Year in review
1939
8 recaps from this year - events, occasions, and cultural moments.
1939Italian Invasion of Albania
Mussolini's conquest of Albania represented Italian expansion in the Balkans and demonstrated Axis ambitions immediately before World War II began.
1939Spanish Civil War Armistice
Franco's victory in Spain concluded a brutal proxy conflict that presaged WWII ideological divisions and remains a seminal event in twentieth-century European history.
1939Jet Engine First Flight
The Heinkel He 178's maiden flight proved jet propulsion viable, upending aviation and military technology forever.
1939Spanish Civil War Ends
Franco's nationalist victory concluded Europe's bloodiest pre-WWII conflict and installed a fascist dictatorship lasting four decades.
1939Winter War: Finland vs. Soviet Union
Stalin's invasion of Finland shocked the world and demonstrated the Red Army's vulnerability despite overwhelming numerical superiority.
1939German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact shocked the world by uniting ideological enemies and enabling Hitler's invasion of Poland without Soviet resistance.
1939Germany Invades Poland
Hitler's invasion of Poland triggered Britain and France's declaration of war and unleashed World War II's catastrophic destruction.
1939Second World War Declared
Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany following the invasion of Poland, initiating the conflict that would define the 20th century.