MultiEducator · The 20th Century Almanac
HistoryCentral Est. 1996
3920th C.
1939
The 20th Century Almanac · The Thirties

1939

Major Events · Sports · Music · Screen · Prizes

World War II began as Germany invaded Poland, drawing Britain and France into war after the Nazi-Soviet Pact. The Spanish Civil War ended in Franco's victory, while Gone with the Wind dominated screens and the Academy Awards.

A Year in Review
Best Picture
Gone With the Wind
Nobel · Literature
Sillanp€€
World Series
New York Yankees vs. Cincinnati Reds Ser
No. 1 Song
Top TV
Academy · Actor
Robert Donat

Sports Highlights

Champions of 1939

Champions

NCAA FootballTexas A&M; Record: 11-0-0
Stanley CupBoston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings Series: 4-1 US Open Golf: Byron Nelson Score: 284 Course: Philadelphia CC Location: Philadelphia, PA
World SeriesNew York Yankees vs. Cincinnati Reds Series: 4-0

Screen & Television

At the box office & on the air

Top Movies

  1. All This and Heaven Too
  2. Another Thin Man
  3. Babes in Arms
  4. Destry Rides Again
  5. Drums Along the Mohawk
  6. The Fighting 69th
  7. Gone With the Wind - Victor Fleming
  8. The Grapes of Wrath
  9. Gulliver's Travels
  10. Hollywood Cavalcade (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); © 1996-2025

Academy Awards

Honoring 1939
Best Picture
Gone With the Wind
Best Director
Victor Fleming
Gone With the Wind
Best Actor
Robert Donat
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Best Actress
Vivien Leigh
Gone with the Wind

Nobel & Pulitzer Prizes

The year in letters & science

Nobel Prizes

Chemistry
The prize was divided equally between: BUTENANDT, ADOLF FRIEDRICH JOHANN, Germany, Berlin University and Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut (now Max-Planck-Institut) fŸr Biochemie, Berlin-Dahlem, b. 1903, d. 1995: "for his work on sex hormones" (Cause
Literature
SILLANP€€, FRANS EEMIL, Finland, b. 1888, d. 1964: "for his deep understanding of his country's peasantry and the exquisite art with which he has portrayed their way of life and their relationship with Nature"
Peace
The prize money was allocated to the Main Fund (1/3) and to the Special Fund (2/3) of this prize section
Physiology or Medicine
DOMAGK, GERHARD, Germany, Munster University, b. 1895, d. 1964: "for the discovery of the antibacterial effects of prontosil" (Caused by the authorities of his country to decline the award, but later received the diploma and the medal.)
Physics
LAWRENCE, ERNEST ORLANDO, U.S.A., University of California, Berkeley, CA, b. 1901, d. 1958: "for the invention and development of the cyclotron and for results obtained with it, especially with regard to artificial radioactive elements"

Pulitzer Prizes

Drama
Robery E. Sherwood ... "Abe Lincoln in Illinois"
Fiction
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings ... "The Yearling"
History
Frank Luther Mott ... "A History of American Magazines"
Public Service
"Miami Daily News"