1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Papakura Rugby League Club
The Papakura Amateur Athletic Club had presented a cup to the club to award to the boy who scored the greatest number of points and it was won by Des Bilkey. The club was aiming to field seven teams and their senior sides would begin training the following week. Negative comment was made regarding the reserve grade side with it stated “some members playing if and when, they felt inclined. Why should the club cater for any player who would let his team mates down’ selectors should know what to do with those who prefer racing to football”.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Papakura Rugby League Club
Mention was also made of the trips taken during the season to Whangarei and Rotorua, while the third annual picnic had 500 people in attendance. The ladies social committee had organised many dances through the 1938 season and they were thanked. The club decided to make the subscription fee 7/6 for seniors and 5/- for juniors. Mr R Walsh had stated that only about 50 percent of the club had paid their fees the previous season. The annual report showed a credit balance of £118, though a heavy cost to the club was that of transport which amounted to £150.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Papakura Rugby League Club
The total receipts were £294 and the clubs assets were valued at £69.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Papakura Rugby League Club
The following officers were elected:- Patron, Mr Hugh A. Pollock; president, Mr L. McVeigh; vice presidents, Messrs. W.H.D. Jack, S.N. Godden, W. Cornthwaite, S. Deery, M.J. Dobbing, J. Foggarty, sen., W. Human, E. Kemp, P. Hammond, F.J. Verner, C.H. Chamberlain, G.H. Davis, J. McVeigh, J. Wishart, S.D. Rice, S. Evans, C.W. Jackson, L. Fountain, F. Haynes; secretary to be appointed; treasurer, Mr R. Walsh; club captain, Mr. F. Osborne; committee, Messrs. B. Williams, W. Galloway, G. Wilson, V. Ashby, E.C. Dillicar, S. Schartzfeger, W. Leighton, S.N. Godden, L. Lacassie. At the Papakura Borough Council's meeting in mid March the Papakura club applied for the use of Prince Edward Park for the season, starting on April 1 with training to commence “almost at once”. The rent for the use of the park for the season was set at £10.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Papakura Rugby League Club
In early June the Papakura Post Office held a farewell function for Mr. P. Herkt who was transferring to Wellington. Herky had been a Papakura forward for years. On July 23 Papakura held a “special social function” with about 80 members and supporters in attendance to farewell Harold Milliken who had been chosen for the New Zealand team to tour England and France. Milliken was the Papakura clubs first ever player to be selected to represent New Zealand. He was presented with “a substantial cheque… by the president, Mr. Les McVeagh, who wished him bon voyage and a successful tour.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Papakura Rugby League Club
A combination travelling set was presented on behalf of the senior and senior reserve teams by Mr. J. Fogarty, captain of the senior side. Milliken “who replied, was accorded rousing musical honours. Items were given by Messrs Gregor Johnson, T.C. Seaton, Cyril Morris and Dobbyn”. In late July the club sent a letter of complaint regarding the state of Prince Edward Park which was “mud and slush”. The club secretary Mr. R.C. Williams wrote that the “club was deeply concerned about the conditions of the playing area.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Papakura Rugby League Club
There was practically no grass in some parts and the mud near the shed where the sheep shelter was three or four inches thick. The Mayor said that the exceptionally bad weather was in a large measure responsible, but any damage by the sheep would be counteracted by the good they would do later on. It was decided to put a load or two of metal round the pavilion and pass on the matter to the reserves committee with power to act”.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Papakura Rugby League Club
In early September the Papakura Borough Council received a letter of complaint about the state of Prince Edward Park from the rugby league club particularly focussing on the playing area where the drain was not dealing with the flooding from recent rains. They also complained about several of the electric lights being broken and that the shed was in “an untidy condition” and often unlocked. On October 25 it was reported in the Franklin Times that the league club had taken over the scouts hall for training purposes.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Papakura Rugby League Club
It would be fitted as a gymnasium and have “some useful equipment including overhanging rings, wrestling ring, vaulting horse, etc”. The club had received advice from the Athletic Centre in Auckland, and “a qualified instructor will be in attendance at the start of training which will begin very shortly. The training will be open for all members from boys to seniors”.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Pt. Chevalier Rugby League Football Club
Point Chevalier held a special general meeting on December 5, 1938, which resulted in a change to the club name from "The Pt. Chevalier Social and Sports Club (Incorporated)" to "Pt. Chevalier Rugby League Football Club". Their annual meeting was held at Armstrong's Hall on March 6. At the farewell for the New Zealand rugby league team at Carlaw Park on July 22 the Point Chevalier club were awarded a special trophy. The trophy was judged by ballot and was awarded based on “dress, marching and field conduct”.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Ponsonby United Football Club
A special general meeting was held on January 23 at their club rooms on 85 Jervois Road to look at altering Rule 11 of their constitution. They held their annual meeting at Curran Street Hall with Mr. J. Arnell presiding. The annual report noted that “a pleasing feature was the increase in player and general membership”. Representative honours had been “won by Arthur Kay, C. Petersen, E. Morgan, Jack Campbell, and Brian Riley. Mr. L. Mortensen who had been officially connected with the club since 1910 was made a life member and he was presented with his life membership badge.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Ponsonby United Football Club
The financial statement showed a profit of £50 for the season’s working. Their dance and social committee’s activities had raised £40. The assets were shown at £221 and liabilities “nil”. Officers were elected as follows:- Patron Mr W.E. Grant; president, Mr J. Arneil; vice presidents same as last year with power to add; committee, Messrs. R. Francis (chairman), D. Malavey, R. Carlaw, D. Campbell, and B. Brown; secretary Mr. W. Grieves; treasurer Mr T.G. McKeown; club captain, Mr P. Rush; senior selector, Mr Gordon Campbell, auditor, Mr Graham.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Ponsonby United Football Club
On April 26 it was reported that Ponsonby was gaining the services of Frank Bell who had visited Auckland the previous season whilst playing for Eastern Suburbs on their tour. He was said to be able to play in any position and weighed 13st. 4lb. He had played at St. Joseph's College. On August 28 Ponsonby held a combined dance with the City Rovers club at the Metropole Cabaret. The colours used to decorate the venue were blue, black, and red.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, R.V. Club
They held their annual meeting in the Y.M.C.A rooms on February 28, there was a good muster of players with a number of new members. A vote of thanks was made by the players and committee to Mr. E. Mullar, chairman and Mr. G. Dines, secretary for their service over the past two years with regret that they were resigning. Mrs. Dines received a presentation for her “valuable assistance” to the committee.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, R.V. Club
The following officers were elected:- Patron, Mr. A.G. Harvey, chairman and president, Mr. W. Halverson, vice-presidents Messrs. W. Harvey, sen., A. Harvey, W. Harvey, jun., R. Harvey, D. Harvey, A. Harvey jun., F. Martin, W. Best, G. Martin, G. Taberner, C. Couper, W. Gussey, G. McGehan, R. Simpson, C. Hamilton, E. Griffiths, C. Smith, A. Cloke; secretary, R. McMilne, treasurer, W. Hamlen, committee, F. Derson, McLean, T. Adams, E. Knight, C. Lyons, T. Vercoe; club captain, E. Mullar; delegate, K. McMilne, coaches, W. Hanlen, L. Barchard, Heron.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Richmond Rovers Football Club
They held their annual meeting on February 27 at their club rooms at Grey Lynn Park in late February. It was said to be “crowded” with Mr. Ben W. Davis presiding. The success of the club from 1938 was noted as they won the senior reserve championship, along with the third and seventh grades as well as the senior and intermediate school grades. They also won knockout competitions in the senior, senior reserve, third, sixth, and seventh grades and the senior and intermediate school competitions.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Annual General Meetings and Club News, Richmond Rovers Football Club
Wally Tittleton, Jack Satherley, Harold Tetley, and Jack McLeod all toured Australia with the New Zealand team. The following officers were elected:- Patron, Mr. J. Redwood (sen); president, Mr. Ben W. Davis; vice-presidents, same as last year; committee chairman, Mr. W.A. Swift; secretary and treasurer, Mr. W.R. Dick; club captain, Mr. Ralph Jenkinson; school delegate Mr. E.J. McCarthy; auditor, Mr. J.A. Redwood. The club also welcomed “a number of new players”. They held their annual picnic at Henderson Domain on November 26.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
On March 1 there were two registration applications from Rotorua and J.E. Airey, the Canterbury representative hooker was registered with City Rovers. The Herald reported from the same meeting that Hawea Mataira, P.J. Johnson, J. Gould, W.J. Knox, H. Hulton, and N. Hulton were all registered with City. On March 22 Jack Turner formerly of Eastern Suburbs in Sydney was registered and joined Newton. Mortimer Stephens (playing with Rochdale previously) and Cyril Blacklaws also applied to play again for their old Newton club.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
Other players registered were T.E. Lawrence, W. White (Newton), R. Shilling, B.W. McDonald (City); R.G. Day (City); A.J. Sayers (Richmond); L. Cremer (Ponsonby). On March 28 the following applications for membership were approved: William K. Greer, H. Hulton, and N. Hulton (City), Harold Milliken (Papakura), J.B. (Bruce) Donaldson (Mount Albert), E. Montague, D. Ravell (Newton), D. Morgan, F.B. Schroder (North Shore), M. Puckey, J. Munro, J. Marsh (Manukau).


