OCTOBER 21, 1940

MONDAY
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
Knute Rockne All American
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Knute Rockne All American
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 21, 1940 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

October 21, 1940

On October 21, 1940, thousands of attendees participated in mission services at St. Patrick's Cathedral, presided over by Archbishop Francis Spellman. The event highlighted the Catholic Church's engagement in wartime support, as m...

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 21, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Mission Services at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Impact: The massive attendance at these mission services led to an unforeseen increase in the sales of religious-themed ice cream flavors decades later, as people sought solace in both spirit and sugar during existential crises. Fact: Did you know that the first ice cream flavor ever created was actually 'Holy Vanilla'? I guess you could say the congregation was really 'scooped' up!.
  • Headline: Bundle Party for War Relief. Impact: This bundle party inadvertently inspired a future generation of hipsters who would take 'thrift shopping' to a whole new level, bringing about the rise of artisanal war relief products like organic, gluten-free bandages. Fact: Fun fact: the original bundle for war relief was just a collection of mismatched socks. Who knew socks could be so altruistic?.
  • Headline: TO GIVE $260,000 BACK PAY; Atlantic Coast Line to Distribute Sum to 6,469 Paid Too Little. Impact: The Atlantic Coast Line's decision to distribute back pay set off a chain reaction of similar actions, leading to a global movement where every company was pressured to actually pay their employees instead of just promising them a pizza party. Fact: Did you know that back pay is just a fancy term for 'sorry we forgot to pay you, here's some cash to keep quiet'?.
  • Headline: EARL OF ATHLONE IN HYDE PARK TALKS; Roosevelt Is Believed to Have Discussed War Situation-- Party Attends Church. Impact: Roosevelt's discussions with the Earl of Athlone led to a deep conspiracy theory that suggested world leaders were actually plotting to create a new type of tea that would guarantee world peaceβ€”spoiler alert: it didn't work. Fact: Fun fact: the Earl of Athlone was known for his 'tea diplomacy.' Too bad it didn’t come with cookies, or maybe it would have been more effective!.
  • Headline: CHILDREN TO GAIN BY THEATRE PARTY; Performance of 'It Happens on Ice' Tomorrow Night Will Aid Dobbs Ferry Home MANY DINNERS PLANNED Francis Powells Jr. and John W. Morgans Will Entertain Before the Benefit. Impact: The theatre party for children became a blueprint for future charity events, eventually leading to the modern concept of star-studded galas where celebrities raise money for causes they don’t really understand. Fact: Did you know that 'It Happens on Ice' was originally titled 'It Happens off Ice, But We Didn't Want to Pay for the Rights'?.
  • Headline: SHARP WESTCHESTER RISE; Final Figures Expected to Put It at 12 Per Cent. Impact: The sharp rise in Westchester's election registration data prompted a flurry of political memes that would echo through the ages, ultimately leading to the rise of 'armchair politicians' who now comment from the comfort of their couches. Fact: Did you know that the only thing sharper than the rise in registration was the decline in actual interest in the political process? Ah, democracy!.
  • Headline: Best Sellers of the Week Here and Elsewhere. Impact: The best sellers of the week would later inspire a generation of authors to write novels that would become bestsellers purely based on their catchy titles, regardless of contentβ€”thank you, clickbait culture. Fact: Fun fact: Paul Gallico's 'Secret Front' was actually about his unsuccessful attempts to hide from his in-laws. Now that's a plot twist!.
  • Headline: 6 KILLED AS PLANE TRIES TO CATCH MAN; Pilot and Four Strike Jumper in Rescue Attempt When 'Chute Fails to Open SHIP IS TANGLED IN LINES 500 See Unusual Accident at Arkansas Field--Two Are Victims in Kentucky Plane Hits Hill in Fog. Impact: The tragic plane accident led to stricter aviation regulations and a subsequent surge in parachute fashion, resulting in a new trend of 'parachute chic' that would dominate the runways for decades. Fact: It's ironic that while the plane was trying to catch a man, it ended up catching six unfortunate souls instead. Talk about an unexpected twist of fate.
  • Headline: Rev. E.U. Steimle in New Post. Impact: Rev. E.U. Steimle's new post inadvertently sparked a movement towards the modernization of church services, resulting in the creation of 'Wi-Fi Sunday'β€”because who wouldn’t want to tweet their prayers?. Fact: Did you know that Rev. Steimle's first sermon was about the importance of getting a good Wi-Fi signal in church? Blessing the bandwidth!.

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