World Events and Discoveries in 1939 — Timeline
8 documented historical milestones concerning world events and discoveries in 1939.
Dated historical records
Entries below follow the dates recorded in the WWII CHRONOS archive. Each linked title opens the original historical entry, including its source reference.
- — Hewlett-Packard Founded — The beginning of one of the key manufacturers of electronic measurement and computing equipment.
- — RCA Demonstrates Electronic Television to the Public at the New York World's Fair — An important step from experimental television toward a mass medium.
- — First Funding for the Harvard Mark I — The automatic electromechanical calculator project received its initial funding.
- — First Regular Transatlantic Passenger Flight by Pan American — 22 passengers and 11 crew aboard the Boeing 314 Dixie Clipper.
- — First Flight of the Jet-Powered Heinkel He 178 — The German experimental Heinkel He 178 made its first flight using turbojet propulsion, an important early demonstration of a powerplant principle that would transform aviation.
- — First Full-Scale Polyethylene Plant Begins Operation — Polyethylene moves from laboratory material to industrial production.
- — First Flight of the Sikorsky VS-300 Helicopter — A key prototype for the modern single-main-rotor helicopter configuration.
- — World's First Industrial Nylon Plant Begins Operation — In its first year, it produced enough nylon for about 64 million pairs of stockings.
For wider context, explore the interactive historical timeline and compare events across theaters.