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
On April 5 the following players had their applications for playing membership approved:- C. Halford (Newton), T.A. Field (North Shore), S. Broadhead, K. Bjerk, L. McCready (Richmond); A. Smith (City), P. Awhitu, Cyril Wiberg, P. Kauhoa, George Nepia (Manukau), J. McManus, W. Goosman, H.W. Brown (Ponsonby); H.H. McKay (Papakura). On April 18 J. McManus was transferred from Otahuhu senior B to Ponsonby seniors.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
On April 19 the following applications for membership were approved:- H. Flannagan, P. Kelly, K.S. Kelcher, T.J. Chester (Ponsonby); Bob Banham, L. Clement (Mount Albert), J.W. Gillgren, K. Walker, J. Thompson (City); W.N. Sarsfield, M. Smythe (Newton); W.J. Reeves, Trevor Clifford Hosken (Papakura). While the following transfers were approved:- H. Zane (Manukau to North Shore); M. Pitt (Mount Albert to North Shore); V. Newcombe (Ponsonby to North Shore); F.C. Wells, (Ponsonby to Papakura); H. Collins (Mount Albert to Manukau). On April 26 for following registrations occurred:- J.E. Gallagher (Marist), W. Purves (Richmond), W.H. Smith (City). T. Yates transferred from Mount Albert to Ponsonby, while D. Williams transferred from Richmond to Ponsonby.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
On May 3 T. Jones and D.N.R. Gemmell were registered with City, W. Paki (Pokeno), L. Wilson, and J Hapi with Manukau, and C Whiu with Mount Albert. The same evening D. Fraser appealed the refusal of Newton to grant him a transfer to North Shore. Newton claimed that they had a place in their reserve grade team for him and he was “first call for the top team forwards”.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
On May 9 B. Armitage transferred from Point Chevalier senior B to Northcote, G.S. Bodman and T. Kelley transferred from Papakura seniors to Green Lane senior B, while J. Couper was regraded from Ponsonby reserves to R.V. senior B, and S. Thomason from Mount Albert senior reserve to senior B. On May 10 the control board was advised by cablegram that Frank Bell's transfer had been cleared from New South Wales and he was registered with the Ponsonby club.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
The following memberships were approved:- S. Hapeta (North Shore), W.R. Walker (Manukau), P.J. McVerry, J. Logan (Marist), H.G. Freeman (Newton), K.B. Johnson (North Shore), and W. Goodwin (Ponsonby). On May 17 the following players were transferred: I. Ziegler (Newton to North Shore reserves), L. Bell (City seniors to senior B), J. Cortese (R.V. senior B to Manukau seniors). The following players were registered: W. Birch (Newton), Owen Cyril Wilkie (formerly of Richmond, with North Shore), S. Anderson (formerly of St. George in Sydney, with Newton subject to clearance from New South Wales). R.K. Andrews was reinstated to rugby league.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
Frank Bell from Eastern Suburbs was also officially cleared by New South Wales. B.L. Seagar was transferred from Newton reserves to North Shore, A.G. Osborne from Wellington to Ellerslie, B. Ormond and J Hapeta from Rotorua to Mount Albert and North Shore respectively. On May 24 the following players were transferred, J. Darwin (North Shore reserves to City reserves), H.W. Brown (Ponsonby reserves to North Shore reserves), G. Molesworth (Ngaruawahia seniors to Otahuhu senior B). The following regrades was approved:- J.J. Daley (City to Green Lane senior B).


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
While Dave Solomon was registered with Richmond, as was E. Eastwood with Papakura. J. Little (Point Chevalier), and J.C. Harris (Otahuhu) were both reinstated. On May 31 the following players were granted transfers:- Graham M. Simpson (Ponsonby to City), B. Kelly (Ponsonby to North Shore), R.J. Smith was registered as a playing member of North Shore. Simpson was a Manawatu rugby union representative player.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
On June 1 Jack O’Brien transferred from South Auckland to Auckland, while M. Pitman transferred from Northland to Auckland. On June 7 the following players were registered:- J. Herbert (Newton), A. McSweeney (City), Andrew Samuel Kronfeld (Richmond), and B. Kelly (North Shore). William K. Greer transferred from City to Papakura. On June 14 the following players were registered:- O.N. Sanderson (Mount Albert), R.G. Taylor (Marist), E. Clarke and E. Smith (City), and K Mills (Richmond). On 16 June W. Pitman transferred from Whangarei to City Rovers, and S. Thomassen transferred from Portland (Whangarei) to Mount Albert.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
On June 21 the following players had their applications for playing membership approved:- M. Housham and C. McDevitt (Newton); J.L. Sullivan (City); C.E. Dowling (Mount Albert); Fred Wolfe Moss, and James P. Moss (Marist). On June 28 W. Wharenui transferred to Papakura from Manukau, S. Anderson from Eastern Suburbs (NSW) to Newton. L. Bover registered with Newton, and R. Bond with City. Hutchinson was regraded from City seniors to their 3rd grade side.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
On July 5 the following applications for senior membership were approved:- Robert Cheater (North Shore), J. Howe, O.C. Hudson (Marist), G. Brown, J Bourdot, H. Perry (North Shore). H.M. Emus were both reinstated. On July 12 George Edwin Raisbeck was registered with Point Chevalier, and I. McGregor (of Glenmore) with City. H.S. Skinner transferred from Newton to Point Chevalier and was regraded to senior B. On July 19 applications for playing membership were approved:- W.C. McKinnon (Mount Albert), and B.M. McKelvie (Marist). On July 26 Fredrick Leonard Schultz was transferred from Papakura to Mount Albert.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
At the same meeting W. Briggs and C. Saunders transferred from South Auckland to Auckland. J. Rose (Newton), and A.R. Hall (North Shore) applied for registration at the bracketed clubs. On August 2 G.R. Kerr transferred from North Shore to Papakura, and R. Broughton was registered with City On August 15 J. Hapi (City), and Steve Watene (Newton) transferred to Manukau. On August 23 the following players were registered:- J. Gregory (Manukau), A. Gray (Papakura), H. Roxburgh, and V.T. Rutherford (Ponsonby). Ted Mincham was transferred from Mount Albert to Richmond.


1939 Auckland Rugby League season, Senior grade registration and transfers
On September 6 A. Phillips transferred from Hikurangi to Auckland. He was registered with Otahuhu. A.J. Johnson was registered with the North Shore club.


1939 Australian Championships
The 1939 Australian Championships was a tennis tournament that took place on outdoor Grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne, Australia from 20 January to 30 January. It was the 32nd edition of the Australian Championships (now known as the Australian Open), the 9th held in Melbourne, and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Australians John Bromwich and Emily Hood Westacott won the singles titles.


1939 Australian Championships, Finals, Men's Doubles
John Bromwich /  Adrian Quist defeated  Colin Long /  Don Turnbull 6–4, 7–5, 6–2


1939 Australian Championships, Finals, Women's Doubles
Thelma Coyne /  Nancye Wynne defeated  May Hardcastle /  Emily Hood Westacott 7–5, 6–4


1939 Australian Championships, Finals, Mixed Doubles
Nell Hall Hopman /  Harry Hopman defeated  Margaret Wilson /  John Bromwich 6–8, 6–3, 6–2


1939 Australian Championships – Men's Doubles
Defending champions John Bromwich and Adrian Quist defeated Colin Long and Don Turnbull 6–4, 7–5, 6–2, to win the Men's Doubles tennis title at the 1939 Australian Championships.


1939 Australian Championships – Men's Singles
John Bromwich defeated Adrian Quist 6–4, 6–1, 6–2 in the final to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1939 Australian Championships.


1939 Australian Championships – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. John Bromwich is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1939 Australian Championships – Mixed Doubles
Nell Hopman and Harry Hopman recorded their fourth and last mixed doubles victory by defeating the defending champions Margaret Wilson and John Bromwich 6–8, 6–2, 6–3, to win the Mixed Doubles tennis title at the 1939 Australian Championships.


1939 Australian Championships – Women's Doubles
Thelma Coyne and Nancye Wynne successfully defended their title for a fourth consecutive year, defeating May Hardcastle and Emily Hood Westacott 7–5, 6–4 in the final, to win the Women's Doubles tennis title at the 1939 Australian Championships.


1939 Australian Championships – Women's Singles
Sixth-seeded Emily Hood Westacott defeated Nell Hopman 6–1, 6–2, in the final to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1939 Australian Championships held in Melbourne.


1939 Australian Championships – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Emily Westacott is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1939 Australian Grand Prix
The 1939 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held on the Lobethal Circuit in South Australia, Australia on 2 January 1939. The race was staged over 17 laps of the 14 kilometre circuit, the longest ever used for the Grand Prix, for a race distance of 241 kilometres. The Grand Prix meeting was organised by Lobethal Carnivals Ltd. and the Sporting Car Club of South Australia.


