1940 Pacific typhoon season
A strong typhoon passed near Guam on November 3 with winds of 200 km/h (125 mph), damaging most of the buildings on the island and killing five. Three storms affected the Philippines in December, the second of which was the most notable; it killed 63 people and left 75,000 homeless on Catanduanes. The third of the Philippine storms dissipated on December 24, ending activity for the season. There was another December typhoon that killed two people on a ship to the northeast of Guam.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems
Data for most of the storms were provided through the World Wide Consolidated Tropical Cyclone data file known as TD-9636. The document utilized several sources to indicate where storms were located, and as a result there were duplications. During the season, the Philippine Weather Bureau issued monthly bulletins, which later provided info for tropical cyclone tracks. The agency used weather stations that were established by Spain and the United States after each country ruled over the archipelago. The weather data ceased in August 1940, which were later rebuilt in 1945. Also in 1940, meteorology records were disrupted in Hong Kong, which were later restored in 1947, due to World War II.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, February and April
On February 1, a tropical cyclone formed over western Mindanao in the Philippines. It moved northwestward across Palawan island and was last noted later on February 1. Historical weather maps show only a circulation near 9 N 121 E.  This was a weak system, likely a depression but may have been a weak Tropical Storm.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, February and April
Two months later, a tropical depression developed on April 9 to the east of Yap in the western Caroline Islands. It moved west-northwestward, passing south of the island without gaining much intensity. The depression later bypassed Palau to the north, dissipating on April 13 about 400 km (250 mi) west-northwest of the island.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, February and April
On April 23, a tropical cyclone was observed east of Palau, moving to the west-southwest. It curved south of the island before turning to the west-northwest. While the storm was approaching Mindanao, a ship reported a minimum pressure of 985 mbar (29.09 inHg) and force 12 on the Beaufort scale, indicating that the system was a typhoon. Early on April 26, the typhoon made landfall just south of Port Lamon on eastern Mindanao, where a pressure of 980 mbar (29 inHg) was reported.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, February and April
Along the coast, the storm produced strong winds and heavy rainfall, and killed three people after capsizing a boat. The storm later crossed over Negros island and near Cebu, where winds of 70 km/h (43 mph) were reported. The storm later entered the South China Sea, dissipating near Palawan on April 28.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
A preexisting low pressure area organized into a tropical cyclone on June 9 near Chuuk State. It moved to the northwest as a tropical depression, influencing the trade winds on Yap. On June 13, the storm executed a small loop to the southwest, later turning back to the northwest. It eventually intensified into a typhoon, producing a pressure of 999 mbar (29.5 inHg) in the Ryukyu Islands while passing to the east. The system was no a longer a tropical cyclone by June 16, either due to dissipation or becoming an extratropical cyclone that continued to the northeast toward Alaska.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
Toward the end of June, a tropical depression moved across the Philippines through the Visayas, first observed on June 26. After moving westward into the South China Sea, the depression turned to the northeast, reaching the Luzon Strait. Later, the depression recurved back to the west, dissipating over China on July 3.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
On June 29, a tropical cyclone developed southeast of Palau. It moved to the northwest, remaining east of Palau and the Philippines. Later classified as a typhoon, the system turned to the west and struck Taiwan, then known as Formosa, on July 7. It moved across the island, crossed the Taiwan Strait, and dissipated over China on July 9.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
Another tropical depression formed on July 4 near Chuuk. It moved generally to the west-northwest, although it curved southwestward on July 6. The next day, the system passed about 480 km (300 mi) south of Guam, by which time it attained typhoon status. It resumed its movement to the northwest, remaining east of the Philippines. On July 11, a nearby ship reported a pressure of 959 mbar (28.3 inHg) and winds of Force 12 on the Beaufort scale.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
Two days later, the typhoon passed about 95 km (60 mi) west of Naha, Okinawa into the East China Sea, after turning more to the north. On July 14, the typhoon turned to the northeast into the Sea of Japan, moving between Japan and South Korea. It later crossed Hokkaido, dissipating on July 17 in the Sea of Okhotsk.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
On July 8, the Australian Associated Press reported that there was a typhoon about 195 km (120 mi) east of Samar. The storm dropped heavy rainfall over a period of a week, the most since 1919 in one area, which caused river flooding and one death. On July 12, local newspapers also reported a typhoon striking Seoul, South Korea, killing 52 people and leaving thousands homeless. However, neither of the two storms were mentioned in the Monthly Weather Review summary for the month.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
A short-lived tropical cyclone appeared on July 11 in the South China Sea, but dissipated the next day. Another short-lived system developed on July 13 near Yap, dissipating on the next day. A few days later on July 18, a tropical cyclone formed west of Guam; the system moved westward and was no longer observed by July 23.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
On July 12, a tropical depression formed to the east-southeast of Guam. It moved westward, passing through the Marianas Islands on July 14. Around July 18, the storm turned toward the north, passing east of Taiwan. Three days later, the storm approached the Japanese island of Ishigaki 100 km (60 mi) to the west, where a pressure of 985.3 mbar (29.10 inHg) confirmed the system attained typhoon status. On July 23, the typhoon turned to the northeast and moved across the Korean Peninsula. The storm turned to the east, later moving across northern Honshu on July 24, and dissipating two days later.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
Another tropical depression formed east of Guam on July 21. It tracked westward, passing near the island on July 23, and later shifted more to the west-northwest. On July 26, a ship reported a low pressure of 927 mbar (27.4 inHg), indicating that the system was a typhoon. The system later passed between the Philippines and Taiwan as it entered the South China Sea, but no land areas reported strong winds, suggesting the typhoon was either very small or had weakened from its peak. On July 29, the typhoon made landfall between Hong Kong and Shantou in southeastern China, quickly dissipating.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, June and July
On July 24, a tropical depression appeared east of Guam, and soon after passed near the island while tracking northwestward. The system eventually passed between Okinawa and Taiwan, reaching a position 100 km (60 mi) southwest of Naha, Okinawa on July 30; a station  on the island reported a pressure of 990 mbar (29 inHg), suggesting the storm attained typhoon status. By the next day, the storm was no longer being tracked in the East China Sea, although the Monthly Weather Review summary indicated that the typhoon continued to the northwest, attaining a pressure of 973 mbar (28.7 inHg). The storm reached a position northeast of Shanghai and dissipated on August 4 after crossing the Shandong Peninsula.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, August
Activity in August began when a tropical depression formed on August 1 to the west of Guam. It exhibited a parabolic track, moving west-northwestward before turning to the south, ultimately dissipating on August 4; it never intensified beyond tropical depression status. Another short-lived tropical depression formed on August 1 near Guam, dissipating on August 3 after having moved to the north and west.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, August
On August 11, a tropical cyclone appeared east of Luzon. Over the next few days, it moved across the Philippines, passing near the island of Mindoro on August 13. The system moved across the South China Sea, intensifying into a typhoon as it approached Vietnam. Although it paralleled the coast, the system dissipated over the Gulf of Tonkin on August 17.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, August
A tropical depression formed on August 13 to the southwest of Guam. It gradually strengthened while tracking west-northwestward, becoming a typhoon on August 16. Two days later, the storm passed near or over northeastern Luzon and moved into the South China Sea. After approaching Hong Kong, the typhoon turned to the west-southwest, paralleling the southern China coast. Although the track for the storm ended on August 22, the Monthly Weather Review summary indicated that the typhoon crossed Hainan. The storm then moved across the Gulf of Tonkin and dissipated on August 25 over Vietnam.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, August
In Luzon, stations reported a minimum pressure of 975 mbar (28.8 inHg) in Palanan, Isabela. The storm produced widespread flooding in Luzon, which damaged crops and cut communications, and killed nine people. In Ilocos Norte, the typhoon caused a shipwreck, although the passengers and crew were rescued. Later, the typhoon brought gusts of 134 km/h (83 mph) to Hong Kong.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, August
A short-lived tropical depression formed east of Guam on August 14, dissipating a day later. The next tropical system developed about 565 km (350 mi) north of Yap on August 19. It moved generally to the northwest, interrupted a brief turn to the northeast before resuming its trajectory. It quickly intensified into a typhoon, and Naha, Okinawa reported a pressure of 987 mbar (29.1 inHg) on August 23. After passing near the island, the typhoon turned sharply to the northeast. It moved along the southern coast of Japan before coming ashore west of Tokyo on August 26. Soon after, the storm reached open waters and later passed over eastern Hokkaido, dissipating on August 28.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, August
