MAY 19, 1942

TUESDAY
1942 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1942
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $8,968,676 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.39
Median Home Price$4,680.00
Gas Price Avg$0.20
Bread Price Avg$0.10
Movie Ticket Avg$0.33
First Class Stamp$0.03
Milk Price Avg$0.61
Top Movies From 1942
Show screen release and event cards
1 Mrs. Miniver
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Mrs. Miniver
2 Random Harvest
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Random Harvest
3 Yankee Doodle Dandy
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Yankee Doodle Dandy
4 Reap the Wild Wind
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Reap the Wild Wind
5 Road to Morocco
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Road to Morocco
6 Holiday Inn
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Holiday Inn
7 Wake Island
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Wake Island
8 The Pride of the Yankees
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The Pride of the Yankees
9 Kings Row
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Kings Row
10 For Me and My Gal
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For Me and My Gal
The Man Who Came to Dinner
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The Man Who Came to Dinner
To Be or Not to Be
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To Be or Not to Be
Woman of the Year
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Woman of the Year
In This Our Life
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In This Our Life
The Male Animal
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The Male Animal
My Favorite Blonde
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My Favorite Blonde
This Above All
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This Above All
Saboteur
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Saboteur
Larceny, Inc.
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Larceny, Inc.
The Ghost of Frankenstein
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The Ghost of Frankenstein
The Jungle Book
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The Jungle Book
Tarzan's New York Adventure
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Tarzan's New York Adventure
The Maltese Falcon
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The Maltese Falcon
Citizen Kane
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Citizen Kane
The Wolf Man
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The Wolf Man
Suspicion
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Suspicion
Dumbo
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Dumbo
Sullivan's Travels
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Sullivan's Travels
Ball of Fire
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Ball of Fire
Shadow of the Thin Man
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Shadow of the Thin Man
Hellzapoppin'
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Hellzapoppin'

May 19, 1942 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

May 19, 1942

On May 19, 1942, during World War II, U.S. military forces intensified their operations against German U-boats, demonstrating their tactical superiority. Warships and aircraft engaged in relentless assaults against enemy submarine...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of May 1942

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Atomic Reactor (Chicago Pile-1)
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Atomic Reactor (Chicago Pile-1)
2 Electronic Countermeasures Systems
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Electronic Countermeasures Systems
3 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
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Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
4 Modern Rocket Engine
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Modern Rocket Engine
5 High-Altitude Pressure Suit
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High-Altitude Pressure Suit
6 Amphibious Landing Craft
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Amphibious Landing Craft
7 Synthetic Rubber (GR-S)
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Synthetic Rubber (GR-S)
8 Automatic Analog Computer
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Automatic Analog Computer
9 Magnetic Mine Detection
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Magnetic Mine Detection
10 Portable Field Radio
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Portable Field Radio

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From May 19, 1942

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Prado's U.S. Visit and Honorary Degree. Impact: This little meeting between Peru and the U.S. sparked a friendship that would lead to a Netflix documentary about diplomatic bromances in the 20th century. Shocking, I know. Fact: Did you know that honorary degrees are basically the academic version of a participation trophy? Everyone loves a good pat on the back!.
  • Headline: Senate Bill Boosts Airport Funding in 1942. Impact: This airport funding bill almost doubling in size caused a chain reaction that led to people realizing that flying is really just a glorified bus ride in the sky. Fact: Did you know that the average person spends more time waiting at the airport than they do in the actual air? Thank you, bureaucracy!.
  • Headline: Warships and Planes Blast U-Boats Out of Convoy Path; U-BOATS BLASTED FROM CONVOY PATH. Impact: The destruction of U-boats led to a surge in naval architecture, resulting in a series of ships that looked suspiciously like floating hotels. You know, priorities. Fact: Did you know that naval battleships often have better amenities than some hotels? You can’t order room service, but at least there’s a cannon!.
  • Headline: RS. JAMES C. LAMBERT. Impact: The mention of Mrs. James C. Lambert highlights the historical trend of women being defined by their husbands, which has led to an ongoing quest for gender-neutral naming conventions. Spoiler alert: it’s still a work in progress. Fact: Did you know that historically, women were often just footnotes in their husband’s achievements? Thankfully, footnotes are finally getting their time in the spotlight!.
  • Headline: 7,000 PLANTS PUSH PRODUCTION 'FRONT'; Somervell Tells Group Marking Ordnance Anniversary We Are Leading in Output. Impact: Somervell’s announcement about production led to an industrial revolution of sorts, resulting in factories that were so efficient they could churn out a tank faster than you could say 'military-industrial complex'. Fact: Did you know that during wartime, factories often run 24/7, making it the only time people are excited about continuous work shifts? Talk about a workaholic’s dream!.
  • Headline: STEAL SAFE WITH $14,236; Burglars Bind Watchman, Carry Off Strong Box in Truck. Impact: The burglary of a safe worth over $14,000 led to a nationwide trend of people hiding their valuables under their mattresses, which ironically became the birthplace of the modern mattress industry. Fact: Did you know that a mattress is the only thing people willingly sleep on that could also double as a hiding spot for stolen goods? Talk about versatility!.
  • Headline: Paterson Cuts Celebration of 150th Fear To Avoid Interference With War Output. Impact: Paterson cutting the 150th celebration due to war output concerns led to a series of events where people began questioning if celebrations were just fancy distractions from actual problems. Shocking revelation, right?. Fact: Did you know that some people believe that skipping celebrations makes you more productive? If only birthdays could be that easily ignored!.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
KMB
Kimberly-Clark
Price in 1942
$0.69
Stored value
$147,887

Kimberly-Clark - If you invested $1,000 in 1942, it would be worth $147,887 today (147.9x return)

Rank #3
CVX
Chevron
Price in 1942
$0.31
Stored value
$474,914

Chevron - If you invested $1,000 in 1942, it would be worth $474,914 today (474.9x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Wonder Woman #1
Wonder Woman #1
$25,000
All Star Comics #11
All Star Comics #11
$3,000
Captain America Comics #13
Captain America Comics #13
$20,000
Hit Comics #27
Hit Comics #27
$10,200
Detective Comics #66
Detective Comics #66
$1,500
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Inflatable Airplane
Inflatable Airplane
$120.00
Tin Soldiers
Tin Soldiers
$75.00
Simple Wooden Blocks
Simple Wooden Blocks
$75.00
Yo-Yo
Yo-Yo
$1350.00
Silhouette Jigsaw Puzzles
Silhouette Jigsaw Puzzles
$25.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
War Gum (1942)
War Gum (1942)
$2,000
Gill'S Cigarette Cards - Military Series
Gill'S Cigarette Cards - Military Series
$20
British Wartime Stamps
British Wartime Stamps
$10,000,000
Canada War Savings Stamps
Canada War Savings Stamps
$2,000
Ration Card Series
Ration Card Series
$1,000