Exiled Soviet leader Leon Trotsky was assassinated with an ice axe in Mexico City.
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic is established.
Bugs Bunny's official debut.
Billboard magazine started ranking sales of recorded songs.
Adolf Hitler offered peace to Great Britain if they would surrender and allow Germany to dominate the country.
Adolf Hitler planned to invade Britain under the guise name 'Operation Sealion.'
Nazi forces moved on Britain for the first time after attacking shipping containers in the English Channel.
Hitler had his first and only tour of Paris, ticking Eiffel Tower and Napoleon's grave off his bucket list.
The first Dairy Queen restaurant opened in Joliet, Illinois, US.
A speech by Charles de Gaulle sparks the French Resistance to German occupation.
Sir Winston Churchill gave his famous 'Finest Hour' speech in the House of Commons.
The three Baltic states fall under Soviet occupation.
German troops occupy Paris.
Auschwitz concentration camp started operation after 728 Polish prisoners became the first to arrive.
Italy declared war on France and Britain.
The discovery of the chemical element Neptunium was announced.
Germany invaded France during WWII.
Winston Churchill presented his famous speech 'We Shall Fight on the Beaches.'
The first prisoners arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp.
The world's first Mcdonald's opened in San Bernardino, California.
Igor Sikorsky pilots his VS-300 helicopter's maiden flight.
Winston Churchill made his famous speech to the House of Commons.
Heinrich Himmler ordered the construction of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
Booker T. Washington became the first Black person pictured on a US postage stamp.
Soviet troops murder about 22,000 Polish nationals.
The first US telecast was made from an airplane flying over New York City.
Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'Gone With the Wind,' making her the first African American woman to win an Oscar.
Two scientists from the University of California Radiation Laboratory discovered carbon-14, a new isotope of carbon.
Tom and Jerry made their debut appearance.
Glenn Miller's 'In the Mood' hit number one on this day and stayed there for 12 weeks.
Walt Disney released their second feature-length movie, 'Pinocchio,' in New York City.
The American drama movie 'Of Mice and Men' was released in the US.
Between 20,000 and 40,000 people died in a magnitude eight earthquake in Erzincan, Turkey.
Gone with the Wind, the drama film directed by Victor Fleming, premiered in Atlanta, Georgia.
After invading Finland, the Soviet Union was kicked out of the League of Nations.
LaGuardia Airport in New York City opens its doors.
U.S.S.R. attacks Finland.
DC Comics released Flash Comics Issue 1, featuring Flash Gordon.
Hitler survives assassination attempt.
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein detailing the possibility of atomic weapons.
The NBC broadcasted the first live American football game.
Finnish long-distance runner Taisto Mäki broke the 10,000-meter world record in 29:52:06.
The Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 became the first successful helicopter to fly.
Germany invaded Poland in the free city of Danzig, which started World War II.
The world's first jet-powered aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, completed its first flight.
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact is signed.
Legend Frank Sinatra recorded his debut single with the Harry James band.
The world's first scheduled transatlantic flight takes off.
Siam changed its name to Thailand.