On August 21, a tropical depression formed near Yap. After moving erratically to the south and northwest, the system dissipated on August 25 to the east of the Philippines. There was another short-lived depression on August 28 to the east of Guam, dissipating a day later.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, August
Another tropical depression formed on August 24 to the east-southeast of Guam. After passing south of the island, the system maintained a steady west-northwest trajectory and quickly intensified into a typhoon. On August 29, the storm passed east of the Batanes islands that are between Taiwan and Luzon; a station there recorded a pressure of 987 mbar (29.1 inHg). A day later, the typhoon made landfall in northern Taiwan, and after crossing the island, moved ashore in southeastern China near Fuzhou with a pressure of 979 mbar (28.9 inHg). The storm remained distinct over land, turning to the northeast and passing west of Shanghai. On September 3, the system dissipated off the south coast of South Korea.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, August
The last storm to form in August developed on August 30 to the northwest of Guam. It briefly moved to the north-northeast before maintaining a steady northwest track. The system attained typhoon status, later dissipating on September 4 near Okinawa.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, September
On September 2, a tropical depression developed to the east of Guam. The system moved northwestward, remaining east and north of the Marianas Islands. Around September 6, the system passed through the Bonin Islands to the south of Japan, where a station recorded a pressure of 964 mbar (28.5 inHg); this indicated that the storm attained typhoon status. The storm turned to the west, influenced by a high pressure area over Japan. It is possible the storm executed a loop, or it traversed to the north, before resuming a westerly track on September 9.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, September
The typhoon later passed over southern Kyushu, later turning abruptly to the northeast and east. On September 12, the system dissipated over central Honshu. While moving through the Bonin Islands, the typhoon destroyed schools, government offices, and power plants. Several people were killed, and 500 were left homeless. Later, the storm disrupted shipping in and around Kyushu, damaging the port at Nagasaki. In Ōita Prefecture, rains from the typhoon caused a reservoir on Kyushu to collapse, killing 50 people.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, September
Also on September 2, a tropical depression formed between Guam and Luzon. It moved to the northwest, then turned to the northeast, intensifying into a typhoon; this was based on a pressure reading of 993 mbar (29.3 inHg) from a nearby ship. On September 6, the system dissipated.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, September
A short-lived tropical depression formed on September 3 in the South China Sea, dissipating the next day while moving eastward. There was another short-lived tropical depression that developed on September 4 near the Marianas Islands, but dissipated within one day. Another tropical depression formed on September 4 to the west of the Marianas Islands, which moved to the south and later northeast, dissipating on September 6. On September 10, a tropical depression formed northeast of Luzon, lasting only two days while moving in a circular track.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, September
On September 9, a tropical depression formed near Chuuk. Two days later, the system passed south of Guam while maintaining a general west trajectory, although it later turned to the north-northwest. By September 13, the system attained typhoon status. Three days later, the storm's track shifted to the north-northeast, bringing it near Hachijō-jima on September 18 which recorded a pressure of 983 mbar (29.0 inHg). That day, it approached southeastern Honshu but remained offshore. After accelerating to the northeast, the system was no longer observed on September 20 to the southeast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. While passing east of Japan, the typhoon caused a tram collision due to poor visibility, killing 20 people.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, September
On September 22, a well-developed typhoon was first observed east-southeast of Guam. The storm moved to the west and later west-northwest, bypassing the island to the south. On September 29, the system entered the Balintang Channel between Taiwan and Luzon, where a station recorded a pressure of 965 mbar (28.5 inHg) at Basco, Batanes. That day, the typhoon passed over or very near southern Taiwan as it continued to the northwest. On September 30, it made landfall about 160 km (100 mi) northeast of Xiamen, weakening over land. The storm turned to the north and northeast, reaching the East China Sea and dissipating on October 2. In Taiwan, the typhoon killed 50 people and wrecked 5,000 houses.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, September
The final September storm originated east of Guam on September 29. It moved westward, intensifying into a typhoon and passing north of Guam. After varying its track toward the north or south, the typhoon dissipated on October 5.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, October
On October 8, a tropical depression formed west of Luzon. Its track shifted from the northwest to the southwest and later back to the northwest. On October 12, the system passed through the Paracel Islands, where a pressure of 996 mbar (29.4 inHg) was recorded. The storm attained typhoon status, moving ashore in Vietnam on October 15. The tropical cyclone database listed a separate tropical cyclone that lasted from October 11 to 15 in the South China Sea that also struck Vietnam.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, October
A typhoon was observed on October 13 to the northeast of Guam, with nearby ships reporting a pressure of 985 mbar (29.1 inHg). After moving to the northwest, the system turned to the northeast and was no longer observed after October 17.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, October
On October 19, a typhoon passed near Wake Island, where a pressure of 968 mbar (28.6 inHg) was recorded. Winds reached 220 km/h (140 mph), which was the first instance of typhoon-force winds on the island since observations began in 1935. The winds were strong enough to cut radio communications and damage the Pan American World Airways base. The only people on the island were two dozen Pan American workers, who survived by staying in a storm shelter that previously never experienced gale-force winds. After striking the island, the typhoon turned to the northeast, crossing the International Date Line on October 21.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, October
A tropical depression formed on October 29 near Pohnpei. It moved to the northeast initially, but on October 31 began tracking to the west. On November 3, the system passed just south of Guam as a typhoon, where a pressure of 956 mbar (28.2 inHg) was recorded. Winds reached over 200 km/h (125 mph), and there was a slight decrease during the passage of the eyewall. The typhoon turned to the northwest, passing near the Bonin Islands. On November 8, the typhoon accelerated to the northeast, crossing the International Date Line on November 10.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, October
When the storm struck Guam, it damaged nearly every building on the island. Most of the damage occurred after the center of the storm passed and the onslaught of easterly winds began. The Navy Yard at Piti was heavily damaged. At Sumay, the storm damaged Marine Barracks Guam, the Pan American Airways hotel used for China Clipper service passengers, and a hangar. The storm also sank a U.S. Navy yard patrol boat and blew ashore the dredge YM-13. Downed trees killed two or three people, and five people in total died on the island, the others likely due to drowning. After the storm, Naval Governor George McMillin sought aid from the American Red Cross to assist residents in rebuilding. It was considered among the worst typhoons on record in Guam.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, November and December
On November 22, a tropical depression developed near Chuuk and moved westward. It crossed over Palau on November 24, and later turned more to the northwest. The system paralleled the east coast of Mindanao, briefly moving ashore on November 26. It turned to the northeast, dissipating on November 29.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, November and December
The first in a series of storms to form in December was first observed on December 2 to the east of Samar. The storm moved to the west across the island and through the central Philippines, with a station in Samar reporting a minimum pressure of 979 mbar (28.9 inHg). This indicated the system attained typhoon status. While moving westward, it moved through Panay and later across Palawan before entering the South China Sea. On Panay island, Capiz recorded typhoon-force winds, and throughout the Visayas, the storm damaged roads and bridges, but caused no deaths. The system dissipated on December 6.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, November and December
On December 3, a tropical depression formed about 485 km (300 mi) east of Yap. Tracking westward, it intensified into a typhoon on December 5 while approaching the Philippines. The system turned to the northwest, moving over eastern Samar and crossing Catanduanes island with a recorded pressure of 992 mbar (29.3 inHg). Subsequently, there is contradictory information on the path; the storm either continued to the northwest, dissipating over northeastern Luzon on December 8, or it turned to the southwest.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, November and December
Capalonga in eastern Luzon reported a pressure of 989 mbar (29.2 inHg) on December 8, and later, a station on Marinduque island reported a pressure of 987 mbar (29.1 inHg). The Monthly Weather Report tracked the storm over the Philippines into the South China Sea, reporting its dissipation on December 13 to the east of Vietnam. Across its path through the Philippines, the typhoon brought heavy rains and strong winds, which downed trees and power lines. On Catanduanes, the storm left about 75,000 people homeless, and killed 60. At Labo, Camarines Norte, ten people died when a tree fell onto a house. Another three people drowned between Polillo Island and Camarines Norte.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, November and December
A tropical cyclone was observed on December 8 southeast of Guam. It moved northwestward and passed about 160 km (100 mi) north of the island on December 10, where a pressure of 999 mbar (29.5 inHg) was recorded. The typhoon turned to the west and later to the southwest. Around December 14, the system stalled to the east of the Philippines, later drifting to the east. On December 19, the system weakened, although it remained a distinct entity as it recurved back to the south and west. On December 24, the storm dissipated after striking Mindanao.


