1936-1940

1936
1936 Italy Invades Ethiopia -The Italians had claimed Ethiopia as their territory. With economic conditions worsening at home, Mussolini needed to take actions that would distract the Italian people. In 1936, the Italians fought against poorly-armed Ethiopian troops in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. The League of Nations censured Italy, but that comprised the extent of world reaction.
1936 Spanish Civil War Breaks Out-(7/17/36) The Spanish Army, led by General Franco with support from the Catholic church and the Monarchists, began a revolt against the democratic government of Spain. The revolt was opposed by government Loyalists, and civil war broke out.
In reality, the war became a surrogate war for the European Fascists, with Germany and Italy giving open aid to the Spanish Fascists and the Soviet Union aiding the Loyalists. The rest of Europe followed a policy of neutrality, denying the legitimate government of Spain the arms it needed to defend itself.
1936 Hitler Denounces Locarno Pact, Occupies Rhineland -(3/7/36) On March 7th, Hitler announced that he was renouncing the Locarno Pact guaranteeing European borders, and was reoccupying the Rhineland. There were protests by France and Britain, but the British government was unwilling to take any further action.
1936 Revolt In Japan -An uprising was staged by young Japanese military officers. The mutineers managed to assassinate Japanese finance minister Takahasi Korekiyo. The officers held Tokyo for three days; but the rebellion was ultimately put down, and seventeen of the rebel leaders were sentenced to death.
1936 Arab Revolt in Palestine -An Arab High Committee was formed to unite all Arab opposition to the Jews in Palestine. The Arabs called for a general strike, and rioting continued throughout Palestine. The British appointed a Committee of Inquiry to investigate the situation and recommend a solution.
1936 Treaty Between Egypt and Great Britain -A treaty was signed in August 1936 between Egypt and Great Britain. Under the terms, Great Britain was to withdraw all but 10,000 of its troops. Those troops would be restricted to the Suez Canal Zone. Also, Great Britain would be permitted to keep a naval base in Alexandria for eight years.
1936 Oil Found in Saudi Arabia -In 1936, Standard Oil of California discovered oil under the Saudi desert. The discovery of oil tranformed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into one of the richest nations on earth.

1937
1937 US Army gets 1st B-17 -(3/1/37) On March 1st, the US Army Air Corps received the first of its order of 13 B-17 bombers. These four-engine bombers could cruise at 256 mph, at an altitude of 30,000 feet. The B-17 was to be the main US strategic bomber in Europe during World War II.
1937 Neutrality Act -(5/1/37) This Neutrality Act, which became known as the "Third Neutrality Act," extended the US Neutrality Acts to civil wars. This was primarily in response to the Spanish Civil War.

