On This Day

Historical Events in January 1939

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jan 1 Hewlett-Packard is founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in a garage in Palo Alto, California "the birthplace of Silicon Valley"

Electrical Engineer and Businessman Bill Hewlett
Electrical Engineer and Businessman
Bill Hewlett
  • 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 Master batsman Don Bradman scores 107 for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match against Victoria for his 4th consecutive century in first-class cricket

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)

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jan 12 Timely Comics (later Marvel) founded by American publisher Martin Goodman in New York

Comic-Book Artist and Marvel Creative Leader Stan Lee
Comic-Book Artist and Marvel Creative Leader
Stan Lee

AgreementTreaty of Interest

Jan 13 Belgian premier signs Burgos Treaty for trade relations with Franco's Spain

Spanish Dictator and General Francisco Franco
Spanish Dictator and General
Francisco 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

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jan 15 1st NFL All Star Game, Wrigley Field, Chicago: New York Giants beat All America All-Stars, 13-10

American Football Player Mel Hein
American Football Player
Mel Hein

  • Jan 15 Municipal Railway & Market St RR begin service to Transbay Terminal
  • Jan 16 Daily newspaper comic strip "Superman" debuts
  • Jan 16 The Irish Republican Army (IRA) begins a 14 month long bombing campaign in England
  • Jan 17 Ed Barrow is elected Yankee president succeeding deceased J Ruppert
  • Jan 19 Ernest Hausen of Wisconsin sets chicken-plucking record of 4.4 sec
  • Jan 20 Charles Ives' 1st Sonata "Concord" premieres
  • Jan 20 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Patty Berg wins 3rd straight title by 2 strokes ahead of Dorothy Kirby

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"
  • Jan 26 Francisco Franco's troops conquer Barcelona
  • Jan 27 First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning
  • Jan 28 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Emily Hood Westacott beats Nell Hall Hopman 6-1, 6-2 for her only Grand Slam singles title
  • Jan 28 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Australian John Bromwich wins his 1st Australian title; beats doubles partner 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

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