1940 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, November and December
The final storm of the season was observed on December 18 to the northeast of Guam. It affected a nearby ship on December 20, causing the deaths of two members of the crew in the subsequent day. The typhoon tracked to the northeast, crossing the International Date Line on December 21.


1940 Palestine Cup
The 1940 Palestine Cup (Hebrew: הגביע הארץ-ישראלי, HaGavia HaEretz-Israeli) was the eleventh season of Israeli Football Association's nationwide football cup competition.


1940 Palestine Cup
The defending holders, Hapoel Tel Aviv, fell to city rival Maccabi Tel Aviv at the semi-final. Maccabi met the emerging team of Beitar Tel Aviv at the final and lost 1–3.


1940 Palestine Cup, Results, First round
Draw for the round was held in early January 1940. The 6 teams from the Tel Aviv division of the 1939 Palestine League were given a bye to the second round, along with Hapoel Haifa. Hapoel Ramat Gan also received a bye during the draw.


1940 Palestine League
The 1940 Palestine League was the eighth season of league football in the British Mandate for Palestine. The defending champions were Hapoel Tel Aviv.


1940 Palestine League
Eight clubs took part in the league. The league was played between 27 January and 29 June 1940. All clubs completed their schedule of 14 matches.


1940 Palestine League
The championship was won by defending champions Hapoel Tel Aviv.


1940 Panamanian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Panama on 15 December 1940. Voters were asked whether the new constitution should be enacted. A reported 98.7% voted in favour.


1940 Panamanian general election
General elections were held in Panama on 11 May 1940, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new National Assembly.


1940 Panamanian general election
Arnulfo Arias' ties to the incumbent administration and, consequently, to the National Police gave him the advantage over his opponent. Moreover his temporary electoral coalition of liberal parties augmented his support among members of the electoral board.


1940 Panamanian general election
Shortly before polling day Ricardo J. Alfaro (the opposition coalition candidate) fled into the Zone for sanctuary, and Arnulfo Arias (the candidate of the National Revolutionary Party) became president by the familiar walkover.


1940 Panamanian general election
Arnulfo Arias pieced together a political coalition, including some oligarchs with fascistic tendencies and the growing, nationalistic middle class. He swept into power by a vote of 107,750 to 3,022. Arnulfo Arias was elected on the basis of a nationalist program which rested on hostility to all foreigners in general and to the United States and the West Indian and Chinese minorities in Panama in particular.


1940 Panamanian general election, Aftermath
Between his inauguration in 1940 and his overthrow one year later, Arnulfo Arias increased the size and the power of the central government in Panama City, in an attempt to counter opposition to his administration. He began by calling a plebiscite to draft a new constitution. "Arnulfo Arias Madrid had promulgated a new constitution in 1941, which was designed to extend his term of office.


1940 Panamanian general election, Aftermath
"In 1941 the United States urged the Panamanian Police to oust President Arias Madrid, who was balking at granting Washington ninety-nine-year leases on additional military bases and sites outside the Canal Zone".


1940 Panamanian general election, Aftermath
Early on the morning of 7 October 1941, Arnulfo Arias took a plane for Habana, Cuba, traveling incognito, under the name of A. Madrid to see his "eye doctor". However, before departing, he had neglected to obtain permission from the Supreme Court or the National Assembly to leave the country, a requirement stipulated in the laws of the Republic. His absence was therefore declared unauthorized, and this fact opened the way for a change of government by constitutional procedure and without disorder.


1940 Panamanian general election, Aftermath
According to the Constitution, in the absence of the President, the head of the government shall be the First, the Second, or the Third Vice President, in order, and in the absence of all three, the Cabinet shall elect one of its own members to exercise the presidency. "Before the President's plane had decanted him in Cuba, Panama was abuzz. When he heard that Don Arnulfo was gone, onetime Police Chief Colonel Manuel Pino rubbed his hands.


1940 Panamanian general election, Aftermath
With two other veteran politicos, Julio Fabrega and Leopoldo Arosemena, he had been planning for a month to seize the police force and set up a junta. But before the junta could step in, another figure appeared. He was pale-faced, lame Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango, one of the best friends the U.S. had in Arias' Cabinet. He took over the police in Arias' name, spoiling the junta's plans. By 9 the next morning he had decided to take over himself, had started a police roundup of Arias' henchmen".


1940 Panamanian general election, Aftermath
When Arias left Panama, the First Vice-President, Jose Pezet, could not be found; the Third Vice-President, Anibal Rios D., was in Lima where he was serving as Panamanian Minister to Peru; but the Second Vice-President, Ernesto Jaén Guardia, Panamanian Minister to Mexico, happened to be in Panama City on leave, and on the morning of 9 October 1941, he officially assumed control of the Government of Panama and appointed a new Cabinet. Three hours later he resigned, and the Cabinet elected its ranking member, Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango, Minister of Government and Justice, to head the government.


1940 Panamanian general election, Aftermath
"At 10 the Cabinet met in the Balboa police station to form a new Government. As President it picked Ernesto Jaén Guardia, who was sworn in at 1 p.m. But after two members of the old Cabinet were arrested, Ernesto Jaén Guardia decided that he did not choose to rule, and by the end of the afternoon Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango was Panama's boss. All these changes were constitutional". Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango immediately took oath of office before the Supreme Court.


1940 Panamanian general election, Aftermath
He retained the Cabinet which elected him and appointed his brother, Camilo de la Guardia, as Minister of Government and Justice. At that time, Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia's title was not that of President, but "Encargado del Poder Ejecutivo" — the person charged with the Executive Power. However, on 18 October 1941, the Cabinet met and issued a resolution declaring that he was entitled to all the attributes of president, and from then on he carried the title of President of Panama. The First Vice-President, Jose Pezet, resigned on 11 October 1941; and the Third Vice-President, Anibal Rios D., resigned on 13 December 1941.


1940 Panamanian general election, Aftermath
Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango assumed power following the resignation of the three Designates, and the next session of the National Assembly in January 1943 declined to elect new Designates. The opposition to President de la Guardia in the summer of 1944 kept insisting that Designates should be elected when the National Assembly met in January 1945. The first Designate would have automatically become President. On 28 December 1944, a severe political crisis took place just prior to the opening of the National Assembly which was to convene on 2 January 1945. The next day President de la Guardia suspended the Constitution of 1941, consequently cancelled the next prescribed session of the National Assembly, and called for a general election on 5 May 1945, to elect delegates to a Constitutional Assembly which would frame a new Constitution.