In May, the Neutrality Acts were once again amended, this time making it unlawful for American citizens to travel on belligerent vessels.
1937 Hindenburg Blows Up -(5/6/37) After traveling from Germany, the German dirigible "Hindenburg" exploded upon landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six of its passengers were killed. The cause of this explosion remains unknown to this day. The Hindenburg disaster put an end to the "Age of the Dirigible."
1937 Sino-Japanese War Resumes-(7/7/37)On July 7th, Japanese troops clashed in maneuvers with Chinese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge, ten miles west of Peking. Three weeks later, the Japanese invaded in large numbers. In order to circumvent the pledge made in the Kellogg Pact, Japan did not officially declare war, but called the event the "China Incident." President Roosevelt took advantage of Japan's reluctance to declare war; using it as a loophole in the Neutrality Act, allowing the United States to continue shipment of weapons to the Chinese.
1937 India's National congress Wins Election -In the elections for provincial assemblies, representatives of the Congress Party achieved absolute majorities in six provinces and plurality in three others. The Congress Party thus faced the dilemma of whether to use the power they had won at the polls, or continue to deny the legitimacy of the process. They opted to begin governing.
1937 Royal Commission calls For Partition Of Palestine -The Peel Commission recommended the partition of Palestine into a small Jewish state, a much larger Arab state united with Transjordan, and a small continuing British presence in Jerusalem, Jaffa and the road between the two cities. The Jews accepted the plan; the Arabs, however, rejected it.
1937 Amelia Earhart Lost -(7/2/37)Amelia Earhart was lost over the Pacific in her attempt to make an around-the-world flight along the equator. The flight, which began in Miami, had made it around the world to Lae, in the Pacific. She was flying a Lockheed "Electra." Her last flight words by radio were "we are flying northeast."
1937 "Quarantine Of Aggressors" -In total opposition to the tone of the neutrality legislation, President Roosevelt, in a speech in Chicago, called for an international "quarantine of the aggressor nations." Roosevelt realized that he was ahead of public opinion; thus it would be a long time before he would repeat the theme.
1937 Somoza Family Gains Control Over Nicaragua -The legitimate government of Juan Sacasa was overthrown by the National Guard, led by General Anastasio Somoza. Somoza became President and acquired dictatorial powers. Members of his family ruled Nicaragua for the next forty years.
1937 Soviet High Command Purged - The purges in the Soviet Union spread to the Soviet military. Marshal Michael Tukhachevski and seven other top generals were arrested and executed for treason.
1937 Revolt in Japan -An uprising was staged by young Japanese military officers. The mutineers managed to assassinate Japanese finance minister Takahasi Korekiyo. The officers held Tokyo for three days; but the rebellion was ultimately put down, and seventeen of the rebel leaders were sentenced to death.
1937 Italian-German Axis Announced-On November 11, 1937, Italy joined an anti-comtern (Communist) pact already in force between the Japanese and the Germans. The pact established the Triple Alliance that became known as "The Axis."
1937 Panay Incident - (12/12/37) On December 12th, Japanese planes bombed a US river gunboat, the Panay, in China. The Panay sank, two were killed and thirty wounded. The State Department demanded an apology, which the Japanese provided. The attack followed Japanese attacks against Chinese civilians.
1938
1938 Germany Seizes Austria - "Anschluss" -On March 12, 1938, German troops invaded Austria. Hitler was received with great enthusiasm by the Austrian people, and he immediately announced that Austria had become part of the German Reich. The laws of Germany, including its anti-Semitic acts, were swiftly applied in Austria.
1938 The Czech Crisis-The Czech Crisis began in March 1938, when Hitler promised protection for German minorities living outside the Reich. Czechoslovakian Premier Hodza responded that Czechoslovakia would defend itself.

In April, the leader of the Sudeten, Konrad Henlein, put forth a series of demands called the "Carlsbad Program." The demands included full autonomy for the German minority, as well as a complete change in the foreign policy of Czechoslovakia.

Negotiations on providing some form of autonomy for the Sudetens continued through the summer. In September, the negotiations were broken off, and Hitler demanded self-determination for the Sudetenland.

British Prime Minster Chamberlain met with Hitler at Berchtesgaden. Hitler stated his demand for the annexation of the Sudetenland.

