pleased. Impact: Chicago's fight against union racketeering gave birth to a series of detective novels that glamorized the gritty underworld of unions, leading to a new genre of literature that still makes readers question their own work environments. Fact: Chicago's deep-rooted history of corruption is so rich, it could probably run for mayor and win!.
  • Headline: SCOTLAND YARD IN NEW QUARTERS; Third Home of London's Metropolitan Police Is Next Door to the Old One FRONTS ON THE THAMES Original Headquarters of the 'Peelers' and 'Bobbins' Still Stands Near Admiralty. Impact: Scotland Yard's move to new quarters not only modernized their operations but also inspired a wave of crime documentaries, leading to a public obsession with true crime that continues to this day. Thanks for the binge-watching material, Yard!. Fact: The original 'Peelers' were named after Sir Robert Peel, who believed that police should be friendly and approachable. The irony is palpable, especially on a busy night in London!.
  • Headline: U.S. LABOR WARNED ON CLASS STRUGGLE; Prof. Frieda Wunderlich Cites the Tragedy of Unionism in Germany URGES DEMOCRATIC POLICY Says Workers Must Cooperate With Capital and Avoid Depending Upon State. Impact: Prof. Wunderlich's warnings led to a lot of confused workers who thought they could solve class struggles through interpretive dance. History has proven that not all solutions are equally effective. Fact: Germany's labor movements were so influential that they inspired the phrase 'workers of the world, unite,' which, ironically, has led to more social media groups than actual unions!.
  • Headline: HERE AND THERE UPON THE ART TRAIL. Impact: The art collection's presentation to the Wichita Museum led to an unexpected spike in local tourism, which eventually resulted in Wichita being dubbed the 'Cultural Capital of the Midwest.' Spoiler: it was a brief reign. Fact: The phrase 'art is subjective' was created specifically to excuse some truly questionable pieces that have made their way into galleries over the years!.
  • Headline: NEW MADISON AVE. STORES; Five Shops Being Installed in the New Weston Hotel. Impact: The installation of new stores in the Weston Hotel led to a phenomenon where every upscale hotel became a shopping destination, leading to the rise of the 'shop and stay' vacation. Because who doesn't want to get a massage after a shopping spree?. Fact: The term 'retail therapy' was coined in response to hotel shopping, proving that sometimes, the best way to deal with stress is a credit card!.
  • Headline: DEFENSE HOUSING AIDED BY UNIONS; Building Trades Agree to Work Double Shifts at Straight Time on Projects ERECTION TIME CUT HALF Arrangement, Involving Use of $50,000,000 of WPA Funds, Already Made at 7 Sites. Impact: The agreement for double shifts in defense housing construction turned into a nationwide trend of workers demanding shorter hours for longer pay, which eventually led to the invention of the four-day workweek in some places. Progress, folks!. Fact: The $50 million allocated for WPA projects was so substantial that people joked it could fund a small country's military. Good thing they opted for housing instead!.

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