1940 Paraguayan Primera División season
The 1940 season of the Paraguayan Primera División, the top category of Paraguayan football, was played by 11 teams. The national champions were Cerro Porteño.


1940 Paraguayan constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Paraguay on 4 August 1940. It saw voters approve the new constitution.


1940 Paraguayan constitutional referendum, Background
In 1939, in the midst of a political stalemate, President José Félix Estigarribia dissolved Congress and assumed "temporary" dictatorial powers. The following year, he issued a new constitution. The key institution was a "strong, but not despotic" president who was vested with sweeping powers to suspend civil liberties and take actions that he deemed necessary for the good of the state. The Senate was abolished and the Chamber of Representatives limited in power. A new, corporatist-inspired Council of State was created to represent interests in business, farmers, bankers, the military, and the Roman Catholic Church.


1940 Penn Quakers football team
The 1940 Penn Quakers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1940 college football season. In its third season under head coach George Munger, the team compiled a 6–1–1 record, was ranked No. 14 in the final AP Poll, and outscored opponents by a total of 247 to 79. The team played its home games at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.


1940 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
The 1940 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State College in the 1940 college football season. The team was coached by Bob Higgins and played its home games in New Beaver Field in State College, Pennsylvania.


1940 Peruvian Primera División
The 1940 season of the Peruvian Primera División, the top category of Peruvian football, was played by 8 teams. The national champions were Deportivo Municipal. From 1931 until 1942 the points system was W:3, D:2, L:1, walk-over:0.


1940 Peruvian Primera División, Liguilla de promoción, Relegation play-off
Because Telmo Carbajo and Santiago Barranco tied with 6 points a relegation play-off on neutral ground will be played as the tournament rules specify.


1940 Philadelphia Athletics season
The 1940 Philadelphia Athletics season involved the A's finishing eighth in the American League with a record of 54 wins and 100 losses.


1940 Philadelphia Athletics 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


1940 Philadelphia Athletics 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


1940 Philadelphia Athletics season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 Philadelphia Athletics season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 Philadelphia Athletics season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1940 Philadelphia Eagles season was their eighth in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 1–9–1, losing ten games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season
The Eagles 298 rushing yards in 1940 are the fewest in the history of the NFL. The team gained only 0.94 yards per carry.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Off Season
After 4 years playing at larger Philadelphia Municipal Stadium the Eagles move to Shibe Park for the 1940 season


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Off Season
Eagles training camp was held at West Chester State Teachers College, West Chester, Pennsylvania.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Off Season, NFL Draft
The 1940 NFL Draft was held on December 9, 1939. This year again it was to have 22 rounds, with each team getting 20 picks. The weaker teams only picked in the 2nd and 4th rounds and were passed over in rounds 21 and 22.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Off Season, NFL Draft
The Eagles and Pittsburgh Pirates, before being called Steelers, both finished with 1–9–1, .100 records, but the 1939 Chicago Cardinals ended up at 1–10, .091 and would get the first pick in the draft. The Eagles and Pirates would alternate picking 2nd or 3rd in each round.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Off Season, Player selections
The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game recaps
A recap of the scoring plays and the game scores by quarters during the year. The record after the team's name reflects this games outcome also.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game recaps, WEEK 4
Eagles Elmer Hackney 1-yard rush (Fran Murray kick)4th Quarter Scoring Plays


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game recaps, WEEK 8
This was the final game in NFL history as of 2013 in which neither team was penalized.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs
The Eagles with a 1–10–1 record finished last in the NFL Eastern Division and fail to make it to the 1940 NFL Championship Game. The game was played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. on December 8, 1940. The Chicago Bears, with an 8–3 record, defeated the Washington Redskins, with a 9–2 record, 73–0, the most one-sided victory in NFL history. The Bears scored on 3 interception returns of Washington passes during the game. This was the first NFL title game that was broadcast nationwide on radio by Mutual Broadcasting System.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Roster
(All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history)


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Postseason
In the off season Davey O'Brien turned down a salary raise and retired from the NFL.


1940 Philadelphia Eagles season, Postseason
In December 1940, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney sold the Steelers to Alexis Thompson and used half of the proceeds to buy a half interest in the Philadelphia Eagles from his friend Bert Bell. Before the start of the 1941 season Rooney, Bell, and Thompson swapped city and NFL rights for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Steelers players of 1940 and before thereby became Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Eagles players of 1940 and before likewise became members of the Pittsburgh Steelers – with the exception of several players who were traded between the two teams.


1940 Philadelphia Phillies season
The 1940 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 58th season in the history of the franchise. The team, managed by Doc Prothro, began their third season at Shibe Park and were picked by 73 of 76 writers in the pre-season Associated Press poll of baseball writers to finish last. The Phillies lost 103 games and finished last, 50 games behind the pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds.


1940 Philadelphia Phillies season, Offseason
In March 1940, the Phillies, along with the St. Louis Browns and Boston Bees were made outstanding offers of $5,000,000 by attorney Richard Cantillon for one of the teams to move its franchise to Los Angeles. Phillies owner Gerald Nugent quickly dismissed the possibility of the Phillies considering the move.


1940 Philadelphia Phillies 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


1940 Philadelphia Phillies 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


1940 Philadelphia Phillies season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 Philadelphia Phillies season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 Philadelphia Phillies season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 Philadelphia Phillies season, Farm system
Ottawa franchise played first half of its schedule in Ogdensburg, New York


1940 Philippine National Assembly special elections
Special National Assembly elections were held in the Philippines on 10 December 1940 for the four vacant seats in the National Assembly of the Philippines — namely the third district of Albay, the second district of Iloilo, the fifth district of Leyte and the second district of Nueva Ecija. The date of the special elections was fixed by President Manuel Quezon on 4 October 1940 by virtue of Proclamation No. 625.


1940 Philippine National Assembly special elections
The special elections were held on the same date as local elections for provincial, municipal and city officials.


1940 Philippine National Assembly special elections, Results
The following were elected to fill the four vacant seats in the National Assembly of the Philippines:


1940 Philippine constitutional plebiscites
Plebiscites were held on June 18, 1940 in the Philippines to ratify the following amendments to the Constitution: the extension of the tenure of the President and the Vice-President to four years with reelection for another term; the establishment of a bicameral Congress of the Philippines, with the Senate as the upper house and the House of Representatives as the lower house; and the creation of an independent Commission on Elections composed of three members to supervise all elections and plebiscites.


1940 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 1940 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1940 college football season. The team compiled a 3–4–1 record under head coach Charley Bowser.


1940 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 1940 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 59th season of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise; the 54th in the National League. The Pirates finished fourth in the league standings with a record of 78–76.


1940 Pittsburgh Pirates 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


1940 Pittsburgh Pirates 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


1940 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Farm system
Arkansas–Missouri League folded, July 1, 1940; McKeesport franchise moved to Oil City and renamed, July 1, 1940


1940 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1940 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 8th in the National Football League. It was also the first season in which the team was known as the Pittsburgh Steelers, and not the copycat "Pirates" moniker. The 1940 team was led by head coach Walt Kiesling in his first full season as the head coach. Kiesling's assistant coaches were Wilbur "Bill" Sortet and Hank Bruder, who both also played.


1940 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Offseason
They held training camp at St. Francis College in Loretto, Pennsylvania. In the 1940 NFL Draft the Steelers continued their pattern of trading away high picks when they dealt their first-round selection (second overall), halfback Kay Eakin from Arkansas, to the New York Giants for tackle Ox Parry, who would never play for the Steelers.


