Category Archives: 1940s

German forces wipe out Czech village of Lidice in reprisal for assassination of top Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 10 1942)

1940s, The Holocaust, World War II


Video: 'Lidice Massacre - Brutal Nazi Revenge for Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich - Operation Anthropoid'

(Wednesday, June 10, 1942, the shooting of the men commenced at about 7:00 a.m. and continued until the afternoon hours Central European Summer Time; during the Lidice massacre, part of World War II) — German forces burned the tiny Czech village of Lidice today after executing 173 men and shipping the women and children to concentration camps in reprisal for the recent assassination of Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich, architect of The Holocaust, the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Continue reading German forces wipe out Czech village of Lidice in reprisal for assassination of top Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 10 1942) →

Battle of Midway ends in decisive American victory over Japan, marking turning point in Pacific War 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 7 1942)

1940s, World War II


Video: 'Battle 360: Battle of Midway Leads to WWII Victory (S1, E2) | Full Episode | History'

(Sunday, June 7, 1942, 7:10 a.m. local time/12:40 p.m. Eastern War Time) — The Battle of Midway,  a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that began on June 4, 1942, ended today in a decisive U.S. victory despite the sinking of the USS Yorktown, which had been torpedoed the previous day. Continue reading Battle of Midway ends in decisive American victory over Japan, marking turning point in Pacific War 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 7 1942) →

World War II Battle of Midway begins near Midway Atoll in North Pacific Ocean 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 4 1942)

1940s, World War II


Video: 'Battle 360: Battle of Midway Leads to WWII Victory (S1, E2) | Full Episode | History' (June 4, 1942, at 9:00)

(Thursday, June 4, 1942, 6:30 a.m. local time/1:30 p.m. Eastern War Time) — The Battle of Midway, a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place six months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, began today when Japanese planes struck Midway Atoll, facing meager opposition. Continue reading World War II Battle of Midway begins near Midway Atoll in North Pacific Ocean 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 4 1942) →

Top Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich, a principal architect of The Holocaust, dies eight days after attack in Prague 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 4 1942)

1940s, World War II


Video: 'The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich | Nazi Hunters'

(Thursday, June 4, 1942, around 4:30 a.m. Central European Summer Time; during Operation Anthropoid, part of World War II) — Reinhard Heydrich, a high-ranking German SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of The Holocaust, died of sepsis this morning in Prague, one week after he was ambushed by a team of Czech and Slovak soldiers in Operation Anthropoid. Continue reading Top Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich, a principal architect of The Holocaust, dies eight days after attack in Prague 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 4 1942) →

Bing Crosby records ‘White Christmas,’ best-selling single of all-time, in Los Angeles 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (May 29 1942)

1940s, Christmas, Movies 1940s, Popular Music 1940s

(Friday, May 29, 1942) — “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby, the world’s best-selling single (in terms of sales of physical media), was recorded today with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers at the Radio Recorders recording studio, 932 N. Western Avenue in Los Angeles. Continue reading Bing Crosby records ‘White Christmas,’ best-selling single of all-time, in Los Angeles 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (May 29 1942) →

U.S. opens concentration camp in Northern California to incarcerate Japanese Americans forcibly removed from their homes 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (May 27 1942)

1940s, World War II


Video: 'George Takei Visits Tule Lake Concentration Camp'

(Wednesday, May 27, 1942; during World War II) — The Tule Lake War Relocation Center, the second of ten concentration camps constructed in 1942 by the United States government to incarcerate Japanese Americans forcibly removed from their homes on the West Coast, opened today in Modoc and Siskiyou counties in Northern California. Continue reading U.S. opens concentration camp in Northern California to incarcerate Japanese Americans forcibly removed from their homes 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (May 27 1942) →

Czech partisans attack and mortally wound top Nazi leader and Holocaust mastermind Reinhard Heydrich in Prague 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (May 27 1942)

1940s, The Holocaust, World War II


Video: 'The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich | Nazi Hunters'

(Wednesday, May 27, 1942, approximately 10:35 a.m. Central European Summer Time; during Operation Anthropoid, part of World War II) — Reinhard Heydrich — the commander of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), acting governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and a principal architect of The Holocaust — was attacked and wounded today in an assassination attempt by a team of Czech and Slovak soldiers. Continue reading Czech partisans attack and mortally wound top Nazi leader and Holocaust mastermind Reinhard Heydrich in Prague 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (May 27 1942) →

Sobibór extermination camp becomes operational in German-occupied Poland 80 years ago #OnThisDate #OTD (May 16 1942)

1940s, The Holocaust, World War II


Video: 'Sobibor'

(Saturday, May 16, 1942; during the The Holocaust, part of World War II) — Sobibór, an extermination camp built and operated by Nazi Germany in the forest near the village of Sobibór in the General Government region of German-occupied Poland for the sole purpose of murdering Jews, became fully operational today (note: some sources say the camp may have become fully operation on Monday, May 18). Continue reading Sobibór extermination camp becomes operational in German-occupied Poland 80 years ago #OnThisDate #OTD (May 16 1942) →

‘Tangerine’ by Jimmy Dorsey peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (May 9 1942)

1940s, Movies 1940s, Popular Music 1940s

(Saturday, May 9, 1942) — “Tangerine” by Jimmy Dorsey And His Orchestra (vocal choruses by Bob Eberly and Helen O’Connell) peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart for the first of six consecutive weeks (May 9/16/23/30, June 6/13, 1942). Continue reading ‘Tangerine’ by Jimmy Dorsey peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (May 9 1942) →

U.S. forces surrender on Corregidor Island, last Allied stronghold in the Philippines 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (May 6 1942)

1940s, World War II


Video: 'Fall of Corregidor - Last day of the Battle of Corregidor'

(Wednesday, May 6, 1942, at about 1:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time; during the Battle of Corregidor, part of the Pacific Theater of World War II) — Some 15,000 American and Filipino troops on Corregidor island surrendered to Japanese forces today as U.S. Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright sent two officers forward with a white flag to carry his surrender message to the Japanese. Continue reading U.S. forces surrender on Corregidor Island, last Allied stronghold in the Philippines 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (May 6 1942) →