Britain and France urged the Czech government to accept, and on September 21st, under the imminent threat of losing French and German support, the Czech government agreed. Hitler, however, made additional demands. Chamberlain met with Hitler at Godesberg, but Hitler was adamant and the world girded for war.
1938 Munich Agreement -In a desperate attempt to avoid war, the leaders of Great Britain and France met with Hitler in Munich at the end of September. During the meeting, they acceded to Hitler's demands to cede the Sudetenland to Germany, as well as to most of his additional demands . In return, Hitler pledged that he had no territorial claims on the rest of Czechoslovakia. War had been temporarily avoided at the cost of losing a major ally in the form of a 400,000-man Czech army.
1938 DC-4 Flown First Time -(6/17/38)On June 7th, Douglas Aircraft unveiled their new plane– the DC-4. This aircraft, powered by four Pratt and Whitney engines, seats 52 passengers.
1938 Minumum Wage Set -(6/25/38) The Fair Labor Standards Act was signed by President Roosevelt on June 25th. The Act called for a minimum wage of 25 cents per hour, rising eventually to 40 cents per hour. It mandated a 44-hour work week, to be reduced eventually to 40 hours.
1938 Hughes Sets New "Around The World" Record -(7/14/38) Howard Hughes set a new around-the-world record; at 3 days, 19 hours and 8 minutes. He left on July 10th in a Lockheed 14N "Super Electra." The aircraft, specially designed for Hughes, had a range of nearly 5,000 miles. Hughes stopped in Paris; Moscow, Omsk, Yakutsk (in the Soviet Union); Fairbanks, Alaska; and Minneapolis.
1938 Kristallnacht in Germany -(11/9/38) In a one-night spree, Nazis burned synagogues, destroyed Jewish shops and killed Jews at random. The night became known as "Kristallnacht," the night of the broken glass. The incident portended a much darker fate for the Jews trapped in Europe.
1938 Boeing Unveils Its Stratoliner -(12/31/38) On December 31st, Boeing Aircraft flight-tested its newest aircraft– "The Stratoliner." The aircraft, the first to have a pressurized cabin, could fly higher than any other passenger aircraft. Its cruising altitude was between 14,000 and 20,000 feet. TWA placed initial orders for the planes, and was the only airline to fly them before the war.
1939
1939 Germans Enter Prague - (3/15/39) In March 1939, the remaining parts of Czechoslovakia were dismembered by the Germans. The excuse used was the firing of the Premier of Slovakia. Prague was occupied and Czechoslovakian independence ended. The occupation of Czechoslovakia dashed the hopes of those who believed Hitler's ambitions were limited to merely uniting Germanic lands.
1939 Madrid Surrenders-(3/28/39) The Spanish Civil War came to an end in March 1939, with the surrender of Madrid and Valencia. The Republicans had fought a long and valiant defense, but the superior armaments and outright intervention of the Germans and Italians (particularly the air forces), overwhelmed the Republicans. Seven hundred thousand lost their lives in battle, thirty thousand were executed or assassinated and fifteen thousand were killed in aerial bombings during the course of the war.
1939 Passenger Service Across Atlantic Ocean -(5/20/39)On May 20th, Pan Am began regularly scheduled air service across the Atlantic. The flight took three days, and included stops at the Azores, Lisbon and Marseilles; terminating in Southampton. The British began weekly service on August 11th. Pan Am soon cut the service to 27 hours, via the North Atlantic, (weather permitting). Pan Am flew the Boeing 314A Flying Boat.
1939 Pact Steel -(5/22/39) Italy and Germany entered into a Pact of Steel. The alliance, which was signed by Hitler and Mussolini, pledged each party to support the other in case of war.
1939 The White Paper -The White Paper of 1939 – otherwise known as the MacDonald White Paper – was named for the then British Colonial Secretary. It stated that, since the Balfour Declaration had called only for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, and since there were over 450,000 Jews in Palestine, Britain had met its responsibilities. Therefore, Britain would work towards the establishment of an independent state in Palestine, over a ten-year period. It stated that, over the next five years, it would only admit another 75,000 Jews. As such, any Jews arriving illegally would be deducted from that quota. It also forbade further Jewish purchase of land. The Jews of Palestine and the rest of the Jewish world were outraged at this apparent British betrayal. The White Paper also served to seal the fate of European Jewry, who now had nowhere to flee from Nazi tyranny.
1939 Hatch Act Passed-This act prohibited all but the highest government workers from participating in political campaigns or from soliciting campaign contributions. The act was a major step forward in political reform.
1939 DDT Discovered as Insecticide -The Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Muller discovered the powers of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane) to act as an insecticide in killing insects.
1939 Einstein Writes Roosevelt Letter -(8/2/39)Albert Einstein, the renowned physicist, wrote President Roosevelt a letter outlining the potential of nuclear energy in weapons.
1939 Soviet-German Non-Aggression Treaty -(8/23/39) In a stunning move, the Nazis and the Soviet Union signed a Non-Aggression Pact. The pact, whose terms were kept secret at the time, called for the dividing up of lands between Germany and the Soviet Union. Germany was to receive Western Poland and Lithuania, while the Soviet Union would get Eastern Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Finland.