1940 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 10 (Sunday November 10, 1940): Philadelphia Eagles
The Steelers defeated the Eagles 7–0. The game is the last in NFL history as of 2013 to not have a penalty called on either team.


1940 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1940 Portland Pilots football team
The 1940 Portland Pilots football team was an American football team that represented the University of Portland as an independent during the 1940 college football season. In its fourth year under head coach Robert L. Mathews, the team compiled a 2–3–1 record. The team played its home games at Multnomah Stadium in Portland, Oregon.


1940 Preston by-election
The Preston by-election, 1940 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Preston in Lancashire on 29 September 1940. The seat had become vacant on the death of the Conservative Member of Parliament Adrian Moreing, who had held the seat since the 1931 general election.


1940 Preston by-election
During World War II, the parties in the war-time coalition government had agreed not to contest by-elections where a seat held by any of their parties fell vacant, so the Conservative candidate, Randolph Churchill (son of Prime Minister Winston Churchill), was returned unopposed. He represented the constituency until his defeat at the 1945 general election.


1940 Primera División de Chile
The 1940 Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol Profesional was Chilean first tier’s 8th season. Universidad de Chile was the tournament’s champion, being this title its first ever professional honor.


1940 Princeton Tigers football team
The 1940 Princeton Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Princeton University as an independent during the 1940 college football season. In its third season under head coach Tad Wieman, the team compiled a 5–2–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 119 to 112. Princeton played its 1940 home games at Palmer Stadium in Princeton, New Jersey.


1940 Princeton Tigers football team
Howie Stanley was Princeton's team captain. He also received the John Prentiss Poe Cup, the team's highest award. Halfback Dave Allerdice was selected by the Associated Press as a second-team player on the 1940 All-Eastern college football team, and by the Central Press Association as a third-team player on the All-America team.


1940 Princeton Tigers men's soccer team
The 1940 Princeton Tigers men's soccer team represented Princeton University during the 1940 ISFA season. The Tigers finished with an 8–0–1 record and were considered ISFA co-champions along with Penn State. It was the 72nd season of a soccer club represented by the university playing.


1940 Puerto Rican general election
General elections were held in Puerto Rico in 1940. Since they were held under the colonial rule of the United States, only municipalities were able to democratically elect their representation.


1940 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 1940 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1940 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth season under head coach Allen Elward, the Boilermakers compiled a 2–6 record, finished in eighth place in the Big Ten Conference with a 1–4 record against conference opponents, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 106 to 96.


1940 Queen's University of Belfast by-election
The 1940 Queen's University of Belfast by-election was held on 2 November 1940. The by-election was held due to the resignation of the incumbent Ulster Unionist MP, Thomas Sinclair. It was won by the unopposed Unionist candidate Douglas Savory.


1940 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
The 1940 Railway Cup Hurling Championship was the 14th series of the Railway Cup, an annual hurling championship organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The championship took place between 25 February and 17 March 1940. It was contested by Connacht, Leinster and Munster.


1940 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
On 17 March 1940, Munster won the Railway Cup after a 4-09 to 5-04 defeat of Leinster in the final at Croke Park, Dublin. It was their 9th Railway Cup title overall and their fourth in succession.


1940 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
Leinster's Jimmy Phelan was the Railway Cup's top scorer with 3-01.


1940 Republican National Convention
The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of New York for president and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for vice president.


1940 Republican National Convention
The contest for the 1940 Republican presidential nomination was wide-open. Front-runners included Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg of Michigan, Senator Robert Taft of Ohio and Manhattan District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey.


1940 Republican National Convention, Background, 1940 Republican primaries
Prior to reforms during the 1970s, most convention delegates were not elected directly through primaries and those primaries that were held were often uncontested. Other delegates were elected via party convention or local district primaries. Many of the delegates were elected to the convention without a formal or informal pledge to support any particular candidate. Three candidates openly competed for delegate support during the primary season: Manhattan District Attorney Thomas Dewey, Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft, and Michigan Senator Arthur Vandenberg. Only 300 of the 1,000 convention delegates had been pledged to a candidate by the time the convention opened.


1940 Republican National Convention, Background, 1940 Republican primaries
Other candidates who were known to be willing to accept the nomination or actively seeking the nomination without being placed on the ballot in a primary included former President Herbert Hoover, businessman Wendell Willkie, Pennsylvania Governor Arthur James, New Hampshire Senator Styles Bridges, and newspaper publisher Frank Gannett.


1940 Republican National Convention, Background, 1940 Republican primaries
A Willkie boom developed in the later stages of the campaign.


1940 Republican National Convention, Background, 1940 Republican primaries
Delegate selections were completed by June 16, one week ahead of the convention.


1940 Republican National Convention, Background, Operation Blitzkrieg
Although the German invasion of Poland had occurred in fall of the year prior, many Americans were ambivalent to the events in Europe or outright opposed to American involvement. However, the Germans' May 1940 invasion of France may have affected delegates' perceptions of the potential nominees. Those candidates who had actively campaigned for the nomination, especially Dewey and Vandenberg, emphasized their opposition to military involvement in Europe at a time when most Republicans opposed intervention.


1940 Republican National Convention, Background, Operation Blitzkrieg
The German offensive may have also hurt Dewey's standing in particular. He was only 38 years old and foreign policy was considered his greatest weakness, as he had never held any national office.


1940 Republican National Convention, Background, Operation Blitzkrieg
The convention opened in Philadelphia just two days after French surrendered on June 22.


1940 Republican National Convention, Background, Roosevelt nomination
The campaign for the nomination began with no one certain whether President Franklin D. Roosevelt would seek an unprecedented third term in office. However, by the time the convention opened, Roosevelt was the clear Democratic nominee.


1940 Republican National Convention, Presidential balloting
At the 1940 Republican National Convention itself, keynote speaker Harold E. Stassen, the Governor of Minnesota, announced his "tacit" support for Willkie and became his official floor manager. Though he had delegates that voted for him through a number of ballots, Stassen did not seek to gain delegates either. Hundreds of vocal Willkie supporters packed the upper galleries of the convention hall. Willkie's amateur status and his fresh face appealed to delegates as well as voters.


1940 Republican National Convention, Presidential balloting
The delegations were selected not by primaries but by party leaders in each state, and they had a keen sense of the fast-changing pulse of public opinion. Gallup found the same thing in polling data not reported until after the convention: Willkie had moved ahead among Republican voters by 44% to only 29% for the collapsing Dewey.


1940 Republican National Convention, Presidential balloting
As the pro-Willkie galleries repeatedly chanted "We Want Willkie! ", the delegates on the convention floor began their vote. Dewey led on the first ballot but steadily lost strength thereafter. Both Taft and Willkie gained in strength on each ballot, and by the fourth ballot it was obvious that either Willkie or Taft would be the nominee. The key moments came when the delegations of large states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York left Dewey and Vandenberg and switched to Willkie, giving him the victory on the sixth ballot. The voting went like this:


1940 Republican National Convention, Presidential balloting
"On the first ballot, Dewey was ahead followed by Taft and Willkie. Thereafter, Dewey steadily lost strength while Taft and Willkie picked up votes. On the fourth ballot Willkie was ahead but short of the 501 votes needed for nomination. On the sixth roll call — 1 a.m. Friday — Willkie finally went over the top."


1940 Republican National Convention, Presidential balloting
Willkie's nomination is still considered by most historians to have been one of the most dramatic moments in any political convention.