1939 Australian Grand Prix
The race was the eleventh Australian Grand Prix and the second since the 1938 revival of the event. The Lobethal Circuit comprised three country roads in a roughly triangular formation, passing through the town of Lobethal and the nearby village of Charleston. The advantage of using these country roads was that, for the first time, the Grand Prix was held on a bitumen sealed surface instead of on dirt roads. The race utilised a handicap start with the slowest cars starting first and the fastest cars last, the winner being the first to complete the stipulated number of laps. Trophies were awarded for the first three places with prize money paid to the first seven finishers. Prize money and a trophy were also awarded for Fastest Time.


1939 Australian Grand Prix
The race was won by relatively unknown Western Australian racer Allan Tomlinson driving a supercharged MG T. Bob Lea-Wright's Terraplane Special finished in second position ahead of Jack Phillips' Ford Special. The winning car's average speed was the fastest of any Australian Grand Prix prior to 1956, with Tomlinson averaging 84.00 mph. The fastest actual time over the race distance was recorded by Jack Saywell driving an Alfa Romeo.


1939 Australian Grand Prix
The entry of J O'Dea crashed at the Gumeracha turn late in the race and driver Vern Leech was killed almost instantaneously.


1939 Australian Grand Prix
Later in 1939, Australia would declare war on the AXIS powers. As World War II enveloped Australia, motor racing wound down and would not resume until the mid-1940s. The Australian Grand Prix itself would be revived in 1947.


1939 Australian Stock Car Road Championship
The 1939 Australian Stock Car Road Championship was a motor race staged at the Lobethal Circuit in South Australia on 2 January 1939. It was contested on a handicap basis over six laps of the 8.6 mile course, a total distance of 50 miles. The handicap format saw the slowest cars starting first and the fastest cars starting last.


1939 Australian Stock Car Road Championship
The race was open to standard touring and sports cars, fitted with standard equipment and operating on standard first grade fuel. The only modifications permitted to the cars were the raising of the compression ratio and alterations to the suspension.


1939 Australian Stock Car Road Championship
The race was won by Tom Brady driving a Singer Bantam.


1939 Australian Track Cycling Championships
The 1939 Australian Track Cycling Championships were held on the board track at the Sydney Sports Arena from 25 February to 1 March 1939. This was the first time the Australian Championships were held at this track. The (amateur) championships coincided with a 'test match' between Australian and World cycling teams. The 1939 championships also doubled as trials for the 1940 Summer Olympics (which were later cancelled due to World War II).


1939 BYU Cougars football team
The 1939 BYU Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Brigham Young University in the Mountain States Conference (MSC) during the 1939 college football season. In their third season under head coach Eddie Kimball, the Cougars compiled a 5–2–2 record (2–2–2 against MSC opponents), finished fourth in the MSC, and outscored opponents by a total of 110 to 90.


1939 BYU Cougars football team
Sophomore left halfback George Wing led the team on offense.


1939 Ball State Cardinals football team
The 1939 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State Teachers College (later renamed Ball State University) in the Indiana Intercollegiate Conference (IIC) during the 1939 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach John Magnabosco, the team compiled a 6–2 record.


1939 Balmain state by-election
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Balmain on 14 January 1939 following the death of John Quirk (Labor). His widow Mary Quirk won the by-election.


1939 Baltimore Elite Giants season
The 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants baseball team represented the Baltimore Elite Giants in the Negro National League during the 1939 baseball season. The Elite Giants compiled a  24–24 (.500) record and won the Negro National League championship. The team played its home games at Oriole Park in Baltimore.


1939 Baltimore Elite Giants season
Two players from the 1939 team were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, including catcher Roy Campanella.


1939 Baltimore Elite Giants season
The team's leading pitchers were Bill Byrd (7-2 record, 3.32 ERA) and Willie Hubert (3-1, 1.11 ERA).


1939 Baltimore mayoral election
The 1939 Baltimore mayoral election saw the reelection of Howard W. Jackson for a third consecutive and fourth overall term.


1939 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
The 1939 elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were the last ones conducted prior to the Hall's opening that year. Needing just one addition to complete the initial goal of 10 inductees from the 20th century, members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) were once again given authority to select any players active in the 20th century, excepting active players. Difficulties in convening the Centennial Commission of the previous two years led to an even smaller Old-Timers Committee selecting inductees from the 19th century – a cause of particular urgency to many who had been anticipating the five promised but unfulfilled selections in that area for over three years.


1939 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
In the BBWAA election, voters were instructed to cast votes for 10 candidates; any candidate receiving votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be honored with induction to the Hall upon its opening in Cooperstown, New York, on June 12 of that year. After the Hall's opening, a special election was also held in December.


1939 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
Because the initial goal for the Hall's opening of selecting 10 players from the 20th century had now been met, it was further decided to delay the next election until 1942, even though observers widely believed that electing three players per year (12 had been elected in four regular BBWAA elections) had turned out to be an ideal rate.


1939 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA regular election
A total of 274 ballots were cast, with 2,710 individual votes for 108 specific candidates, an average of 9.89 per ballot; 206 votes were required for election. Although three stars of the 1920s did very well, the balloting was otherwise dominated by players of the 1900s and 1910s, who many voters felt should be given priority. Players who had been retired over 20 years received 60% of the votes, and accounted for 14 of the top 20 in the balloting.


1939 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA regular election
Due to frustration over the fact that no 19th century players had yet been selected, a number of players from that era whose careers extended into the 20th century only briefly (or not at all) even received some votes, as did some managers. The results were announced in January 1939. The three candidates who received at least 75% of the vote and were elected are indicated in bold italics; candidates who have since been selected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics:


1939 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, Old-Timers Committee
As the opening of the Hall approached, criticism mounted that no 19th century figures who were known primarily as players had yet been selected, when basic plans nearly four years earlier had promised five as an ideal initial number. In addition, the six-member Centennial Commission which had selected honorees in the previous two years never had an opportunity to meet.


1939 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, Old-Timers Committee
As a result, a smaller "Hall of Fame Committee" (also known as the Old-Timers Committee) of only three members—Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, National League president Ford Frick, and American League president Will Harridge—was formed to choose appropriate honorees; their selections were announced on May 2, less than six weeks before the Hall's opening. They chose six inductees, all of whom were deceased; of the 13 committee selections between 1937 and 1939, only Connie Mack was still living at the time of the Hall's opening (his Athletics played in the inaugural Hall of Fame game). The committee's choices included the two players who had tied for first in the failed 1936 Veterans vote (the third- and fourth-place finishers had by this time been selected by the BBWAA; the sixth-place choice had been selected by an earlier committee):


1939 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, Special election of Lou Gehrig
At the major league winter meetings in Cincinnati in December 1939, the BBWAA held a special election to act on Lou Gehrig, who had announced his retirement that summer after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The writers elected Gehrig to the Hall of Fame (the results of that election are unknown) and also determined to postpone the next regular election until 1942, as the initial quota of 10 inductees from the 20th century had been met.


1939 Batley and Morley by-election
The Batley and Morley by-election, 1939 was a parliamentary by-election held in the United Kingdom on 9 March 1939 for the House of Commons constituency of Batley and Morley in the West Riding of Yorkshire.


1939 Batley and Morley by-election, Vacancy
The Labour Party MP for the seat Willie Brooke died on 21 January 1939 at the age of 44. He had been the MP since the 1935 general election.


1939 Batley and Morley by-election, Electoral history
This was a traditional Labour/Liberal marginal until 1931 when no Liberal candidate stood and a Conservative won for the first time in the National Government landslide. Brooke comfortably regained the seat at the last election;


1939 Baylor Bears football team
The 1939 Baylor Bears football team represented Baylor University in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1939 college football season. In their 14th season under head coach Morley Jennings, the Bears compiled a 7–3 record (4–2 against conference opponents), tied for second place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 136 to 81. They played their home games at Waco Stadium in Waco, Texas. Bobby R. Taylor was the team captain.


1939 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1939 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held on 25 June 1939 at Spa-Francorchamps.


1939 Belgian Grand Prix
Richard Seaman crashed into a tree between Clubhouse and La Source hairpin, causing the fuel line to break. Fuel rushed over the car and the car caught fire. Seaman couldn't move because his right hand was broken and he was also trapped by his steering wheel. After a minute of futile rescue attempts, a Belgian soldier walked into the blaze and freed Seaman. However, he had suffered burns on sixty percent of the body and Britain's most successful pre-war driver died before midnight.


1939 Belgian general election
General elections were held in Belgium on 2 April 1939. The result was a victory for the Catholic Party, which won 67 of the 202 seats in the Chamber of Representatives. Voter turnout was 93.3%.


1939 Belgian general election
On 22 February 1939, the Pierlot Government succeeded the Spaak Government. The Government was in a political crisis caused by, among other things, the Martens Affair. As the Pierlot Government fell as well and the ministers failed to form a stable government, King Leopold III insisted on a dissolution of parliament, but the council of ministers refused due to fear for electoral losses. It was not Prime Minister Pierlot, but the Minister of the Interior who provided the required contreseing of the royal order of 6 March 1939 which dissolved the Chambers and triggered the snap elections.


