istoryworld
All Events
US author Henry Miller publishes in Paris Tropic of Capricorn, about his adolescence in New York
Eugenio Pacelli is elected pope and takes the name Pius XII
Madrid falls to the Nationalist forces, bringing the Spanish Civil War to an end and Franco to power
Tommy Handley has a huge success in the British comedy radio programme ITMA (It's That Man Again)
James Thurber publishes his short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Marian Anderson's concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington effectively launches the US civil rights movement
Victor Fleming directs 17-year-old Judy Garland in the film of the famous musical The Wizard of Oz
US chemist Linus Pauling publishes his collected discoveries on The nature of the chemical bond
John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joad family, sharecroppers who are forced to move west to escape the horrors of the Dust Bowl
Irish author Flann O'Brien publishes his first novel, At Swim-Two-Birds
Ninotchka, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, is another great success for the Swedish film star Greta Garbo
Robert Menzies, leader of the United Australia Party, becomes Australia's prime minister
Archaeological treasures are discovered in an Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk
Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears give a series of recitals in the USA at the start of a lifelong partnership
US designer Igor Sikorsky tests the first practical helicopter, using a rotor on a long tail boom to counter torque
Australian author Patrick White publishes his first novel, Happy Valley
Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh star in Gone with the Wind, based on Margaret Mitchell's novel
British racing driver Malcolm Campbell sets a new water speed record of 141 mph
Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan becomes music director of the Berlin State Opera
British author Christopher Isherwood publishes his novel Goodbye to Berlin, based on his own experiences in the city
British pianist Myra Hess begins a wartime series of lunchtime concerts in London's National Gallery
Igor Stravinsky moves to the USA from Paris, his home for nearly 30 years, and settles in Hollywood
John Ford directs John Wayne in the film Stagecoach
Joaquin Rodrigo's concerto for guitar and orchestra, the Concierto de Aranjuez, has its first performance in Barcelona
US crime-writer Raymond Chandler publishes his first novel, The Big Sleep, introducing the hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe
