OCTOBER 2, 1940

WEDNESDAY
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
City for Conquest
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City for Conquest
The Ape
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The Ape
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

October 2, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

October 2, 1940

On October 2, 1940, political dynamics in the United States took center stage as Franklin D. Roosevelt's son, Franklin Jr., predicted a significant electoral shift, asserting that Republican candidate Wendell Willkie had failed to...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of October 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 October 2, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Son Predicts Landslide Victory in 1940. Impact: Franklin Jr.'s foresight into political events inadvertently encouraged future generations of political analysts to rely on crystal balls instead of polling data, leading to the rise of the infamous 'political fortune teller' profession. Fact: Did you know that Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. was not just another political kidβ€”he was the ultimate family heirloom, a legacy that came with a side of political drama?.
  • Headline: Ramparts Ban Affirmed by Pennsylvania Court. Impact: The court's decision to uphold the ban on 'Ramparts' created a ripple effect that inspired filmmakers everywhere to sneak in more subtle anti-establishment messages, leading to the era of 'Did they really just say that?' cinema. Fact: Fun fact: 'Ramparts' was so explosive that people thought it was a new kind of fireworksβ€”turns out, it was just a film that dared to speak the truth!.
  • Headline: Southern Advance Stock Issue Announcement. Impact: Southern Advance Bag and Paper Co.'s stock filing triggered a series of events that led to an obsession with paper bags, ultimately resulting in the dreaded paper straw debate decades later. Fact: Did you know that in a world where plastic was king, the humble paper bag was once celebrated like royalty? Long live the bag!.
  • Headline: JEWISH NEW YEAR WILL BEGIN TONIGHT; Services Will Be Held in Temples and Synagogues Throughout the World LEADERS ISSUE MESSAGES Urge Optimism and Faith in World Crisis--Support Is Asked for Welfare Work. Impact: The optimism expressed during the Jewish New Year spread like wildfire, leading to a global movement of faith that significantly reduced the number of pessimistic memes for a short while. Fact: Did you know that the Jewish New Year is not just about reflection but also about eating way too many apples dipped in honey? Sweetness overload!.
  • Headline: Gets Army Housing Contract. Impact: The Army Housing Contract at Westover Field initiated a long-standing tradition of temporary housing solutions, which later influenced the concept of 'pop-up shops'β€”but for homeless veterans. Fact: Did you know that temporary housing is basically what every college student dreams of? Except, you know, with fewer ramen noodles.
  • Headline: Fears Willkie Double-Header. Impact: Mayor Holling's fear of coinciding events changed the way civic scheduling worked forever, leading to a world where every opening was planned around celebrity appearancesβ€”because God forbid anyone shares the spotlight. Fact: Did you know that scheduling conflicts are basically the adult version of choosing teams for dodgeball? The struggle is real!.
  • Headline: ROADS FOUND AHEAD OF DEMAND FOR CARS; Constant Additions to Rolling Stock of Systems Cited. Impact: The discovery of roads ahead of car demand led to a transport revolution, eventually causing traffic jams that would inspire the invention of podcastsβ€”because who doesn't want to listen to someone rant while stuck in gridlock?. Fact: Did you know that roads were once seen as a luxury? Now, they're just a reminder of how far we have to go to get to work on time.
  • Headline: Dean Acheson Supports Roosevelt Again; Says He Is Needed in Time of World Crisis. Impact: Acheson's support for Roosevelt reinforced the idea that sometimes you just need a seasoned politician to navigate through chaos, a concept that would be repackaged as 'experience matters' in countless election cycles to come. Fact: Did you know that Dean Acheson was the kind of guy who could make even the most mundane speech sound like a thrilling adventure? Talk about making history sexy!.

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