DECEMBER 3, 1940

TUESDAY
$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
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 Letter
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The Letter
The Sea Hawk
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The Sea Hawk
They Drive by Night
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They Drive by Night
The Bank Dick
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The Bank Dick
Dr. Cyclops
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Dr. Cyclops
Fantasia
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Fantasia
One Night in the Tropics
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One Night in the Tropics
The Thief of Bagdad
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The Thief of Bagdad
The Long Voyage Home
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The Long Voyage Home
You'll Find Out
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You'll Find Out
The Westerner
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The Westerner
Christmas in July
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Christmas in July
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
The Mark of Zorro
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The Mark of Zorro
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
December 3, 1940 Trivia
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The Story of December 3, 1940

On December 3, 1940, the U.

Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 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 ON December 3, 1940

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Defense Post for Chinlund. Impact: Chinlund's new defense post heralded the dawn of a bureaucratic dynasty, inspiring a future where paperwork and red tape became the true weapons of choice.. Fact: Chinlund's appointment was so thrilling that it almost led to spontaneous celebrationsβ€”if only people could find the right forms to fill out first..
  • Headline: Army Stove Strike Ended. Impact: The conclusion of the stove strike ensured that soldiers could finally enjoy warm meals, which, in turn, led to a massive increase in army morale and the invention of the campfire sing-along.. Fact: It's said that the army stove was so popular it inspired a new saying: 'A warm meal is worth a thousand battles.' Because, you know, nothing beats a good stew in wartime..
  • Headline: GOLDEN GOPHERS NO. 1 IN DICKINSON RATINGS; Minnesota, Three-Time Victor, Takes Rockne Trophy. Impact: The Gophers' victory sparked a frenzy of mascot competitions, leading to an era where universities were judged more on their mascots than their academic prowess.. Fact: The Rockne Trophy was so coveted that it was rumored to have its own fan club. Yes, trophies need fans tooβ€”welcome to the age of inanimate object celebrity..
  • Headline: RITES HONOR JERVIS BAY; Memorial Service on Warship Held Near Scene of Exploit. Impact: The memorial served as a solemn reminder that every great naval exploit comes with its share of tragedy, possibly inspiring future sailors to invest in life jackets instead of bravado.. Fact: Memorial services on warships have a way of making everyone feel both honored and slightly seasick at the same time. Who knew respect came with a side of nausea?.
  • Headline: ITALIANS FALL BACK; Central Defense Line of Fascisti Reported to Have Collapsed DRIVE ALONG COAST GAINS Greeks Penetrate to Positions Above Delvino--Troops Also Push On in Northern Area. Impact: The collapse of the Italian defense line created a ripple effect, leading to a future where Italy embraced pasta as its primary defense strategyβ€”because who could resist a good carb?. Fact: Fascism's decline was such a spectacle that even the pasta factories started holding 'we're sorry' sales, offering discounts on spaghetti to make up for the turmoil..
  • Headline: The International Situation. Impact: As four German divisions headed to Romania, a future where maps became the ultimate collectible began, with people obsessively tracking troop movements like they were trading cards.. Fact: The 'international situation' was so vague that it could refer to anything from troop movements to a particularly bad weather forecast for picnics..

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1940, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1940
$0.06
2025 dataset 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
2025 dataset 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
2025 dataset 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