Historical Events in January 1939

  • Jan 1 Sydney, Australia, swelters in 45 ˚C (113 ˚F) heat, a record for the city.
  • Jan 1 25th Rose Bowl: #7 Southern California beats #3 Duke, 7-3

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jan 2 Bradman scores 107 SA v Victoria, his 4th consecutive century

Cricket Legend Donald Bradman
Cricket Legend
Donald Bradman
  • Jan 2 5th Sugar Bowl: #1 TCU beats #6 Carnegie Tech, 15-7
  • Jan 2 5th Orange Bowl: #2 Tennessee beats #4 Oklahoma, 17-0
  • Jan 3 Gene Cox becomes 1st girl page in US House of Representatives
  • Jan 4 Frieda Wunderlich elected 1st woman dean of a US graduate school

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jan 4 Hermann Goering appoints Reinhard Heydrich head of Jewish Emigration

Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich
Nazi leader
Reinhard Heydrich
Nazi Politician Hermann Goering
Nazi Politician
Hermann Goering
  • Jan 7 US worker's union leader Tom Mooney freed (jailed since 1916)
  • Jan 13 Belgian premier signs Burgos Treaty for trade relations with Franco
  • Jan 13 The Black Friday bush fires burn 20,000 square kilometres of land in Australia, claiming the lives of 71 people.
  • Jan 14 All commercial ferry services between San Francisco and East Bay end
  • Jan 14 Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica
  • Jan 15 1st NFL pro bowl, NY Giants beat All Stars 13-10 in Wrigley Field
  • Jan 15 Municipal Railway & Market St RR begin service to Transbay Terminal
  • Jan 16 Daily newspaper comic strip "Superman" debuts
  • Jan 16 The IRA begins a bombing campaign in England
  • Jan 17 Ed Barrow is elected Yankee president succeeding deceased J Ruppert
  • Jan 18 Australian wicketkeeper Donald Bradman gets his 6th straight ton, 135* v NSW
  • Jan 19 Ernest Hausen of Wisconsin sets chicken-plucking record of 4.4 sec
  • Jan 20 Charles Ives' 1st Sonata "Concord" premieres

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jan 21 George Kaufman and Moss Hart's "American Way" premieres in NYC

Playwright Moss Hart
Playwright
Moss Hart
  • Jan 21 US female Figure Skating championship won by Joan Tozzer
  • Jan 21 US male Figure Skating championship won by Robin Lee
  • Jan 22 Aquatic Park, near Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco dedicated
  • Jan 24 30,000 killed by earthquake in Concepcion Chile

Hall of fameHall of Fame

Jan 24 Eddie Collins, Willie Keeler & George Sisler elected to Hall of Fame

Baseball Legend Eddie Collins
Baseball Legend
Eddie Collins
  • Jan 24 Spanish government moves to Figueras
  • Jan 25 Earthquake hits Chillan Chile, 10,000 killed

Sport defeatBoxing Title Fight

Jan 25 Joe Louis KOs John Henry Lewis in 1 for heavyweight boxing title

Boxer and World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis
Boxer and World Heavyweight Champion
Joe Louis

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jan 25 1st nuclear fission experiment (splitting of a uranium atom) in the US, in basement of Pupin Hall, Columbia University by a team including Enrico Fermi

Father of the Atomic Bomb Enrico Fermi
Father of the Atomic Bomb
Enrico Fermi
  • Jan 26 Federal Hall National Monument established
  • Jan 26 Filming begins on film "Gone With the Wind"

Victory in battleVictory in Battle

Jan 26 Franco conquers Barcelona

Spanish Dictator and General Francisco Franco
Spanish Dictator and General
Francisco Franco
  • Jan 27 First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning
  • Jan 28 32nd Women's Australian Championships: Emily Hood Westacott beats Nell Hall Hopman (6-1, 6-2)
  • Jan 28 32nd Men's Australian Championships: John Bromwich beats Adrian Quist (6-4, 6-1, 6-3)

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jan 30 Adolf Hitler threatens Jews during his speech to the German Reichstag (Parliament)

Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler
Dictator of Nazi Germany
Adolf Hitler
  • Jan 30 Heavy aftershocks destroy some of Chile