DECEMBER 15, 1942

TUESDAY
$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
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
The Palm Beach Story
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The Palm Beach Story
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 Black Swan
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The Black Swan
The Talk of the Town
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The Talk of the Town
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
The Spoilers
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The Spoilers
Across the Pacific
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Across the Pacific
The Magnificent Ambersons
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The Magnificent Ambersons
The Pied Piper
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The Pied Piper
The Major and the Minor
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The Major and the Minor
Saboteur
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Saboteur
Larceny, Inc.
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Larceny, Inc.
Moontide
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Moontide
I Married a Witch
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I Married a Witch
The Ghost of Frankenstein
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The Ghost of Frankenstein
The Big Street
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The Big Street
Bambi
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Bambi
Now, Voyager
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Now, Voyager
Tales of Manhattan
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Tales of Manhattan
The Moon and Sixpence
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The Moon and Sixpence
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
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Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
Flying Tigers
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Flying Tigers
The Glass Key
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The Glass Key
Gentleman Jim
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Gentleman Jim
The Jungle Book
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The Jungle Book
The Undying Monster
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The Undying Monster
Tarzan's New York Adventure
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Tarzan's New York Adventure
To the Shores of Tripoli
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To the Shores of Tripoli
The Mummy's Tomb
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The Mummy's Tomb
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'
December 15, 1942 Trivia
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The Story of December 15, 1942

On December 15, 1942, the United States was embroiled in World War II, with significant military campaigns unfolding on multiple fronts.

Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 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 ON December 15, 1942

Full News Archive

  • Headline: FHA Cases: 31 Plead Not Guilty. Impact: This conspiracy case led to a heated debate on ethics in finance, which ultimately spiraled into the creation of a secret society of lawyers who only communicate through interpretive dance. Yes, that's right; the courtrooms of the future are going to be quite the spectacle.. Fact: Fun fact: If you plead 'not guilty' enough times, you can actually become a minor celebrity in the legal world. Just ask any reality show contestant..
  • Headline: Soviet Resistance at Stalingrad Intensifies. Impact: The relentless push of the Nazis against the Russians became a dramatic plot twist in the global narrative, eventually inspiring countless movies, video games, and a few really bad historical documentaries. Let's just say that the drama never really left the battlefield.. Fact: Fun fact: The Battle of Stalingrad was so intense that even the rats were organizing their own resistance movements. They definitely had a better survival strategy than some of the soldiers..
  • Headline: TAMMANY DATA EXHIBITED; Part of the Kilroe Collection Is Shown at Columbia. Impact: The exhibition of the Kilroe collection at Columbia became a pivotal moment in Tammany Hall history, inadvertently inspiring future generations to create elaborate data sets that would eventually confuse everyone in the room. No one really knows what they were doing, but it was definitely important.. Fact: Did you know that Tammany Hall was known for its 'political machines'? They didn't actually run on electricity; they just had really good coffee and a lot of questionable ethics..
  • Headline: Bear Is Freed in Court; Just Friendly, Not Tipsy. Impact: The bear's court case opened the floodgates for future animal rights activists, who took one look at this poor bear and thought, 'If he can get off, so can we!' This led to an unexpected boom in animal lawyers, some of whom now offer services via Zoom.. Fact: Fun fact: This bear was actually the first animal in U.S. history to successfully argue its own caseβ€”though it mostly involved growling and pawing at the judge..
  • Headline: FOUR FACE COURT IN SEDITION PLOT; West Indies Negroes Accused of Hailing the Japanese as Being 'Invincible' DETECTIVE FIRST WITNESS He Describes Meetings Held in Harlem by the Ethiopian Pacific Movement Leaders. Impact: The sedition plot trial not only highlighted racial tensions but also inspired a wave of underground movements that were seriously overzealous about their 'invincible' rhetoric. Spoiler alert: they were not invincible.. Fact: Did you know that the only thing more divisive than this trial was the pizza topping debate? Pineapple, anyone?.
  • Headline: Publishers' Statement. Impact: The publishers' strike for better conditions became a rallying point for workers everywhere, inadvertently leading to a global renaissance of workplace comedy shows. Because, let's face it, nothing says 'fight the power' like a good laugh.. Fact: Fun fact: The Deliverers Union strike was so effective that it inspired a whole genre of movies where delivery people save the day, often featuring a heroic pizza driver who delivers justice as well as dinner..
  • Headline: Union Seeks 7-Day Week For Women War Workers. Impact: The push for a 7-day workweek for women war workers created a domino effect, eventually leading to the modern-day debate over work-life balance. Spoiler alert: No one has found that balance yet, but plenty of memes have emerged.. Fact: Did you know that the 7-day workweek proposal was actually just a clever way to get more cupcakes in the break room? Because who doesn’t want a little sweetness on a Sunday?.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1942, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
KMB
Kimberly-Clark
Price in 1942
$0.69
2025 dataset 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
2025 dataset 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