On This Day

What Happened in 1942

Historical Events

  • Jan 2 World War II: the 28 nations at war with Axis powers pledge to make no separate peace deals
  • Jan 20 Nazi officials hold notorious Wannsee Conference in Berlin to organize the "final solution", the extermination of Europe's Jews
  • Feb 13 Hitler's Operation Sealion, the invasion of England, is cancelled
  • Feb 19 About 150 Japanese warplanes attack the Australian city of Darwin
  • Mar 17 Bełżec Concentration Camp opens with the transport of 30,000 Lublin Polish Jews
  • Mar 26 First "Eichmann transport" to Auschwitz & Birkenau concentration camps
  • Jun 12 Anne Frank gets her diary as a birthday present in Amsterdam
  • Jul 22 Warsaw Ghetto Jews (300,000) are sent to Treblinka Extermination Camp
  • Aug 4 1st train with Jews departs Mechelen Belgium to Auschwitz
  • Aug 9 Mahatma Gandhi and 50 others arrested in Bombay after passing of a "quit India" motion and campaign by the All-India Congress
  • Aug 13 The 'Manhattan Project' commences, under the direction of US General Leslie Groves: its aim - to deliver an atomic bomb
  • Aug 19 World War II: Over 4,000 Canadian and British soldiers killed, wounded or captured raiding Dieppe, France
  • Aug 23 Battle of Stalingrad: 600 Luftwaffe planes bomb Stalingrad (40,000 die)
  • Oct 23 During WWII, Britain launches major offensive at El Alamein, Egypt
  • Nov 12 WWII Naval Battle of Guadalcanal begins between Allied and Japanese forces in Solomon Islands
  • Nov 19 Operation Uranus: Soviet offensive begins during Battle of Stalingrad, 1 million Soviet soldiers encircle the German Sixth Army
  • More Historical Events

1942 in Film & TV

  • May 29 Bing Crosby records "White Christmas", world's best-selling single (estimated 100 million copies sold)
  • May 29 "Yankee Doodle Dandy", based on life of George M. Cohan, directed by Michael Curtiz, starring James Cagney and Joan Lesley, premieres in NYC (Academy Awards Best Actor 1943)
  • Jun 4 "Mrs Miniver" based on the novel by Jan Struther, directed by William Wyler and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon is released in the US (Best Picture 1943)
  • Aug 21 Walt Disney's animated movie "Bambi", based on the book by Felix Salten, is released
  • Oct 22 "Now, Voyager" film directed by Irving Rapper, and starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains, premieres in New York; wins 3 Academy Awards
  • Nov 26 "Casablanca" directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman premieres at Hollywood Theater, NYC (Academy Awards Best Picture 1943)

1942 in Music

1942 in Sport

  • Mar 18 2 black players, Jackie Robinson & Nate Moreland, request a tryout with the Chicago White Sox, they are allowed to work out

Did You Know?

World War II: last cavalry charge in history takes place at Isbushenskij, Russia; the Italian Savoia Cavalleria charges Soviet infantry

On August 23, 1942

Famous People Born in 1942

More Famous Birthdays

Famous People in 1942

World Leaders in 1942

Would You Believe?

Chinese steward Poon Lim begins 133 days adrift after British ship SS Benlomond torpedoed by german U-boat and he is the sole survivor

On November 23, 1942

Famous Weddings

Famous Divorces

  • Jul 21 Actress Mae West (48) divorces vaudeville performer Frank Wallace after 31 years of marriage
  • Oct 2 Jazz musician Louis Armstrong (41) divorces Alpha Smith after 4 years of marriage
  • Dec 15 Actress Mary Astor (36) divorces film editor Manuel del Campo (29) after more than 4 years of marriage

More Weddings & Divorces

Famous People Who Died in 1942

More Famous Deaths

Articles and Photos



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