DECEMBER 17, 1942

THURSDAY
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
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 17, 1942 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

December 17, 1942

On December 17, 1942, Ecuadorean President Carlos Alberto Arroyo del Río returned to his homeland after a diplomatic mission in the United States, emphasizing the strengthening of U.S.-Ecuador relations during World War II. Meanwh...

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 From December 17, 1942

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Ecuadorean President's Triumphant Return. Impact: The Ecuadorean President's return sparked a national celebration that led to an unexpected tourism boom. Fast forward a few decades, and now the local economy thrives on 'Presidential Return Festivals' where tourists can reenact the moment—complete with confetti and questionable dance moves. Fact: They say the best way to get a hero's welcome is to jet back home after a long absence. Just ask any celebrity or politician—though in this case, the confetti is probably less biodegradable.
  • Headline: Hitler's Schoolmate in Blackmarket Scandal. Impact: This schoolmate’s accusations led to a series of events where ex-Nazis ended up opening restaurants worldwide. If you ever find yourself in a Gothenburg eatery serving suspiciously good schnitzel, you might just be dining on a piece of history. Fact: Nothing says 'I'm sorry for being a Nazi' like opening a restaurant. Maybe the secret ingredient is remorse?.
  • Headline: Darlan's Vision for Free France. Impact: Darlan's plan to free France inadvertently inspired future generations of freedom fighters. Who knew that a rather complicated military strategy would lead to countless Hollywood blockbusters where the underdog always wins?. Fact: In a twist of irony, the phrase 'Free France' was later adopted by a popular chain of fast-food restaurants. Because nothing says liberation like a side of fries.
  • Headline: Cuba Honors U.S. Educators. Impact: By honoring U.S. educators, Cuba unintentionally started a lifelong trend of teacher appreciation days worldwide. Imagine if we had 'Bust Unveiling Day' every year—nothing says gratitude like a permanent bronze statue. Fact: The bust unveiled was actually a prototype for what would become a series of awkwardly positioned statues around the world—because nothing says 'thank you' like a cold hunk of metal.
  • Headline: LONE NAZI PLANES ATTACK ENGLAND; Coastal Towns and Village in Home Counties Are Bombed and Machine-Gunned TWO DOWNED BY FIGHTERS Third Reported Felled by Land Guns -- Many Casualties, Some Fatal, Inflicted. Impact: The bombing of England led to a surge in British resilience, inadvertently inspiring countless war-time songs and movies. If only the Nazis knew they were helping to create the soundtrack for a generation. Fact: The phrase 'keep calm and carry on' was a direct result of events like these. Apparently, it’s hard to panic when you’re too busy writing catchy slogans.
  • Headline: HUNT BOMBER IN ARCTIC; Canadian Plane With Skis Is Seeking American Crew. Impact: The Canadian plane's rescue mission turned into a legendary tale of heroism that inspired countless films. Now, every winter, Canadians celebrate 'Rescue Day', complete with reenactments and hot cocoa. Fact: In an ironic twist, the Canadian plane was later used as a prop for a blockbuster movie about penguins. Because nothing says 'Arctic rescue' like a fluffy black-and-white bird.
  • Headline: CANADA CURTAILS ALCOHOLIC DRINKS; Prime Minister King Orders Cut of 10% for Beer, 20% for Wine and 30% for Spirits. Impact: Canada's cutback on alcoholic drinks led to a cultural shift where people learned to enjoy life sober. Who knew that the path to wellness would be paved with hangover-free mornings?. Fact: In a strange twist, sobriety became trendy, and now 'mocktail' bars are all the rage. Because who wouldn’t want to pay top dollar for a drink that looks fancy but won't get you tipsy?.

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