1939 Belgian general election
After the election, Pierlot continued as Prime Minister. The elections were the last ones before the Second World War.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1939 Big Ten Conference football season was the 44th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference (also known as the Western Conference) and was a part of the 1939 college football season.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1939 Big Ten football champion was Ohio State. Led by head coach Francis Schmidt, the Buckeyes compiled a 6–2 record, outscored opponents outscored 189 to 64, and were ranked No. 15 in the final AP Poll. End Esco Sarkkinen was a consensus first-team All-American, and quarterback Don Scott was selected as a first-team All-American by one selector. Center Steve Andrako was selected as Ohio State's most valuable player.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season
Iowa compiled a 6-1-1 record, finished in second place in the Big Ten, and was ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll. Halfback Nile Kinnick was a consensus first-team All-American and won both the Heisman Trophy and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy. End Erwin Prasse and tackle Mike Enich also won first-team All-Big Ten honors.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season
Michigan compiled a 6–2 record, led the conference in scoring offense (27.4 points per game), and was ranked No. 20 in the final AP Poll. Halfback Tom Harmon rushed for 884 yards and passed for another 583 yards; he was a consensus first-team All-American and finished second in the voting for both Heisman Trophy.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Results and team statistics
KeyPPG = Average of points scored per gamePAG = Average of points allowed per gameMVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, September 30
On September 30, 1939, seven of the Big Ten football teams opened their seasons with non-conference games. The games resulted in three wins, two ties and two losses. Michigan, Ohio State, and Northwestern had bye weeks.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 7
On October 7, 1939, the Big Ten teams played one conference game and six non-conference games. The non-conference games ended in three wins and three losses. Illinois and Purdue had bye weeks.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 14
On October 14, 1939, the Big Ten football teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games both resulted in losses.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 21
On October 21, 1939, the Big Ten football teams played four conference games and one non-conference game. The non-conference game ended in a win. Iowa had a bye week.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 28
On October 28, 1939, the Big Ten teams played three conference games and three non-conference games. The non-conference games ended in one win and two losses. Minnesota had a bye week.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 4
On November 4, 1939, the Big Ten football teams played four conference games and one non-conference game. The non-conference game was a loss. Wisconsin had a bye week.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 11
On November 11, 1939, the Big Ten football teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in one loss and one win.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 18
On November 18, 1939, the Big Ten football teams played three conference games and four non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in three wins and one loss.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 25
On November 25, 1939, the Big Ten football teams played five conference games.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Bowl games
No Big Ten teams participated in any bowl games during the 1939 season. The Big Ten had a ban on postseason games and a rule requiring all football games to be completed on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, All-Big Ten players
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press (UP) as first-team players on the 1939 All-Big Ten Conference football team.


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, All-Americans
Three Big Ten players were consensus first-team All-Americans as follows:


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, All-Americans
Other Big Ten players selected as a first-team All-American by at least one selector were:


1939 Big Ten Conference football season, 1940 NFL Draft
The following Big Ten players were selected in the first 10 rounds of the 1940 NFL Draft:


1939 Birmingham Aston by-election
The Birmingham Aston by-election, 1939 was a parliamentary by-election held on 17 May 1939 for the British House of Commons constituency of Birmingham Aston.


1939 Birmingham Aston by-election, Aftermath
Kellett sat until killed on active service in 1943. The Conservatives held the ensuing by-election.


1939 Birmingham–Southern Panthers football team
The 1939 Birmingham–Southern Panthers football team was an American football team that represented Birmingham–Southern College as a member of the Dixie Conference during the 1939 college football season. In their twelfth season under head coach Jenks Gillem, the team compiled a 3–5–1 record. After the season, Birmingham–Southern discontinued their football program until its revival in 2007.


1939 Birthday Honours
The King's Birthday Honours 1939 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of the King. They were announced on 6 June 1939 for the United Kingdom and Colonies.


1939 Birthday Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1939 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The 1939 King's Birthday Honours in New Zealand, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were appointments made by the King to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. They were announced on 7 June 1939.


1939 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1939 Boston Bees season
The 1939 Boston Bees season was the 69th season of the franchise.


1939 Boston Bees season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Boston Bees season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Boston Bees season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Boston Bees season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Boston Bees season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Boston College Eagles football team
The 1939 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College during the 1939 college football season. The Eagles were led by first-year head coach Frank Leahy and played their home games at Alumni Field in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and Fenway Park in Boston. The team finished the regular season with a 9–1 record, and the Eagles were ranked in the final AP Poll for the first time in school history, at 11th. They were invited to the school's first bowl game, the 1940 Cotton Bowl, where they were defeated by Clemson.


1939 Boston Red Sox season
The 1939 Boston Red Sox season was the 39th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League (AL) with a record of 89 wins and 62 losses, 17 games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the 1939 World Series.


1939 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
In 1939, the Boston Red Sox finished 9½ games behind the New York Yankees. Lefty Grove won 15 games for the Red Sox while Jimmie Foxx hit .360, and had 35 home runs and 105 RBI. Ted Williams made his major league debut in 1939, and batted .327 with 31 home runs. He led the American League with 145 RBIs. After the first game he played against Williams, Yankees catcher Bill Dickey said about Williams, "He's just a damned good hitter."


1939 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
On July 18, the Red Sox traded then-minor league shortstop Pee Wee Reese to the Brooklyn Dodgers, in exchange for $35,000 and two players to be named later (pitcher Red Evans and outfielder Art Parks). Reese would go on to play with the Dodgers for 16 seasons, was a 10-time All-Star, and was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.


1939 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Boston University Terriers football team
The 1939 Boston University Terriers football team was an American football team that represented Boston University as an independent during the 1939 college football season. In its sixth season under head coach Pat Hanley, the team compiled a 5–3 record and was outscored by a total of 80 to 77.


1939 Bowling Green Falcons football team
The 1939 Bowling Green Falcons football team was an American football team that represented Bowling Green State College (later renamed Bowling Green State University) in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) during the 1939 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Harry Ockerman, the team compiled a 6–1–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 159 to 46. Edward Siminski was the team captain.


1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election
The Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, 1939, was a parliamentary by-election held on 1 August 1939 for the British House of Commons constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire, in South Wales.


1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the sitting member, Ivor Guest, succeeding to a title that gave him a seat in the House of Lords. He had been MP for the constituency since winning the seat in 1935.


1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Election history
Ivor Guest was elected as a 'National Government' candidate, supported by both local Conservative and Liberal Associations. Guest came from a political family that had in the past had a foot in both party camps, so his selection had been a natural choice. The local Liberal Association had not put forward a candidate for election since the 1929 general election and last won the seat in 1923. The Conservatives had won the seat in 1931, and the Labour party won the seat in 1929. When all three parties had fielded candidates, the election had been a close three-way contest. The result at the last General election was:


1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Candidates
The local Conservative and Liberal parties could not agree on a joint candidate to succeed Guest as MP. The Conservatives wanted Hanning Philipps, and put him forward as candidate without consulting the Liberals. As a result, the local Liberal Association, which was affiliated to Sir John Simon's Liberal National organisation, formally decided to take no part in the by-election campaign. Philipps was the 35-year-old second son of Baron Milford, who had been educated at Eton.


1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Candidates
The local Labour party needed to find a new candidate, as their last, Leslie Haden Guest, had been elected in a 1937 by-election in the London constituency of Islington North. They chose as their new candidate, William Jackson, who was a farmer from the neighbouring Hereford constituency. Jackson had been a Liberal up until 1931, and was thus a more attractive option to Liberal voters than the Conservative Philipps.


1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Main Issues and Campaign
The nature of the constituency meant that issues relating to Agriculture would be foremost in the campaign. This placed the Labour campaign at an advantage as their candidate was a farmer and the Conservative candidate had no understanding of these issues; Hanning Philipps admitted at his adoption meeting that he knew nothing about farming. Jackson concentrated his campaign on the policy of guaranteed prices for farmers. The absence of a Liberal candidate also allowed the Jackson campaign to appeal to those who favoured a Popular Front opposition to the Government that had been advocated by the likes of Sir Stafford Cripps.


1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Result
The Labour party gained the seat from the National Government.


1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Result
This was the last by-election to take place before the outbreak of war, and the last to take place for nearly two months as Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain toyed with the idea of calling a General Election.


1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Aftermath
The loss of Brecon and Radnorshire for the National Government would have contributed to Chamberlain's decision not to call a General Election for the Autumn. William Jackson chose not to defend his seat at the 1945 general election and instead accepted a seat in the House of Lords. The local Conservatives, more mindful of the concerns of the local Liberals, chose as their candidate, another member of the Guest family, who had previously sat in the House of Commons as a Liberal. However, by now, the local Liberal Association had ceased being supporters of the National Government and put up their own candidate.


1939 British Honduras general election
General elections were held in British Honduras in March and April 1939.


1939 British Honduras general election, Electoral system
The Legislative Council consisted of six elected members, four members appointed by the Governor, three officials (the Attorney General, the Colonial Secretary and the Financial Secretary) and the Governor, who served as president. The elected members were elected from five constituencies, one of which (Belize) had two seats.