1940 Republican National Convention, Willkie's acceptance speech
Willkie also made history too by his personal appearance at the 1940 convention. "WILLKIE BREAKS PARTY TRADITION BY PERSONAL APPEARANCE LIKE ROOSEVELT'S IN '32", The New York Times' headline told its readers. "CROWD GOES WILD GREETING NOMINEE" and "CHEERS MARK HIS EVERY WORD" in The New York Times' headlines convey something of the convention's mood in 1940 with Willkie's appearance. "As your nominee," Willkie told the convention in his brief appearance, "I expect to conduct a crusading, vigorous, fighting campaign."


1940 Republican National Convention, Willkie's acceptance speech
Willkie delivered his acceptance speech from the podium at the convention hall, something that never happened at a Republican convention before. It was broadcast on a local television station, also a first.


1940 Republican National Convention, Willkie's acceptance speech
A couple of months later, Willkie again accepted the nomination in a kick-off speech at Calloway Park in his hometown of Elwood, Indiana.


1940 Republican National Convention, Vice Presidential nomination
Willkie had given little thought to the vice-presidential nominee. He left the decision to the convention chairman, Representative Joe Martin (R-Massachusetts), the House Minority Leader. Martin suggested Senate Minority Leader Charles L. McNary of Oregon. Though McNary had spearheaded a "Stop Willkie" campaign late in the balloting, Willkie agreed, and McNary was selected on the first ballot:


1940 Republican National Convention, Other events, Television coverage
The 1940 Republican Convention was the first national party convention shown on live television, and was seen in three cities on "pioneer stations". It was broadcast in New York by NBC on W2XBS (now WNBC), in Philadelphia by W2XE (now KYW-TV), and in Schenectady on W2XB (now WRGB). The convention was also shown on television screens in the exhibition hall of the Commercial Museum of Philadelphia, next door to the Convention Hall, for "overflow" crowds. Local newspapers predicted that two thousand people would view the convention from the museum, and estimates range as high as 6,000 total television viewers in all three cities.


1940 Republican National Convention, Other events, Bomb discoveries
During the convention, two dynamite bombs were discovered outside of the hall; a total of seven bombs were discovered in the greater Philadelphia area during the convention. The discoveries of the bombs were inadvertently released to the public by an emotional New York City police commissioner Lewis J. Valentine while discussing the New York World's Fair bombing that killed two police officers.


1940 Republican National Convention, Other events, British interference
In 1999, declassifications by the British Secret Intelligence Service revealed the extent of British involvement in the nominating campaign, among other efforts to elect pro-intervention candidates and destroy the reputations of American isolationists. Working through a covert organization known as British Security Co-ordination, British intelligence agent Sanford Griffith published polls during and before the convention suggesting that a majority of Republicans supported American aid to Britain. These polls were then reported in the pro-Allied press to show support for Willkie. Direct co-ordination between a BSC-funded group of businessmen and journalists, the Century Group, and the Willkie campaign positions commenced after he won the nomination.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries
From March 12 to May 17, 1940, voters of the Republican Party chose delegates to nominate a candidate for president at the 1940 Republican National Convention. The nominee was selected at the convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from June 24–28, 1940,.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries
The primaries were contested mainly by Manhattan District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey and Senators Robert A. Taft and Arthur Vandenberg, though only a few states' primaries featured two or more of these men.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries
By the start of the convention, only 300 of the 1,000 convention delegates had been pledged to a candidate, allowing businessman Wendell Willkie to be chosen as the Republican nominee without entering his name into any direct primaries or binding delegate selections.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Background
In the months leading up to the opening of the 1940 Republican National Convention, the three leading candidates for the GOP nomination were considered to be Senators Robert A. Taft of Ohio and Arthur H. Vandenberg of Michigan, and District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey of New York.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Background
Taft was the leader of the GOP's conservative, isolationist wing, and his main strength was in his native Midwest and parts of the South.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Background
Vandenberg, the senior Republican in the Senate, was the "favorite son" candidate of the Michigan delegation and was considered a possible compromise candidate.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Background
Dewey, the District Attorney for Manhattan, had risen to national fame as the "Gangbuster" prosecutor who had sent numerous infamous mafia figures to prison, most notably Lucky Luciano, the organized-crime boss of New York City. In one of the most-watched races of the 1938 midterm elections, Dewey narrowly lost the New York gubernatorial election to incumbent Herbert Lehman.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Background
Each of the three leading candidates had exploitable weaknesses. Taft's outspoken isolationism and opposition to any American involvement in the European war convinced many Republican leaders that he could not win a general election. Dewey's relative youth – he was only 38 in 1940 – and lack of foreign-policy experience weakened his candidacy as the Nazi threat emerged.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Background
With less than one-third of convention delegates bound to any candidate through the primary campaign, an opening for a dark horse candidate existed.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Candidates
The following political leaders were candidates for the 1940 Republican presidential nomination:


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Candidates, Major candidates
These candidates participated in multiple state primaries or were included in multiple major national polls.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Candidates, Major candidates, Bypassing primaries
The following candidates did not actively campaign for any state's presidential primary, but may have had their name placed on the ballot by supporters or may have sought to influence to selection of un-elected delegates or sought the support of uncommitted delegates.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Candidates, Favorite sons
The following candidates ran only in their home state's primary or caucus for the purpose of controlling its delegate slate at the convention and did not appear to be considered national candidates by the media.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Candidates, Declined to run
The following persons were listed in a major national poll or were the subject of media speculation surrounding their potential candidacy, but declined to actively seek the nomination.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, March 12 – New Hampshire
The New Hampshire primary was the first in the nation and widely considered one of the most notable at the outset of the process. The state elected four delegates at-large and two from each of the state's two congressional districts.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, March 12 – New Hampshire
Though all delegates were formally uncommitted, J. Howard Gile of Nashua announced his intention to vote for Thomas Dewey — against the Dewey campaign's wishes. The Dewey campaign asked Gile to withdraw from the race; it was assumed Dewey had bypassed New Hampshire in respect and recognition of favorite-son presidential candidate Senator Styles Bridges, who ran as a delegate at-large.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, March 12 – New Hampshire
In the Second Congressional District, James P. Richardson expressed his support of Dewey but did not formally pledge himself to any candidate. Most of the elected delegates expressed a non-binding preference for Senator Bridges.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 2 – Wisconsin
The first competitive race was between Dewey and Vandenberg in Wisconsin. The state was expected to be favorable to Vandenberg, the Senator from neighboring Michigan. Vandenberg was also an opponent of expanded trade agreements, a supporter of dairy and beet farmers, an isolationist, and a supporter of the St. Lawrence Waterway project — all positions expected to gain him strong support in the state. It was also said that Vandenberg had the stronger, more popular slate of delegates. He was also seen to have the support of the state's many Progressive Party voters as against Dewey, but may have been hurt by those voters' last-second swing to support President Roosevelt in the Democratic primary.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 2 – Wisconsin
Dewey gained support from voters and political leaders by announcing his support for the expansion of the St. Lawrence Waterway. After his endorsement, many of the state's Congressmen opted not to take sides in the race. Dewey also took a hit when the leadership of the state's active Progressive Party objected to a Dewey supporter's use of "Progressive" in campaign material.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 2 – Wisconsin
Dewey, unlike Vandenberg, personally campaigned in Wisconsin. He held a barnstorming tour across the state in the final week of March.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 2 – Wisconsin
Although Wisconsin held a delegate election and a preference poll on primary day, Dewey's name was not entered the latter; his campaign opted only to run a slate of delegates.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 9 – Illinois
The Illinois primary was initially expected to be one of the more competitive votes of the process. Congressman Hamilton Fish III filed to run in the election as an isolationist candidate, but later withdrew his name. Dewey was considered the heavy favorite to win the primary regardless.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 9 – Illinois
Mayor of New York Fiorello La Guardia was also submitted as a candidate without his knowledge, but did not sign a statement of candidacy necessary to appear on the ballot and declined to be considered.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 9 – Illinois
Dewey was left unopposed in the state's preference poll. None of the state's delegates, who were elected separately, were bound by the "advisory" result.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 30 – Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, all delegates were as a rule formally uncommitted, but could pledge themselves to a candidate if they wished. Two delegates from Springfield, Dudley Wallace and Clarence Brooks, attempted to pledge themselves to Dewey but were not granted the privilege.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 30 – Massachusetts
In general, the division was not based on any presidential candidacy but was between an establishment Republican slate and an insurgent Townsendite slate supporting the institution of an old-age pension.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, April 30 – Massachusetts
The establishment slate listed as delegates at-large Governor Leverett Saltonstall, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., U.S. House Minority Leader Joseph W. Martin Jr., and State Treasurer John W. Haigis. The insurgent slate listed William H. McMasters, Byron P. Hayden, Harry P. Gibbs, and Seldon G. Hill.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Statewide contests, May 21 – New Jersey
Following the results of the Wisconsin primary, Robert Taft withdrew his name from the New Jersey preference primary ballot, leaving Dewey unopposed. However, Wendell Willkie received a strong 5.55% of the vote as a write-in candidate.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Post-primary events and Convention
The Nazi Army's rapid blitz into France in May 1940 shook American public opinion, even as Taft was telling a Kansas audience that America must concentrate on domestic issues to prevent Roosevelt from using the international crisis to extend socialism at home. Both Dewey and Vandenberg also continued to oppose any aid to Britain that might lead to war with Germany. Nevertheless, sympathy for the embattled British was mounting daily, and this aided Willkie's candidacy.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Post-primary events and Convention
By mid-June, little over one week before the Republican Convention opened, the Gallup poll reported that Willkie had moved into second place with 17%, and that Dewey was slipping. Fueled by his favorable media attention, Willkie's pro-British statements won over many of the delegates. As the delegates were arriving in Philadelphia, Gallup reported that Willkie had surged to 29%, Dewey had slipped 5 more points to 47%, and Taft, Vandenberg and former President Herbert Hoover trailed at 8%, 8%, and 6% respectively. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps as many as one million, telegrams urging support for Willkie poured in, many from "Willkie Clubs" that had sprung up across the country. Millions more signed petitions circulating everywhere.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Post-primary events and Convention
At the 1940 Republican National Convention itself, keynote speaker Harold Stassen, the Governor of Minnesota, announced his support for Willkie and became his official floor manager. Hundreds of vocal Willkie supporters packed the upper galleries of the convention hall. Willkie's amateur status, his fresh face, appealed to delegates as well as voters. The delegations were selected not by primaries but by party leaders in each state, and they had a keen sense of the fast-changing pulse of public opinion.


