- 1940
| Jan 05 | The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) got its very first demonstration of FM radio. The new medium, free of interference, static, and noise in thunderstorms, was developed by Major E.H. Armstrong. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 31 | The first Social Security check is issued by the U.S. Government -- to Ida Fuller of Brattlesboro, VT. Her check number is 00-000-001 and is for $22.54. | Ref: 3 |
| Feb 26 | (Long Island) US Air Defense Command established at Mitchell Field, Long Island NY. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 28 | US population at 131,669,275 (12,865,518 blacks (9.8%)). | Ref: 5 |
| May 15 | Nylon Day in U.S.;Du Pont causes shopping hysteria and riots when nylon stockings go on sale for the first time. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 24 | The FBI established a Special Intelligence Service (SIS) at President Roosevelt's request. In connection with the SIS, the Bureau dispatched Agents to countries throughout the Western Hemisphere (except Panama). FBI Agents in South and Central America gathered intelligence information and worked to prevent Axis espionage, sabotage, and propaganda efforts aimed against the US and its allies. Special Agents assigned to posts in Europe, Canada and Latin America began acting in an official liaison capacity. After President Truman closed the SIS in 1946 these Agent liaisons formed the basis of the FBI's Legal Attaché (Legat) Program. | Ref: 14 |
| Jun 29 | US passes Alien Registration Act requiring Aliens to register. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | US Fish & Wildlife Service established. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 02 | Lake Washington (Seattle) Floating bridge dedicated. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 15 | First betatron placed in operation, Urbana, Il. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 31 | The FBI created a Disaster Squad to assist civilian authorities in identifying persons who died in a Virginia plane crash. FBI personnel were among the victims. | Ref: 14 |
| Sep 14 | Congress passes first peace-time conscription bill (draft law - Selective Service Act). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 16 | Sam Rayburn of TX became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Rayburn served as Speaker for 17 years. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 03 | U.S. Army adopts airborne, or parachute, soldiers. Airborne troops were later used in World War II for landing troops in combat and infiltrating agents into enemy territory. | Ref: 2 |
- 1941
| Jan 01 | The FBI seal, as currently depicted, came into limited use at this time. The prior seal had been the DOJ seal with an extra band for the FBI and its motto. | Ref: 14 |
| Feb 21 | (Chairman, Joint Chiefs) US Senate accepts Omar Bradley's demotion to Brigadier-General. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 17 | The National Gallery of Art was officially opened by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, D.C. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 22 | The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington goes into operation. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 27 | Britain leases defense bases in Trinidad to US for 99 years | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | Navy takes over Treasure Island (SF Bay). | Ref: 5 |
| May 26 | American Flag House (Betsy Ross' Home) given to city of Philadelphia. | Ref: 5 |
| May 31 | The very first issue of Parade: The Weekly Picture Newspaper went on sale. Some 125,000 copies were sold for a nickel each. Parade became the most-read publication in the U.S. with a circulation of over 22-million readers in 132 newspapers. | Ref: 4 |
| Jun 20 | The US Army Air Force is established, replacing the Army Air Corps. | Ref: 2 |
| Jul 19 | President Roosevelt appointed FEP Committee. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 31 | Mount Rushmore was ‘completed’ this day. Actually, the money ran out. Work on the monument, honoring Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt, had begun August 10, 1927. It was dedicated March 3, 1933 although work continued. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum died in 1941 and his son, Lincoln, continued the project until funds ran out on this day. Since then, no additional carving has been done, nor is any further work (other than maintenance) on the memorial planned. | Ref: 4 |
- 1942
| Mar 09 | Construction of the Alaska Highway began. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | US Mint in New Orleans ceases operation. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 03 | William L Dawson elected to Congress from Chicago. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | First US citizenship granted an alien on foreign soil (James Hoey). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration, which had been created to provide jobs during the Depression. | Ref: 70 |
- 1943
| Jan 03 | First missing persons telecast (New York City NY). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | The United States and Britain signed treaties relinquishing extraterritorial rights in China. | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 15 | Work was completed on the Pentagon, now the headquarters of the US Department of Defense. | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 15 | 1,000 workers complete the air conditioning system for the Pentagon. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 08 | Wendell Wilkie’s One World was published for the first time. In less than two months, sales reached a million copies. | Ref: 4 |
| Apr 13 | The Thomas Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC. On this, the anniversary of Jefferson’s birth by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. | Ref: 4 |
| Apr 15 | Metropolitan Life Insurances issues a $225 million check to Chase. | Ref: 5 |
| May 14 | The Senate passes an income tax withholding plan. ("May 14, Your Birthday", Natalis Press, ©1990) | |
-