1939 British Honduras general election, Electoral system
Voting was limited to British subjects or people who had lived in the territory for at least three years and who were aged 21 or over and met one of the financial requirements, which included paying an annual property tax of at least $6, paying at least $96 in rent a year, or being in receipt of an annual salary of at least $300. Anyone who had received poor relief from public funds in the three months prior to voter registration was ineligible. As a result of the criteria, only 1,155 people from a population of 58,759 were registered to vote.


1939 British Honduras general election, Results
The nominated members were appointed on 29 March, with Henry Llewellyn Gabourel, K. Heusner, Neil Stuart Stevenson and Arthur Norman Wolffsohn appointed.


1939 Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) season
The 1939 Brooklyn Dodgers season was their tenth in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 4–4–3, losing six games. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. The October 22 game against Philadelphia was the first NFL game to be televised.


1939 Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1939 Brooklyn Dodgers season
The 1939 Brooklyn Dodgers started the year with a new manager, Leo Durocher, who became both the team's manager and starting shortstop. They also became the first New York NL team to have a regular radio broadcast, with Red Barber handing the announcers job, and the first team to have a television broadcast (during their August 26 home game doubleheaders against the Reds, both of which WNBT covered for the NBC network). The team finished in third place, showing some improvement over the previous seasons.


1939 Brooklyn Dodgers season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Brooklyn Dodgers season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Brooklyn Dodgers season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Brooklyn Dodgers season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Brooklyn Dodgers season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Brown Bears football team
The 1939 Brown Bears football team represented Brown University during the 1939 college football season.


1939 Brownlow Medal
The 1939 Brownlow Medal was the 16th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season. Marcus Whelan of the Collingwood Football Club won the medal by polling twenty-three votes during the 1939 VFL season.


1939 Brownlow Medal, Leading votegetters
* The player was ineligible to win the medal due to suspension by the VFL Tribunal during the year.


1939 Bucknell Bison football team
The 1939 Bucknell Bison football team was an American football team that represented Bucknell University as an independent during the 1939 college football season. In its third season under head coach Al Humphreys, the team compiled a 3–5 record.


1939 Bucknell Bison football team
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.


1939 Buffalo Bulls football team
The 1939 Buffalo Bulls football team was an American football team that represented the University of Buffalo as an independent during the 1939 college football season. In its fourth season under head coach Jim Peele, the team compiled a 0–7 record. The team played its home games at Rotary Field in Buffalo, New York.


1939 Bulgarian Cup
The 1939 Bulgarian Cup  (in this period the tournament was named Tsar's Cup) was the second cup competition, which took place in parallel to the national championship. The cup was won by Shipka Sofia who beat Levski Ruse 2–0 in the final at the Levski Playground in Sofia.


1939 Bulgarian Cup Final
The 1940 Bulgarian Cup Final was the 2nd final of the Bulgarian Cup (in this period the tournament was named Tsar's Cup), and was contested between Shipka Sofia and Levski Ruse on 3 October 1939 at Levski Playground in Sofia. Shipka won the final 2–0 (walkover).


1939 Bulgarian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 24 December 1939, although voting continued in some areas into January 1940. The elections were officially held on a non-partisan basis with the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union and Bulgarian Communist Party banned, and in a process tightly controlled by Tsar Boris III, by then the real power in the country. However, candidates representing parties did contest the elections. Pro -government candidates won a majority of seats. Voter turnout was 67.2%.


1939 CCNY Beavers football team
The 1939 CCNY Beavers football team was an American football team that represented the City College of New York (CCNY) as an independent during the 1939 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Benny Friedman, the team compiled a 1–7 record.


1939 Caerphilly by-election
The Caerphilly by-election, 1939 was a parliamentary by-election held on 4 July 1939 for the British House of Commons constituency of Caerphilly.


1939 Caerphilly by-election, Previous MP
Morgan Jones was the previous member of Parliament. He died on 23 April 1939. He was a conscientious objector during the First World War.


1939 Caerphilly by-election, Candidates
Ness Edwards was a coal miner and during the first world war, a conscientious objector. Ronald Bell was a barrister, and later became a politician.


1939 Cal Aggies football team
The 1939 Cal Aggies football team represented the Northern Branch of the College of Agriculture in the 1939 college football season. The team was known as either the Cal Aggies or California Aggies, and competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC).


1939 Cal Aggies football team
The Aggies were led by third-year head coach Vern Hickey. They played home games at A Street field on campus in Davis, California. The Aggies finished with a record of four wins and four losses (4–4, 0–3 FWC). The Aggies outscored their opponents 92–73 for the 1939 season.


1939 Cal Aggies football team, NFL Draft
No Cal Aggies players were selected in the 1940 NFL Draft.


1939 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
The 1939 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic School during the 1939 college football season. Cal Poly was a two-year school until 1941, and competed as an independent from 1929 to 1945.


1939 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
The team was led by seventh-year head coach Howie O'Daniels and played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California. They finished the season with a record of four wins, four losses and one tie (4–4–1). Overall, the Mustangs were outscored by their opponents 78–101 for the season.


1939 Calgary Bronks season
The 1939 Calgary Bronks season was the fifth season in franchise history where the team finished in 3rd place in the Western Interprovincial Football Union with a 4–7 record. The Bronks played in the WIFU Finals, but lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a two-game series by a total points score of 35–20.


1939 California Golden Bears football team
The 1939 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley during the 1939 college football season. Under head coach Stub Allison, the team compiled an overall record of 3–7 and 2–5 in conference.


1939 California tropical storm
The 1939 California tropical storm, also known as the 1939 Long Beach tropical storm, and El Cordonazo, was a tropical cyclone that affected Southern California in September 1939. Formerly a hurricane, it was the only tropical storm to make landfall in California in the twentieth century. Fisherman in the villages along the Mexican coast have named these storms, the Lash of St. Francis.


1939 California tropical storm
The only other known tropical cyclone to directly affect California at tropical storm intensity or higher is the 1858 San Diego hurricane (though it did not make landfall), and only three other eastern Pacific tropical cyclones have produced gale-force winds in the continental United States. The tropical storm caused heavy flooding, leaving many dead, mostly at sea.


1939 California tropical storm, Meteorological synopsis
On September 15, a tropical depression formed off the southern coast of Central America. It moved west-northwestward, passing southwest of the Revillagigedo Islands. It then turned north and then northeastward. For some time, it was a hurricane, and it lost that intensity on or just before September 25. The tropical storm made landfall near San Pedro, California, early on September 25, with winds of severe gale strength. It dissipated later that day. The strongest reported sustained wind was of Force 11 strength, which was reported by a ship, making this system a minimal hurricane. The lowest pressure was reported by the same ship, and was at 28.67 inHg (971 mb).


1939 California tropical storm, Meteorological synopsis
Due to the rotation of the Earth, tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere tend to move from east to west. This causes tropical cyclones to approach the West Coast of the United States infrequently. Another inhibiting factor for a California landfall is the surrounding water temperatures. Because of the water currents, the waters off the coast of California are rarely above 70 °F (21 °C), which is too cold for hurricanes to sustain themselves.


1939 California tropical storm, Meteorological synopsis
This tropical cyclone was rare enough that only three other eastern Pacific tropical cyclones brought tropical storm-force winds to the Continental United States during the twentieth century. The Long Beach Tropical Storm was the only one to make landfall; the other three hit Mexico before moving north, but didn't make landfall in California.


1939 California tropical storm, Preparations and impact
The storm dropped heavy rain in California, with 5.66 inches (144 mm) falling in Los Angeles (5.24 inches or 133 millimetres in 24 hours) and 11.60 inches (295 mm) recorded at Mount Wilson, both September records. Over three hours, one thunderstorm dropped nearly 7 inches (180 mm) of rain on Indio. 9.65 inches (245 mm) fell on Raywood Flat, and 1.51 inches (38 mm) on Palm Springs. 4.83 inches (123 mm) fell on Pasadena, a September record at the time. At the Citrus Belt near Anaheim, at least 4.63 inches (118 mm) of rain fell.


1939 California tropical storm, Preparations and impact
The 11.60 inches (295 mm) at Mount Wilson is one of California's highest rainfall amounts from a tropical cyclone, although at least one system has a higher point maximum. The rains caused a flood 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 m) deep in the Coachella Valley with heavy rain immediately preceding the tropical storm dropping 6.45 inches (164 mm) the day before the storm hit. The Los Angeles River, which was usually low during September, became a raging torrent.


1939 California tropical storm, Preparations and impact
With heavy rain immediately preceding the tropical storm, flooding killed 45 in Southern California. At sea, 48 were killed. However, the National Hurricane Center only attributes 45 deaths to this system. Six people caught on beaches drowned during the storm. Most other deaths were at sea. Twenty-four died aboard a vessel called the Spray as it attempted to dock at Point Mugu. The two survivors, a man and a woman, swam ashore and then walked five miles (8 km) to Oxnard. Fifteen people from Ventura drowned aboard a fishing boat named Lur. Many other vessels were sunk, capsized, or blown ashore.


