Historical Events
- German U-29 sinks British aircraft carrier Courageous, 519 die
- Poland's President Ignacy Mościck and Prime Minister Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski flee to Romania
- Soviet Union invades Eastern Poland allowing Germans to advance West, taking 217,000 Poles prisoner, without a formal declaration of war
- Taisto Mäki of Finland becomes first man to run 10,000 metres in under 30 minutes, in a time of 29:52.6 in Helsinki
US Men's Tennis Open
US National Championship Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Reigning Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs beats fellow American Welby van Horn 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
US Open Women's Tennis
US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Dual champion Alice Marble beats Helen Jacobs 6-0, 8-10, 6-4
1939 History
Famous Birthdays
- David Souter, American retired 107th Supreme Court Justice (1990-2009), born in Melrose, Massachusetts
- Joseph Mosikili, American-born South African broadway actor and singer, born in Amarillo, Texas
- Lamonte McLemore, American champagne soul vocalist (5th Dimension, 1966-2006 - "Up, Up and Away"; "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"), born in St Louis, Missouri
- Shelby Flint, American singer-songwriter ("Angel on My Shoulder"; "Cast Your Fate to the Wind"), born in North Hollywood, California
Famous Deaths
- Ethel M. Dell, English author (Storm Drift), dies at 58
About September 17, 1939
Day of the Week: Sunday
How Long Ago? 84 years and 17 days
Leap Year: No
Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Rabbit
Star Sign: Virgo