| Jun 10 | FDR signs withholding tax bill into law (this is W-2 Day!). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 01 | "Pay-as-you-go" income tax withholding began. | Ref: 70 |
| Aug 04 | Rosalie Thorn is the first female awarded the Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal. | |
| Oct 14 | By order of the Federal Trade Commission, NBC sells its "Blue" network to Edward J. Noble who names it the American Broadcasting System. A year later the name is changes to ABC. | |
| Nov 18 | First US ambassador to Canada, Ray Atherton, nominated. | Ref: 5 |
- 1944
-
| Jan 18 | First Chinese naturalized US citizen since repeal of exclusion acts. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 26 | First female US navy captain, Sue Dauser of nurse corps, appointed. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 29 | Dorothy Vredenburgh accepts an appointment by the Democratic National Committee becoming the first woman secretary of a national political party in the U.S. | Ref: 2 |
| May 09 | Country singer Jimmie Davis becomes Governor of Louisiana. | Ref: 5 |
| May 10 | Smith v Allwright (excluding Blacks from primary voting) is illegal. | Ref: 5 |
| May 20 | US Communist Party dissolves. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 23 | Thomas Mann becomes a US citizen. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 09 | U.S. D.A. Forest Service launches anti-forest fire campaign starring Smokey the Bear. | Ref: 10 |
- 1945
| Feb 07 | President Truman appoints Irwin C Mollison judge of US Customs Court. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 01 | The New York State Commission Against Discrimination is established--the first such agency in the United States. | Ref: 2 |
| Jul 06 | President Truman signs an executive order establishing the Medal of Freedom. (XDG, p 4A, 7/6/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 12 | Jesse James Payne lynched in Madison County Florida. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | General George C. Marshall was named special US envoy to China to try to end hostilities between the Nationalists and the Communists. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Congress officially recognizes "Pledge of Allegiance". | Ref: 5 |
- 1946
| Jan 03 | President Harry S. Truman calls on Americans to spur Congress to act on the on-going labor crisis. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 08 | President Harry S. Truman vows to stand by the Yalta accord on self-determination for the Balkans. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 30 | The Strategic Air Command (SAC) and the Tactical Air Command (TAC) are created. | |
| Feb 07 | Filibuster in US Senate kills FEPC bill. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 18 | US recognizes Tito's Yugoslavia government. | Ref: 5 |
| May 01 | Mrs Emma Clarissa Clement named "American Mother of the Year". | Ref: 5 |
| May 02 | 5 die in a 2 day riot at Alcatraz prison in San Fransisco Bay. | Ref: 5 |
| May 11 | The first CARE (Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere) packages arrived in Europe, at Le Havre, France. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 17 | SW Bell innaugurates mobile telephone commercial service, St Louis. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 22 | Jet airplanes were used to transport mail for the first time. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 06 | US officially submits to jurisdiction of World Court. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 04 | The U.S. Navy seized oil refineries in order to break a 20-state post-war strike. | Ref: 59 |
| Nov 05 | Republicans captured control of both the Senate and the House in midterm elections. (XDG, p 4A, 11/05/2003) | Ref: 83 |
- 1947
| Jan 03 | Congressional proceedings were televised for the first time as viewers in Washington, Philadelphia and NY got to see some of the opening ceremonies of the 80th Congress. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 04 | Presbyterian clergyman Peter Marshall ("A Man Called Peter"), 45, was elected Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. He was the 54th chaplain chosen in the Senate's history, and the first Presbyterian appointed since 1879. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 08 | General George Marshall becomes Secretary of State. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 17 | Voice of America begins broadcasting to the USSR. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 06 | The ship, The Newport News, was launched from a shipbuilding yard at Newport News, VA. It was the first air-conditioned naval ship. | Ref: 24 |
| Mar 12 | President Truman established what became known as the "Truman Doctrine" to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 14 | The United States signs a 99-year lease on naval bases in the Philippines. | Ref: 2 |
| Mar 22 | President Truman signs executive order calling for loyalty. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 24 | Congress proposes the limitation of the presidency to two terms. | Ref: 2 |
| Apr 16 | Financier and presidential confidant Bernard M. Baruch said in a speech at the South Carolina statehouse, "Let us not be deceived. We are today in the midst of a cold war." | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 30 | Maps had to be changed as Boulder Dam was changed back to its original name, Hoover Dam. Some people, mostly those who live in the community of Boulder, NV, still refer to the dam as Boulder Dam. | Ref: 4 |
| May 13 | Senate approved the Taft-Hartley Act limiting the power of unions. | Ref: 5 |
| May 14 | The US War Department rushes 1.2 million tons of food, mostly grain to war-ravaged Germany. ("May 14, Your Birthday", Natalis Press, ©1990) | |
| May 22 | The "Truman Doctrine" was enacted as Congress appropriated military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey. | Ref: 70 |