1939 California tropical storm, Preparations and impact
Many low-lying areas were flooded. The Hamilton Bowl overflowed, flooding the Signal Hill area. Along the shore from Malibu to Huntington Beach houses were flooded. Throughout the area, thousands of people were stranded in their homes. Streets in Los Angeles proper were covered with water, flooding buildings and stalling cars. Flooding in Inglewood and Los Angeles reached a depth of 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 m). Construction on a flood control project in the Los Angeles River's channel by the Army Corps of Engineers was stopped by the flooding. Windows throughout Long Beach were smashed by the wind. At Belmont Shore, waves undermined ten homes before washing them away. Debris was scattered throughout the coast. Agriculture was disrupted. Crop damage in the Coachella Valley reached 75%.


1939 California tropical storm, Preparations and impact
Rains washed away a 150-foot (46 m) section of the Southern Pacific Railroad near Indio, and a stretch of the Santa Fe main line near Needles. Waters backing up from a storm drain under construction in the Santa Monica Valley blocked U.S. Route 60. The pier at Point Mugu was washed away. In Pasadena, 5000 people were left without electricity and 2000 telephones lost service. Communications throughout the affected area was disrupted or rendered impossible. The total amount of damage was $2 million (1939 USD, $37 million in 2020 USD).


1939 California tropical storm, Preparations and impact
The tropical storm was credited with at least one beneficial effect: it ended a vicious heat wave that had lasted for over a week and killed at least 90 people.


1939 California tropical storm, Preparations and impact
People were caught unprepared by the storm, which was described as "sudden". Some people were still on the beach at Long Beach when the wind reached 40 mph (64 km/h; 35 kn), at which time lifeguards closed the beach. Schools were closed there. At sea, the Coast Guard and Navy conducted rescue operations, saving dozens of people. In response to Californians' unpreparedness, the Weather Bureau established a forecast office for southern California, which began operations in February 1940.


1939 Campeonato Carioca
The 1939 Campeonato Carioca was the 34th edition of the tournament. The competition began on April 2, 1939 and ended on December 3. Flamengo won their 7th title in the history of the competition. Botafogo finished runners-up.


1939 Campeonato Carioca, Format
The tournament was contested as a triple round-robin with nine teams competing.


1939 Campeonato Paulista
The 1939 Campeonato Paulista da Primeira Divisão, organized by the LFESP (Liga de Futebol do Estado de São Paulo), was the 38th season of São Paulo's top professional football league. Corinthians won the title for the 11th time. no teams were relegated and the top scorer was Corinthians's Teleco with 32 goals.


1939 Campeonato Paulista, Championship
The championship was disputed in a double-round robin system, with the team with the most points winning the title.


1939 Carnegie Tech Tartans football team
The 1939 Carnegie Tech Tartans football team represented the Carnegie Institute of Technology—now known as Carnegie Mellon University—during the 1939 college football season. The Tartans were led by third-year head coach Bill Kern and played their home games at Pitt Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.


1939 Catholic University Cardinals football team
The 1939 Catholic University Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented the Catholic University of America as an independent during the 1939 college football season. Led by 10th-year head coach Dutch Bergman, the Cardinals compiled an 8–1–1 record, shut out five opponents (including four in their first five contests), and outscored all opponents by a total of 229 to 73.


1939 Catholic University Cardinals football team
The team's victories included games against the Detroit Titans, Miami Hurricanes, and Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Its only loss was to Saint Anselm in a game played at Fenway Park.


1939 Catholic University Cardinals football team
The Cardinals were invited to play in the 1940 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on New Year's Day 1940. In the first and only meeting between the two programs, Catholic University played Arizona State to a scoreless tie.


1939 Catholic University Cardinals football team
Key players included brothers Rocco Pirro, a fullback, and Carmen Pirro, a tackle.


1939 Centenary Gentlemen football team
The 1939 Centenary Gentlemen football team was an American football team that represented the Centenary College of Louisiana as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association during the 1939 college football season. In their sixth year under head coach Curtis Parker, the team compiled a 2–9–1 record.


1939 Central Michigan Bearcats football team
The 1939 Central Michigan Bearcats football team represented Central Michigan College of Education, later renamed Central Michigan University, as an independent during the 1939 college football season. In their third season under head coach Ron Finch, the Bearcats compiled an 8–1 record, shut out six opponents, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 167 to 40. The team's sole loss was by a 20–7 score to Gus Dorais' 1939 Detroit Titans football team.


1939 Chatham Cup
The 1939 Chatham Cup was the 16th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.


1939 Chatham Cup
The competition was run on a regional basis, with regional associations each holding separate qualifying rounds.


1939 Chatham Cup
Teams taking part in the final rounds are known to have included Ponsonby, Waterside (Wellington), Hamilton Wanderers, Western (Christchurch), and Mosgiel.


1939 Chatham Cup, The 1939 final
Waterside became the first team to successfully defend the trophy - something they were to again achieve the following year. Sonny Ward became the first player to score in two successive finals.


1939 Chattanooga Moccasins football team
The 1939 Chattanooga Moccasins football team was an American football team that represented the University of Chattanooga (now known as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) in the Dixie Conference during the 1939 college football season. In its ninth year under head coach Scrappy Moore, the team compiled a 5–2–1 record.


1939 Chicago Bears season
The 1939 Chicago Bears season was their 20th regular season completed in the National Football League. They finished second in the Western Division with an 8–3 record. The Bears started the season well, winning 4 of their first 5 games. However, two mid-season losses to New York and Detroit cost them the Division to Green Bay. The Packers went on to win the NFL championship.


1939 Chicago Bears season, Season highlights
The Bears were much improved from 1938, adding two new players who contributed immediately and would be part of the great Chicago teams of the 1940s. Overall, the Bears had a potent offense, leading the NFL in scoring, touchdowns, total yards (averaging 364 yards per game), rushing yards, rushing average per carry, rushing touchdowns, passing yards, and passing yards per attempt. Perhaps most impressively, the club led the NFL with a gaudy 22.1 average yards per pass completion. The T-formation was beginning to demonstrate itself as a superior passing scheme, particularly regarding the deep game.


1939 Chicago Bears season, Season highlights, Luckman Arrives
Sid Luckman was a Single Wing tailback at Columbia University before joining the Bears. Coach Halas traded with Pittsburgh for the rights to Luckman, seeing potential to run the complicated T-formation in the relatively unknown player. It took a $5,000 bonus to convince Luckman to sign with the Bears. Bernie Masterson continued to be the primary quarterback, but Luckman played more in the second half of the season. Luckman was a more accurate passer than Masterson, with a flair for the long ball.


1939 Chicago Bears season, Season highlights, Luckman Arrives
His first NFL touchdown pass was a 68-yard bomb to Dick Plasman in the fourth quarter of the October 22 game against the Giants, a game the Bears lost despite Luckman leading a furious fourth quarter comeback. By the end of the year, Luckman was playing in the first half ahead of Masterson; he finished the season with 636 yards passing, completing 23 of 51 attempts, with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also had an interception return for a touchdown.


1939 Chicago Bears season, Season highlights, Osmanski
The other major rookie performer was Bill Osmanski from Holy Cross, a hard-running fullback who led the league in rushing with 699 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and finishing with 7 rushing touchdowns. Osmanski possessed great speed and was a threat to go all the way from anywhere on the field; he burned the Cardinals with an 86-yard run and the Eagles with a 65-yard scamper. Osmanski's arrival freed up running room for Joe Maniaci, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry for his 544 yards.


1939 Chicago Bears season, Season highlights, Other top performances
Dick Plasman and Les McDonald continued to play well at end, combining for 35 receptions and 6 touchdowns. Jack Manders continued to kick well in his last season and led the team in scoring. The interior line continued to be strong, with Bausch, Fortmann, Stydahar, and Musso representing one of the strongest units in football. The defense fell down a bit this season, and probably cost the Bears the division, allowing 157 points including more than 20 four times. The pieces were almost in place for the Bears to dominate the league, but that would have to wait for the next decade.


1939 Chicago Bears season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1939 Chicago Cardinals season
The 1939 Chicago Cardinals season was their 20th in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 2–9, winning only one game. They played eight of their eleven games on the road and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season.


1939 Chicago Cardinals season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1939 Chicago Cubs season
The 1939 Chicago Cubs season was the 68th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 64th in the National League and the 24th at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished fourth in the National League with a record of 84–70.


1939 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Chicago Maroons football team
The 1939 Chicago Maroons football team was an American football team that represented the University of Chicago during the 1939 Big Ten Conference football season. In their seventh and final season under head coach Clark Shaughnessy, the Maroons compiled a 2–6 record, finished in last place in the Big Ten Conference, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 308 to 37. Chicago's two victories came against Oberlin and Wabash. Against stronger opponents, the team was soundly defeated, 85–0 against Michigan, and 61–0 against both Ohio State and Harvard, 47–0 against Virginia, and 46–0 against Illinois.


1939 Chicago Maroons football team
The 1939 season was described in the press as the worst season in Chicago Maroons football history. The school's academic demands had greatly reduced the personnel available to field a quality football team, and the Maroons had not won a game against a Big Ten opponent since 1936.


1939 Chicago Maroons football team
In December 1939, after 48 seasons of competition, the University of Chicago's board of trustees announced that, the school would no longer field a football team.