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Post-primary events and Convention
Gallup found the same thing in polling data not reported until after the convention: Willkie had moved ahead among Republican voters by 44% to only 29% for the collapsing Dewey. As the pro-Willkie galleries repeatedly yelled "We Want Willkie", the delegates on the convention floor began their vote. Dewey led on the first ballot but steadily lost strength thereafter. Both Taft and Willkie gained in strength on each ballot, and by the fourth ballot it was obvious that either Willkie or Taft would be the nominee. The key moments came when the delegations of large states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York left Dewey and Vandenberg and switched to Willkie, giving him the victory on the sixth ballot. The voting went like this:


1940 Republican Party presidential primaries, Post-primary events and Convention
Willkie's nomination is still considered by most historians to have been one of the most dramatic moments in any political convention. Having given little thought to who he would select as his vice-presidential nominee, Willkie left the decision to convention chairman and Massachusetts Congressman Joe Martin, the House Minority Leader, who suggested Senate Minority Leader Charles L. McNary of Oregon. Despite the fact that McNary had spearheaded a "Stop Willkie" campaign late in the balloting, the candidate picked him to be his running mate.


1940 Rhode Island State Rams football team
The 1940 Rhode Island Rams football team was an American football team that represented Rhode Island State College (later renamed the University of Rhode Island) as a member of the New England Conference during the 1940 college football season. In its 21st season under head coach Frank Keaney, the team compiled a 5–3 record (2–1 against conference opponents) and finished in second place in the conference. The team played its home games at Meade Stadium in Kingston, Rhode Island.


1940 Rhode Island gubernatorial election
The 1940 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1940. Democratic nominee J. Howard McGrath defeated incumbent Republican William Henry Vanderbilt III with 55.84% of the vote.


1940 Rice Owls football team
The 1940 Rice Owls football team was an American football team that represented Rice University as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1940 college football season. In its first season under head coach Jess Neely, the team compiled a 7–3 record (4–2 against SWC opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 131 to 78.


1940 Rochdale by-election
The Rochdale by-election, 1940 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Rochdale in Lancashire on 20 July 1940.


1940 Rochdale by-election, Vacancy
The seat had become vacant when the Labour Member of Parliament William Kelly, had resigned his seat in Parliament by the procedural device of accepting the post of Steward of the Manor of Northstead, a notional 'office of profit under the crown'. Kelly had been Rochdale's MP since winning the seat from the Conservatives at the 1935 general election.


1940 Rochdale by-election, Candidates
The Labour Party candidate was Dr Hyacinth Morgan, a doctor born in the West Indies to Irish parents, who had studied medicine in Glasgow. After three unsuccessful attempts, he won the Camberwell North West seat at the 1929 general election, but lost it at the 1931 election. This was his first candidacy since his defeat.


1940 Rochdale by-election, Candidates
During the Second World War the political parties in the Coalition Government had agreed not to contest by-elections when a vacancy arose in any of the seats held by the other coalition parties. Although many later by-elections were contested by independent or minor party candidates, none were nominated in Rochdale.


1940 Rochdale by-election, Result
As there was only one candidate, no vote needed to be held, and Morgan was returned unopposed.


1940 Rochdale by-election, Aftermath
Morgan represented the constituency until the 1950 general election, when he moved to the safer seat of Warrington. Rochdale was won by the Conservatives at the 1951 election.


1940 Rollins Tars football team
The 1940 Rollins Tars football team represented Rollins College during the 1940 college football season, and won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) title. The Tars were disappointed the Florida Gators did not meet a challenge for a state championship.


1940 Rose Bowl
The 1940 Rose Bowl was the 26th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 1.


1940 Rose Bowl
In a matchup of undefeated teams, the third-ranked USC Trojans of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) shut out the #2 Tennessee Volunteers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), 14–0. USC quarterback Ambrose Schindler was named the  Player of the Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively.


1940 Rose Bowl, Teams
The Rose Bowl committee had both USC and Tennessee on their list and it was likely that USC and Tennessee would play each other. The Volunteers were offered a berth in the Sugar Bowl on November 25; they were also in the mix for the Cotton Bowl, which would have pitted them against the #1 Texas A&M Aggies. But the Rose Bowl committee did not extend official invitations until December 10, 1939.


1940 Rose Bowl, Teams, Tennessee
In the regular season, Tennessee shut out all ten opponents. Led by two All-American guards, Ed Molinski and Bob Suffridge, the Volunteers were forced to play without their star tailback George Cafego, who fell victim to a knee injury against The Citadel on November 11. After a 7–0 win over Auburn on December 9, Tennessee officially was extended an invitation to the Rose Bowl.


1940 Rose Bowl, Teams, USC
The Trojans opened the season against Oregon, tying the Ducks 7–7, then scored three straight shutouts, becoming ranked #8 following the second, a 26–0 win over Illinois. A November 4 game featured #7 USC defeating #11 Oregon State 19–7. At Notre Dame on November 25, #4 USC defeated the #7 Irish 20–12. A win over Washington by scoring in the last 1:15 set up the very first epic UCLA–USC rivalry matchup.


