March 1940 in History

Events in History

Goering Smelts the Bells

Mar 15 Hermann Goering says 100-200 church bells enough for Germany, smelt the rest

Mar 16 German air raid on British fleet base Scapa Flow

Agreement of Interest

Mar 18 Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler meet at Brenner Pass where the Italian dictator agrees he will, in due course, join Germany's impending war effort in the west

Mar 19 Failed British air raid on German base at Sylt

Event of Interest

Mar 19 French government of Édouard Daladier falls

Mar 20 Paul Reynoud becomes French premier
Mar 23 The Lahore Resolution (Qarardad-e-Lahore), calling for independent Muslim state(s), is adopted by the All-India Muslim League

Theater Premiere

Mar 26 "The Fifth Column", a play by Ernest Hemingway and adapted by Benjamin Glazer premieres in NYC courtesy of the Theater Guild

Election of Interest

Mar 27 Peter Fraser becomes Prime Minister of New Zealand after the death of his predecessor Michael Joeseph Savage from cancer

Mar 28 Construction begins of the exhibition center to host the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair
Mar 28 WWII: Two Dutch Fokker fighter plane crews shoot down British RAF bomber near Rotterdam
Mar 31 Karelo-Finnish SSR becomes 12th Soviet republic (until 1956)

Birthdays in History

Mar 1 Robert Grossman, American illustrator, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2018)
Mar 2 Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, chairman (South African Prog Fed Party, 1979-86)
Mar 3 Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian writer and journalist
Mar 4 Volodymyr Morozov, Ukrainian flatwater canoer
Mar 5 Mary Rose Oakar, American politician (Rep-D-Ohio 1977-93), born in Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 5 Tetsuya Noda, Japanese artist, photographer and printmaker (Diary series), born in Uki, Japan
Mar 7 Harald Gerlach, German writer, born in Bolesławiec, Poland (d. 2001)
Mar 7 Rudi [Rudolf] Dutschke, German student leader (Glasnost Berlin)
Mar 7 Viktor Savinykh, Soviet-Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz T-4, T-13, TM-5), born in Berezkiny, Kirov, Russia
Mar 8 Leslie Isben Rogge, one of FBI's most wanted
Mar 10 David Rabe, American playwright (Streamers), born in Dubuque, Iowa
Mar 15 Frank Dobson, British politician
Mar 15 Margo Coleman, American advice columnist
Mar 16 Jan P. Pronk, Dutch politician (PvdA)
Mar 16 Jan Schaefer, Dutch asst secretary of state (PvdA)
Mar 17 Mark White, American politician, lawyer, and 43rd Governor of Texas (1983-7), born in Henderson, Texas (d. 2017)
Mar 20 Gianpiero Moretti, steering wheel designer (Momo), born in Milan, Italy (d. 2012)
Mar 24 Robert "Bob" Mackie, American fashion designer (RuPaul, Tina Turner, Judy Garland, Carol Burnett, Barbra Streisand, Cher), born in Monterey Park, California

Nancy Pelosi (83 years old)

Mar 26 American politician (Rep-D-California 1987-), 1st female Speaker of the House (2007-11, 2019-), born in Baltimore, Maryland

Mar 26 Servaes Huys, Dutch politician (PvdA)
Mar 31 Barney Frank, American politician (Rep-D-MA, 1981-2013), born in Bayonne, New Jersey
Mar 31 Patrick Leahy, American politician (Senator-D-Vermont, 1975-), born in Montpelier, Vermont

Weddings in History

Walter Cronkite

Mar 30 Broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite weds Mary Elizabeth Maxwell at the Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

Deaths in History

Mar 1 Anton Hansen Tammsaare, Estonian author (Truth and Justice), dies at 62
Mar 4 Hamlin Garland, American writer (Middle Border), dies at 79
Mar 5 Cai Yuanpei, Chinese educator (b. 1868)
Mar 7 Edwin Markham, American poet (1st winner of American Academy of Poets Award 1937), dies at 87
Mar 10 Mikhaïl Boulgakov, Russian writer (b. 1891)