1939 Chicago White Sox season
The 1939 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 39th season in major league baseball, and its 40th season overall. They finished with a record of 86–69, good enough for 4th place in the American League, 22 games behind the first place New York Yankees.


1939 Chicago White Sox season, Player stats, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases


1939 Chicago White Sox season, Player stats, Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts


1939 Chicago mayoral election
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1939, incumbent Edward J. Kelly  was reelected by a double-digit margin of victory.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic primary
Incumbent Democrat Edward J. Kelly had already served for nearly six years, which meant that he was going to tie the record at the time for the most consecutive years spent as mayor (Carter Harrison Jr. had also spent six consecutive years between 1899 and 1905). By seeking election an additional four-year term, Kelly was running to have the longest uninterrupted mayoralty Chicago had ever seen. An additional four years would also tie him with Carter Harrison Jr. for the longest-serving mayor in Chicago history at the time (Harrison had served ten non-consecutive years as mayor).


1939 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic primary
Kelly fended off a primary challenge from Thomas J. Courtney. Rebellious and reform-oriented Democrats united behind Thomas J. Courtney as a challenger to Kelly and the political machine. Courtney had initially held hopes of aligning himself with Governor Henry Horner. Horner had been engaging in a political feud with Kelly and Chicago Democratic boss Patrick Nash. However, Horner made peace with Chicago's Democratic machine before the mayoral primary, consequentially robbing Courntney of an opportunity to capitalize off of discord between the Chicago political establishment and the state's governor.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic primary
Despite efforts to draft him, Harold L. Ickes did not run for the nomination.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Republican primary
Dwight H. Green defeated former mayor William H. Thompson in the Republican primary.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Republican primary
This is regarded to have been the last time that two big-name individuals faced one another in a Republican Chicago mayoral primary.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, General election
Republican nominee Dwight H. Green was strong opponent to the incumbent Kelly. Green was a young and talented lawyer, as well as a political reformer. As an assistant district attorney, Green had helped to construct the income tax evasion case which led to mobster Al Capone's imprisonment. Green ran a vigorous campaign which attempted to make the case against Kelly's political campaign for its connections with criminal elements. His campaign also harshly criticized increases in the city tax rate. Green's campaign, in a sense, was a four-month series of attacks on the Kelly-Patrick Nash political machine.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, General election
Kelly did not respond to Green's criticisms. In fact, for the duration of his campaign, Kelly did not even utter his Republican opponent's name.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, General election
After his defeat in the primary, Thomas Courtney reluctantly agreed to endorse Kelly.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, General election
Kelly received the backing of trade unions. By 1939, a significant number of Chicago's African American voters had migrated their support from the Republican party to the Democratic Party. Kelly would receive at least half the African American vote. Additionally, many of those who supported or benefited from the New Deal policies of Democratic president Franklin Roosevelt supported Kelly's reelection.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, General election
On the eve of the election, Kelly received a further boost when former United States District Attorney George E. Q. Johnson declared in a radio address that he considered Chicago to no longer be a capital of crime, arguing that the city now led the nation in crime prevention, largely crediting Kelly and the city's police commissioner for this.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, General election, Results
Kelly won the election by a decisive margin and with a record-setting vote total. The overall vote total in the election was record-setting as well.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, Aftermath
Both parties attempted to spin the narrative of the election result to their advantage. Democratic National Committee chairman James Farley declared that "As Illinois goes, so will the nation 1940." However Republicans tried to argue that Green's performance, the best by a Republican Chicago mayoral candidate in a decade, demonstrated that there was promise for Republicans to carry Illinois' 29 electoral votes in 1940.


1939 Chicago mayoral election, Aftermath
Green would go on to be elected Governor of Illinois the following year.


1939 Chico State Wildcats football team
The 1939 Chico State Wildcats football team represented Chico State College during the 1939 college football season. Chico State competed in the Far Western Conference in 1939. They played home games at College Field in Chico, California.


1939 Chico State Wildcats football team
The 1939 Wildcats were led by first-year head coach H.J. McCormick in his only season at the helm. Chico State finished the season with a record of two wins, four losses and two ties (2–3–2, 1–2 FWC). The Wildcats were outscored by their opponents 28–47 for the season.


1939 Chico State Wildcats football team, Team players in the NFL
No Chico State players were selected in the 1940 NFL Draft.


1939 Chillán earthquake
The 1939 Chillán earthquake occurred in south-central Chile on 24 January with a surface wave magnitude of 8.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). With a death toll of around 28,000, compared to the 2,231–6,000 (official estimates vary greatly)  of the Great Chilean earthquake of 1960, it is the single deadliest earthquake in Chile.


1939 Chillán earthquake, Earthquake
At 23:32, the earth began to shake strongly underneath Chillán, destroying more than half of it, including around 3,500 homes and the recently constructed Casa Rabié which then was in the city. Aftershocks followed, although they were less intense, which left the city completely destroyed. Until then, the Cathedral of Chillán had been one of the principal buildings of the area, but it was completely destroyed. The church that was built to replace it was designed specifically to withstand future earthquakes.


1939 Chillán earthquake, Earthquake
At 23:35, Concepción was violently hit. Almost all of the buildings (around 95% of the houses) were completely destroyed. There was a show going on in the theater where the large chandelier started to swing. The people inside were terrified, so they fled down the stairs, but the spiral staircase cracked, causing many people to fall into the gap. In the intersection of O’Higgins and Aníbal Pinto avenue the bodies accumulated, which were later brought to the cemetery, and interred in large strips of land.


1939 Chillán earthquake, Earthquake
The electricity was cut in all of the city and tens of fires were reported in various points of the city. The potable water supply was also seriously affected. The material damage in all of the city were evaluated to be more than three thousand million pesos. Various emblematic buildings of the city were destroyed, like the central market, Correos de Chile, but the most emblematic was the plaza of independence, which was seriously damaged. Its two towers leaned dangerously, and because of this they had to be demolished. Another building that was affected was the first building of the old Central Station of Concepción. In 1941, the construction of a second station building began.


1939 Chillán earthquake, Geology
The community of Chillán is situated in the continental territory of Chile. The city of Chillán was built on a tectonic structure at the end of the Tertiary Period in the part of the Longitudinal Valley which is identified with the Central level. Morphologically, the land corresponds to an alluvial plain, which predominates with fluvioglacial sediments, conformed during the Cuaternario by the action of the Rivers Nuble and Cato in the north and the River Chillán in the south, both tributary streams of the large drainage basin of Itata. The natural flow of the enclave of Chillán is confirmed by later geological studies, found the root of the earthquake of 1939, when a prospection of more than 80 meters was carried out, without finding the bedrock.


1939 Chillán earthquake, Response
In the aftermath, the government created CORFO (Spanish acronym for Production Development Corporation) to help in the reconstruction of the country and to industrialize the country, mechanize the agriculture and help mining to develop.


1939 Chillán earthquake, Gallery
A memorial placard next to the cathedral in Chillán commemorates the victims 50 years later


1939 Christchurch South by-election
The 1939 Christchurch South by-election held on 3 June was caused by the death of Ted Howard during the term of the 26th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election in the Christchurch South electorate was contested by Robert Macfarlane for Labour and Melville Lyons for National, with Macfarlane winning the election. At the time, Macfarlane was Mayor of Christchurch.


1939 Christchurch South by-election, Background
Since the first election of Ted Howard in the 1919 general election, Christchurch South was held by the Labour Party. At the last general election in 1938, Howard had polled 9,885 votes versus 3,890 votes for Gladstone Ward, the son of former Prime Minister Joseph Ward. When Howard died on 26 April 1939, the electorate was thus regarded as a safe seat for Labour.


1939 Christchurch South by-election, Background
On nomination day, two candidates were put forward: Robert Macfarlane for the Labour Party and Melville Lyons for the National Party. Mabel Howard, Ted Howard's daughter, had hoped to be put forward by the Labour Party, and she was endorsed by the local branch of the party. The national executive of the Labour Party chose Macfarlane, and Howard believed that she was opposed by the party's hierarchy due to her connections to John A. Lee, who was seen as a radical within the party. The chosen candidate, Macfarlane, had been Mayor of Christchurch since the previous year.


1939 Christchurch South by-election, Results
Results of the Christchurch South general election held on 15 October 1938 were:


1939 Christchurch South by-election, Results
Results of the by-election held on 3 June 1939 were:


1939 Christchurch South by-election, Results
There were 20 polling booths and Lyons obtained a majority at only two of those (at Kilmore Street and at the Provincial Chambers in Durham Street). Macfarlane could increase the Labour vote at one polling booth only (Antigua Street in Sydenham). Macfarlane stated that in his belief, about 2,000 Labour Party supporters did not vote because the outcome of the election was a foregone conclusion.


1939 Christchurch South by-election, Results
This view was disputed in an editorial by The Evening Post, arguing that the reduced Labour support is due to Howard's popularity that Macfarlane does not possess despite many high-profile politicians having campaigned on Labour's behalf, and that it is more likely that National supporters have suffered from apathy, as Lyons never had any hope of winning the election.


1939 Christchurch South by-election, Results
Macfarlane held the electorate until its abolition at the 1946 general election and subsequently Christchurch Central until the 1969 general election, when he retired.