| Jun 04 | The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Taft-Hartley Act, which allows the president to intervene in labor disputes. | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 18 | President Harry S. Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act, which placed the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tempore next in the line of succession after the vice president. | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 23 | US President Harry S Truman made the first Presidential surprise visit to Capitol Hill since 1789. ‘Give ’Em Hell Harry’ slipped into the Senate seat that he formerly used when representing his home state of Missouri. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 23 | First (US Navy) air squadron of jets, Quonset Point, RI. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 25 | US Air Force, Navy & War Dept form US Dept of Defense. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 25 | US Deptartment of the Army created. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 26 | President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, creating the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. | Ref: 70 |
| Sep 17 | James V. Forrestal was sworn in as the first U.S. secretary of defense. | Ref: 70 |
| Sep 18 | The National Security Act, which unified the Army, Navy and newly formed Air Force into a National Military Establishment, went into effect. | Ref: 2 |
| Sep 25 | General Carl Spaatz is appointed the first USAF Chief of Staff. | Ref: 50 |
| Sep 26 | Transfer of personnel, bases, and material from the Army to USAF is ordered. | Ref: 50 |
| Oct 01 | US control of Haitian customs & governmental revenue ends. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by President Harry S. Truman. | Ref: 70 |
- 1948
| Jan 07 | US President Truman raises taxes for Marshall-plan. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 26 | Executive Order 9981, end segregation in US Armed Forces is signed. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 02 | The United States and Italy sign a pact of friendship, commerce and navigation. | Ref: 2 |
| Feb 02 | President Truman urges congress to adopt a civil rights program. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 07 | Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Army chief of staff and is succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley. | Ref: 70 |
| Feb 12 | First Lieutenant Nancy Leftenant becomes 1st black in army nursing corps. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 03 | President Truman signs the Marshall Plan, which allocated more than $5 billion in aid for 16 European countries. (Go to article.) | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 21 | First Polaroid camera is sold in US. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 24 | The Berlin airlift begins to relieve surrounded city. | Ref: 2 |
| May 14 | US grants Israel de facto recognition. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 03 | Korczak Ziolkowski begins sculpture of Crazy Horse near Mt Rushmore. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 18 | American Library Association adopts the Library Bill of Rights. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 21 | The Republican national convention opened in Philadelphia. | Ref: 6 |
| Jul 06 | Frieda Hennock became the first woman to serve as commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. She was appointed to the post by President Harry S Truman. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 12 | The Democratic national convention opens in Philadelphia. (XDG, p 4A, 7/12/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| Aug 04 | 5 day southern filibuster succeeds in maintaining poll tax. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 20 | The first uniform birth registration system for numbering U.S. birth certificates goes into effect. | |
| Nov 16 | President Harry S Truman rejects four-power talks on Berlin until the blockade is removed. | Ref: 2 |
| Dec 09 | The United States abandons a plan to de-concentrate industry in Japan. | Ref: 2 |
- 1949
| Jan 18 | First US Congressional standing committee headed by Negro (W Dawson). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | President Truman announces his point 4 program. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | J Edgar Hoover gives Shirley Temple a tear gas fountain pen. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 29 | The ship, The Newport News, was commissioned as the first air-conditioned naval ship -- in Virginia. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 20 | First International Pancake Race held (Liberal KS). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 02 | The first automatic street lights were installed in the US in New Milford CT. (XDG, p 4A, 3/2/2001) | Ref: 83 |
| May 14 | In what will escalate into an international incident, US authorities take US communist fugitive Gerhard Eisler off the Polish ship "Batory" in London. ("May 14, Your Birthday", Natalis Press, ©1990) | |
| May 18 | Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America incorporates. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | Mrs Georgia Neese Clark of Kansas becomes first woman treasurer of US. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 14 | The state legislature of Missouri adopted The Missouri Waltz as its official state song. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 21 | The US Senate ratifies North Atlantic Treaty by a vote of 82-13. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 10 | The National Military Establishment was renamed the Department of Defense. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 06 | President Truman signs the Mutual Defense Assistance Act totaling $3.1B in military aid to NATO countries. (XDG, p 4A, 10/06/2001) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 26 | President Truman signed a measure raising the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents an hour. | Ref: 6 |
| Oct 28 | Helen Eugenie Moore Anderson is sworn in as the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, becoming the first female to serve as an official American ambassador. | Ref: 3 |
| Nov 18 | The U.S. Air Force grounds B-29s after two crashes and 23 deaths in three days. | Ref: 2 |
|
US History 1940 to 1949 Chronology