•  Humble ISD History

    1940s Major Events of the Decade 

    1940

    • Germany invades Denmark, Norway, France, Luxemburg, Belgium, and the Netherlands during World War II.
    • Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. is appointed as General in the United States Army, becoming the first African-American to hold such a position.
    • President Roosevelt signs the Selective Training and Service Act, making the first military draft to be created during a peacetime in the United States.
    • Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected for an unprecedented third term as the U.S. president.

    1941

    • The Mount Rushmore sculpture is completed.
    • Japan launches a surprise attack on the U.S. base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, bringing the United States into the War. Italy and Germany also declare war on the United States.
    • The G.I. Bill is signed by President Roosevelt, providing financial aid to Wold War II veterans.

    1942

    • The draft age in the United States is lowered from 21 to 18.
    • The U.S. Congress creates several branches of the armed forces for women to join the war effort, including the Army's Women's Auxiliary Corps or WACs, the Navy's WAVES, the Coast Guard's SPARs, and the Women Air Force Service Pilots.
    • The United States and Canada begin the unjust removal and internment of Japanese-Americans and Japanese-Canadians in the fear that they will become a security threat during the war.

    1943

    • The Pentagon building is completed.
    • General Dwight D. Eisenhower takes control of the Allied forces when he is appointed as the Supreme Allied Commander.
    • Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan invent the "Aqualung."

    1944

    • President Roosevelt is elected to a forth term in the United States, becoming the only person to ever do so. His forth term does not last long however, as he died during the next year in April of 1945.
    • Operation Overlord (D-Day) sees 150,000 Allied troops successfully storm the beaches of Normandy in France. Paris is soon liberated as the troops make their way through the country.
    • Popular musician and band leader Glenn Miller is reported missing while on his way to perform for the troops in Paris.

    1945

    • World War II ends as Allied and Soviet forces make their way toward Germany, liberating concentration camps along the way.
    • The United States drops two atomic bombs on Japan, bringing an end to the Pacific side of the war.
    • The United Nations is created after fifty nations sign the charter.
    • Harry S. Truman becomes the United States President after FDR dies.

    1946

    • The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the first programmable electronic computer, is unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania.
    • The Philippines becomes independent after being under U.S. rule for forty-eight years.
    • Department stores begin to sell Tupperware food containers.
    • The former Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill, gives his "Iron Curtain"speech.

    1947

    • The transistor is inverted at Bell Laboratories by William Shockley, Walter Brattain, and John Bardeen.
    • The Polaroid instant camera is demonstrated.
    • Jackie Robinson becomes a part of the Dodgers, becoming the first African American to play baseball for the Major League.
    • Ferrari begins to produce sports cars.

    1948

    • The beloved Indian independence leader and pacifist Mhatma Gandhi is assassinated.
    • George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, creates Velcro but it is not formally patented until 1955.
    • The first NASCAR race for modified stock cars is held at Daytona Beach.

    1949

    • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is established.
    • "The Goldbergs" airs live on CBS as one of the very first television sitcoms.
    • The first test flight of the De Havilland Comet takes place, it would later become the first commercial passenger jet.
    • 45 RPM records are introduced.