1939 Cincinnati Bearcats football team
The 1939 Cincinnati Bearcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of Cincinnati as an independent during the 1939 college football season. The Bearcats were led by head coach Joseph A. Meyer and compiled a 4–3–2 record.


1939 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1939 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished first in the National League, winning the pennant by 4½ games over the St. Louis Cardinals with a record of 97–57. The team went on to the 1939 World Series, which it lost in four straight games to the New York Yankees.


1939 Cincinnati Reds season, Regular season
During the season, Paul Derringer and Bucky Walters became the last pitchers to win at least 25 games in one season for the Reds in the 20th century.


1939 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Cincinnati Reds season, 1939 World Series, Game 1
October 4, 1939, at Yankee Stadium in New York City


1939 Cincinnati Reds season, 1939 World Series, Game 2
October 5, 1939, at Yankee Stadium in New York City


1939 City of San Francisco derailment
On August 12, 1939, the City of San Francisco train derailed outside of Harney, Nevada, killing 24 and injuring 121 passengers and crew. The derailment was caused by sabotage of the tracks. Despite a manhunt, reward offers, and years of investigation by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), the case remains unsolved.


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Background
The City of San Francisco was a cross country passenger train, running from Oakland to Chicago. The train was jointly operated by three railroad companies, and the Nevada portion was operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP). The incident happened approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Harney, Nevada, a rail siding along the SP main as it follows the Humboldt River through Palisade Canyon, between the towns of Beowawe and Palisade. The accident happened at a high embankment next to a bridge over the river along a curve in the canyon. Sometime later, the Humboldt River was re-channeled and the tracks adjusted at this curve. There is no bridge at the location of the derailment today.


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Incident
The City of San Francisco was bound for Oakland, California, but was running behind schedule by around half an hour. After leaving Carlin, Nevada, engineer Ed Hecox had increased the speed to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) to make up time. At 9:33 p.m., Hecox and his train hit a patch of rail that had been deliberately moved out of alignment and camouflaged with brown paint and a tumbleweed, derailing the westbound City of San Francisco while it crossed the #4 bridge in the Humboldt River Gorge in northern Nevada.


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Incident
Hecox survived and ran to the telephone at Harney to contact emergency services. Volunteers from the nearby towns of Beowawe and Carlin rushed to the scene with medical supplies, but survivors were not taken to the hospital until a rescue train was assembled and took them to Elko the next morning. The SP tracks were out of service for several months. The nearby tracks of competing Western Pacific Railroad were intact and used for both rescue trains and regular service until the SP tracks were repaired. A total of 24 people died and 121 were injured. Five cars were destroyed and written off: SF 601 Presidio (32-seat coffee shop–kitchen car), SF-602 Mission Dolores (72-seat diner), SF-701 Embarcadero (dormitory-buffet-lounge car), and two sleepers, Twin Peaks and Chinatown.


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Investigation
In the following days, divers discovered tools in the Humboldt River, exposing the disaster as an act of sabotage. Investigators estimated it would take a strong person about an hour to move the tracks, and noted the previous train passed through the area four hours prior; Southern Pacific's lead investigator, Dan O’Connell, estimated several hours, and a reenactment for the San Francisco Chronicle the year of the derailment required four heavy tools. Southern Pacific established a $5,000 bounty for the saboteurs (eventually increased to $10,000), and numerous lone hobos were arrested, although some investigators argued the sabotage was likely carried out by two or more people with knowledge of railroad operations, but the arrests and interrogations led nowhere.


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Investigation
The media coverage during the investigation proved hostile to the railroad. One of the first newspaper reporters on the scene was a photographer for the Elko Daily Free Press, who took pictures of the railroad cars dangling over the side of the bridge, in the river and tipped over. The Southern Pacific accused the paper of publishing pictures taken at angles that made the damage appear worse than it actually was, to which the photographer responded, "God knows, it would have been impossible to make it look worse than it was".


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Investigation
The railroad was criticized for the amounts paid in compensation. In one case where a passenger originally bought a ticket on a coach fare train, but before boarding upgraded to the City of San Francisco, a premium fare train, the railroad only refunded the difference between the two tickets. Other papers promoted a theory that the sabotage story was a coverup to hide the railroad's negligence in allowing the engineer to operate the train at such high speed. These papers interviewed and noted that some passengers were uncomfortable with the speed of the train several minutes before it derailed.


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Investigation
As the train rounded corners passengers had difficulty standing and some beer bottles were shaken off of tables. Despite these details, the official position of both the Southern Pacific and the Federal Bureau of Investigation remains unchanged that the train was sabotaged, noting the evidence the rails were moved and the track circuits were bypassed.


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Investigation
The case received new attention after the 1995 Palo Verde, Arizona derailment. One week before the Arizona derailment, the Southern Pacific Historical and Technical Society published an article about the Nevada derailment in their magazine. In addition to both accidents occurring along Southern Pacific track, investigators noticed other similarities with the Nevada derailment, namely tracks moved on a bridge with a high embankment and bypassed track circuits so the signaling systems would not warn of a track break.


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Investigation
These similarities and the timing of the magazine article initially led to suspicion the Arizona train wreck may have been a copycat crime of the Nevada derailment. While the FBI interviewed people involved in the publication of the magazine article, no connection between the two crimes was established, and both crimes remain unsolved.


1939 City of San Francisco derailment, Investigation
To this day, the wreck of the City of San Francisco remains unsolved, and remains the deadliest rail disaster in Nevada.


1939 Clackmannanshire and East Stirlingshire by-election
The Clackmannanshire and East Stirlingshire by-election of 1939 was held on 13 October 1939. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Labour MP, Lauchlin MacNeill Weir. It was won by the Labour candidate Arthur Woodburn.


1939 Claxton Shield
The 1939 Claxton Shield was the sixth annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held at Richmond Cricket Ground, Albert Ground, South Melbourne Cricket Ground and National Park in Melbourne from 29 July to 5 August, the second time Melbourne had hosted the Shield. New South Wales won the Shield for the third time, successfully defending their title from the previous two years. Queensland joined the other four states for the first time in the tournament. The other participating teams were Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. It was also the first year an Australia national team was picked primarily based on the Championships.


1939 Claxton Shield, Format
As had been the case in the 1937 tournament, the four teams played a round-robin schedule, meeting each other team once, with two competition points were on offer in each game. The points were awarded as follows:


1939 Claxton Shield, Format
At the end of these preliminary games, the top two teams played each other to determine the champions, while the remaining two teams faced each other to determine third place. In the event of a tie between teams in terms of points, the tiebreaker used would have been the net runs for and against, with the team achieving the greater value placing in the higher position.


1939 Claxton Shield, All-Australian team
At the conclusion of the tournament, representatives from the Australian Baseball Council selected an All-Australian team. Though the selected team did not actually play together, it was the first time an Australian team had been selected.


1939 Clemson Tigers football team
The 1939 Clemson Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Clemson College in the Southern Conference during the 1939 college football season. In their ninth and final season under head coach Jess Neely, the Tigers compiled a 9–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 165 to 40, and defeated Boston College in the 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic. The 1940 Cotton Bowl was Clemson's first bowl game.


1939 Clemson Tigers football team
Joe Payne was the team captain. The team's statistical leaders included tailback Banks McFadden with 581 passing yards, fullback Charlie Timmons with 556 rushing yards, and wingback Shad Bryant with 32 points scored (4 touchdowns, 8 extra points). McFadden remained with Clemson for more than 40 years as a coach and administrator and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959.


1939 Clemson Tigers football team
Five Clemson players were named to the All-Southern team: tailback Banks McFadden; wingback Shad Bryant; center Bob Sharpe; end Joe Blalock; and tackle George Fritts.


1939 Cleveland Indians season
The 1939 Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. The team finished third in the American League with a record of 87–67, 201⁄2 games behind the New York Yankees.


1939 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1939 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1939 Cleveland Rams season
The 1939 Cleveland Rams season was the team's third year with the National Football League and the fourth season in Cleveland.


1939 Cleveland Rams season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1939 Cleveland mayoral election
The Cleveland mayoral election of 1939 saw the reelection of the Republican Harold Hitz Burton to a third term as the Mayor of Cleveland over the Democratic John O'Donnell.


1939 Cochinchinese parliamentary election
Colonial Council elections were held in French Cochinchina on 16 April 1939.


1939 Cochinchinese parliamentary election, Electoral system
The 24 members of the Colonial Council consisted of ten members elected by French citizens, ten by Vietnamese who were classed as French subjects, two by the Chamber of Commerce and two by the Chamber of Agriculture.


1939 Cochinchinese parliamentary election, Results
Amongst the Vietnamese electorate, three Trotskyist candidates Tạ Thu Thâu, Tran Van Thach and Phan Văn Hùm received around 80% of the vote; the pro-French Constitutionalist Party received 15% and Stalinists candidates 1%.


1939 Cochinchinese parliamentary election, Aftermath
The defeat of the Stalinism led to the Indochinese Communist Party splitting, with Duong Bach Mai continuing to lead the official faction of the party and Nguyen Van Tao heading a breakaway.