The Soviets had previously been negotiating with France and Great Britain on a mutual assistance pact. Stalin, however, had lost faith in the British and French ability to deal with the Germans. The Soviets had demanded the right to send troops into Poland in case of a German attack, something that the Poles refused to permit. Thus, no agreement could be reached on mutual defense. The Non-Aggression Pact decisively changed the European balance of power in favor of the Germans.
1939 Igor Sikorsky Flies A Helicopter -Russian born Igor Sikorsky flew his VS-300 helicopter in Stratford, Connecticut. The VS-300 was not the first helicopter to fly, as German Professor Henrich Focke had also designed one. In addition, many people were working on autogiros (planes that had propellers for forward movement and blades for lift). The VS 300, however, was the first modern helicopter to include a main rotor and a smaller tail rotor. It would span the helicopter industry.
1939 Germans Test New Plane -(8/27/39) On August 27th, the German aircraft firm of Heinkel tested the first jet powered aircraft. The plane, which was named the "Heinkel He 178," proved the feasibility of jet aircraft.
1939 Germany Invades Poland -(9/1/39) The German-Polish Crisis began in March, when the German government demanded that Danzig be turned over to Germany. In addition, the Germans demanded the right to construct an extra-territorial railroad across the corridor. The Poles refused, and the French and British pledged to aid the Poles. After the signing of the Non-Aggression Pact, all attempts at negotiations failed and the Germans and Poles mobilized for war. The British and the French did the same, reasserting that they would come to the defense of Poland.

On September 1st, the Germans attacked, and on September 3rd, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany.
1940
1940 Germany Invades Norway - German forces invaded Norway and Denmark. Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger and Naravik were rapidly taken. Navarik was retaken by a British force, but the British were soon forced to withdraw from the town.

By the end of the month, the Germans had broken the stiff Norwegian opposition, and the Norwegians were forced to surrender.
1940 German Armies Invade Netherlands, Belgium & Luxembourg-In a flanking move that made the French Maginot Line irrelevant, the Germans attacked the Low Countries. The Netherlands surrendered in four days, after massive German attacks on Rotterdam.

The Germans quickly drove into Northern France, dividing the French and British forces into two.
1940 Dunkirk Evacuated - The British successfully extricated 200,000 British and 100,000 French troops from the beaches of Dunkirk. The troops were stranded in Northern France, cut off by the sweeping German victories. The British and French troops were forced to abandon their equipment, but their soldiers were available to fight another day.
1940 Paris Falls, France Surrenders- On June 13, Paris was evacuated by French forces, in the face of advancing German forces. On the 23rd of June, France surrendered. Terms of the surrender included the disarmament of French forces and the occupation of two-thirds of France by the Germans.
1940 Battle of Britain - The Germans attempted to subdue Great Britain by utilizing air attacks. Germany attacked all major cities and military installations. Britain's preparedness, combined with the valor of its pilots and a new weapon called "radar," forced the Germans to pay a heavy price for their bombing. By the end of October, when the winter weather made the threat of invasion unlikely, the Germans had lost 2,375 planes, compared to 800 British planes lost.
1940 Italy Invades Greece - The Italians invaded Greece, expecting a quick victory. The Greeks received reinforcements from the British and planes from the Soviets. This allowed Greek forces to hold their own and attack the Italians in Albania, overruning one-quarter of the country.
1940 Taranto - The British launched an air attack on the Italian harbor at Taranto from the aircraft carrier "Illustrious." On the night of November 11, 21 British "swordfish" attacked the Italian fleet in Cavour, and badly damaged the "Littorio" and the "Caio Duilono."
1940 British Attack Italian Forces in Egypt - British troops launched a surprise attack on Italian troops which occupied parts of western Egypt. The British routed the Italians. On January 5, the Italian garrison at Bardia – with 25,000 troops – surrendered.

By the end of January, the British captured Tobruk and, in early February, captured Bengasi and liberated Ethiopia. In April, German reinforcements, under the command of General Rommel, arrived in Africa and stopped the British advance. The British were forced to withdraw.
1940 First Xerographic Machine Designed - Charles Carlson patented the first xerographic machine. The machine made copies using electric charges. Carlson sold the patent to the Haloid Company, which later changed its name to the Xerox Company.