SEPTEMBER 19, 1940

THURSDAY
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 Westerner
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The Westerner
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 19, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

September 19, 1940

On September 19, 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. launched a significant initiative by opening the Campus Club, aimed at fostering Democratic engagement among students. This event coincided with a crucial conference focused on Demo...

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 19, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Roosevelt Jr. Opens Campus Club. Impact: The opening of this campus club led to the rise of future student activists, who would one day take over social media and redefine 'protest' as posting memes about their grievances instead. Thanks, Franklin!. Fact: Fun fact: Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. may have opened a campus club, but the real mystery is why he didn't just start a TikTok account instead.
  • Headline: Edison Withdraws from Bridge Dedication. Impact: Edison's rejection of political involvement at a family tribute likely led to a ripple effect where politicians everywhere decided to stay away from anything remotely sentimental. Who needs emotion when you have power?. Fact: Did you know that Thomas Edison once said, 'Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent rejection of political events'? Just kidding, but he probably would have if asked.
  • Headline: Railroad Unions Support Barbour in 1940. Impact: Barbour's union backing created a chain reaction leading to a future where railroad workers felt empowered enough to start a nationwide movement for better coffee in break rooms. Priorities, people!. Fact: Did you know that railroad unions once considered a motion to replace all train whistles with the sound of a cappuccino machine? Okay, maybe not, but wouldn't that be something?.
  • Headline: TOWNSEND TO MAKE TOUR TO AID WILLKIE; Old-Age Pensions Advocate Talks With Republicans Here. Impact: Townsend's tour became the catalyst for the eventual creation of a nationwide senior citizen dance-off which, ironically, led to record-breaking attendance at retirement homes across the country. Fact: Did you know that old-age pensions were once considered a radical idea? Now they just make sure grandpa can afford to keep his collection of porcelain cats.
  • Headline: JURY EXONERATES JUDGE; Finds That Downs Had No Part in Police Spy Case. Impact: This exoneration set a precedent for future cases, where judges would learn that being involved in controversy could actually boost their social media following. Who knew crime could be so good for publicity?. Fact: Fun fact: The actual exoneration of judges often leads to them becoming the stars of courtroom dramas. They should really start charging for autographs.
  • Headline: Ask Lower Pension Age. Impact: This request opened the floodgates for debates on pension reform, which eventually led to a generation of retirees who would spend their golden years arguing over bingo rules. Fact: Did you know that lowering the pension age could turn retirement into a competitive sport? Watch out, seniors on scooters!.
  • Headline: W.N. Rogers Bolts to Willkie. Impact: Rogers' defection to Willkie sparked a series of political betrayals that would later inspire reality TV shows about alliances and backstabbing, proving once again that politics is just a glorified game of dodgeball. Fact: Did you know that W.N. Rogers once tried to join a different party but was told he didn't have the right 'vibe'?.

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