1940 Rose Bowl, Teams, USC
Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Jackie Robinson, and Ray Bartlett starred on the Bruins, in which African Americans made up three of the four backfield players. This was a rarity to have so many African Americans when only a few dozen at all played on college football teams. The ninth-ranked Bruins also were also undefeated, with three ties. This was the first UCLA–USC rivalry football game with national implications, as it was the first with the Rose Bowl on the line for both.


1940 Rose Bowl, Teams, USC
The attendance of 103,303 was the second largest college football crowd ever in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. UCLA attempted a pass on fourth down, instead of kicking a field goal. Bobby Robertson of USC knocked down Ned Matthews’ four-yard pass in the end zone with less than five minutes to play to preserve the scoreless tie. The Pacific Coast Conference voted to have USC, with a 7–0–2 record play in the Rose Bowl instead of UCLA with a 6–0–4 record. Art Cohn, sports editor of the Oakland Tribune implied that race may have been a factor in the decision, since teams from the south refused to play against African Americans. After the regular season, the Trojans were named national champions.


1940 Rose Bowl, Game summary
Trojan backs Granny Lansdell and Ambrose Schindler rushed for 51 and 81 yards respectively, for a team total of 229 yards rushing. Schindler scored one touchdown and passed to Al Krueger — the hero from the previous year — for the other. Head coach Howard Jones earned his second straight Rose Bowl victory, and his fifth in as many appearances.


1940 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
USC head coach Jones died less than two years later, in the summer of 1941. Joe Schell, the captain of the Trojans who became an oil company owner and a state assemblyman, died on April 8, 2008.


1940 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
USC bases its 1939 national championship claim on winning the Dickinson System, a formula devised by a University of Illinois professor which awarded the only championship trophy between 1926 and 1940. In 1939, Dickinson was the only poll or system to rank the Trojans number one. USC's stance, however, is in keeping with that of most other schools which won the Dickinson title; only Notre Dame, which won the Dickinson crown in 1938, does not claim a major national title for that year. Since at least 1969, USC had not listed 1939 as a national championship year; but in 2004, USC once again began recognizing the 1939 team as national champions after it determined that it qualified.


1940 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
Ambrose "Amblin' Amby" Schindler went on to be the MVP in the 1940 College All-Star Game in Chicago in late August. He was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1973. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2002.


1940 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
Tennessee player Bill Barnes was later the head coach of the UCLA Bruins and led them to the 1962 Rose Bowl.


1940 Rutgers Queensmen football team
The 1940 Rutgers Queensmen football team represented Rutgers University in the 1940 college football season. In their third season under head coach Harvey Harman, the Queensmen compiled a 5–3 record and outscored their opponents 211 to 56.


1940 Ryde state by-election
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Ryde on 14 September 1940 following the resignation of Eric Spooner (United Australia), to contest the federal seat of Robertson at the 1940 election, at which he was elected.


1940 SANFL Grand Final
The 1940 SANFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football competition. Sturt beat South Adelaide 100 to 79.


1940 SANFL season
The 1940 South Australian National Football League season was the 61st season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.


1940 SMU Mustangs football team
The 1940 SMU Mustangs football team was an American football team that represented Southern Methodist University in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1940 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Matty Bell, the Mustangs compiled an 8–1–1 record (5–1 against conference opponents), tied for the SWC championship, outscored opponents by a total of 142 to 75, and was ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll.


1940 SMU Mustangs football team
Fullback Preston Johnson was selected by both the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press as a first-team player on their 1940 All-Southwest Conference football teams. Tackle Joe Pasqua was named to the second team by the AP. Will Mullinweg and Raymond Pope were the team captains.


1940 Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla general election
General elections were held in Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla on 16 September 1940. The Workers' League won all the elected seats.


1940 Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla general election, Electoral system
The Council had five elected members, with each island acting as a constituency; St Kitts returned three members, whilst Anguilla and Nevis returned one each. The right to vote was restricted to those over the age of 21 who had an income of at least £30 per annum, owned property with a value of at least £100, paid at least £12 of rent per year, or had paid at least 15 shillings of direct tax in the previous year.


1940 Saint Louis Billikens football team
The 1940 Saint Louis Billikens football team was an American football team that represented Saint Louis University as an independent during the 1940 college football season. In its first season under head coach Dukes Duford, the team compiled a 3–6–1 record and was outscored by a total of 113 to 88. The team played its home games at Edward J. Walsh Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.


1940 Saint Mary's Gaels football team
The 1940 Saint Mary's Gaels football team was an American football team that represented Saint Mary's College of California during the 1940 college football season. In their first season under head coach Red Strader, the Gaels compiled a 5–3 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 100 to 68.


1940 San Diego State Aztecs football team
The 1940 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State College during the 1940 college football season.


1940 San Diego State Aztecs football team
San Diego State competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The 1940 team was led by head coach Leo B. Calland in his sixth season with the Aztecs. They played home games at two sites, Aztec Bowl and Balboa Stadium in San Diego, California. The Aztecs finished the season with five wins, three losses and one tie (5–3–1, 1–1–1 CCAA). Overall, the team outscored its opponents 128–87 for the season.


1940 San Diego State Aztecs football team, Team players in the NFL
No San Diego State players were selected in the 1941 NFL Draft.


1940 San Francisco Dons football team
The 1940 San Francisco Dons football team was an American football team that represented the University of San Francisco as an independent during the 1940 college football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach George Malley, the Dons compiled a 1–6–1 record and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 125 to 73.


1940 San Francisco State Staters football team
The 1940 San Francisco State Staters football team represented San Francisco State College during the 1940 college football season.


1940 San Francisco State Staters football team
Although the "Gator" was voted to be the mascot for the team in 1931, local newspaper articles called the team the "Staters" from 1935 through 1940. The team was led by second-year head coach Dick Boyle. They played home games at Roberts Field in San Francisco, California. San Francisco State finished with a record of three wins and five losses (3–5). For the season the team was outscored by its opponents 73–139.


1940 San Jose State Spartans football team
The 1940 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State College during the 1940 college football season.


1940 San Jose State Spartans football team
San Jose State competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The team was led by head coach Ben Winkelman, in his first year, and they played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. They finished the season as champions of the CCAA, with a record of eleven wins and one loss (11–1, 3–0 CCAA). The Spartans dominated their opponents, scoring 263 points for the season while giving up only 62. In 10 of the 12 games, their opponents scored a touchdown or less, including four shutouts.


1940 San Jose State Spartans football team
Famed football coach Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner was an advisory coach for the Spartans in 1939 and 1940, helping the team to a 24–1 record over the two seasons.


1940 San Jose State Spartans football team, Team players in the NFL
The following San Jose State players were selected in the 1941 NFL Draft.


1940 San Jose State Spartans football team, Team players in the NFL
The following player ended his San Jose State career in 1940, was not drafted, but played in the NFL.


1940 Santa Barbara State Gauchos football team
The 1940 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos football team represented Santa Barbara State during the 1940 college football season.


1940 Santa Barbara State Gauchos football team
Santa Barbara competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by seventh-year head coach Theodore "Spud" Harder and played home games at La Playa Stadium in Santa Barbara, California. The Gauchos finished the season with a record of five wins and five losses (5–5, 0–3 CCAA).


1940 Santa Barbara State Gauchos football team, Team players in the NFL
No Santa Barbara Gaucho players were selected in the 1941 NFL Draft.


1940 Santa Clara Broncos football team
The 1940 Santa Clara Broncos football team represented Santa Clara University as an independent during the 1940 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Buck Shaw, the team compiled a 6–1–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 155 to 46, and was ranked No. 11 in the final AP Poll.


1940 Santos FC season
The 1940 season was the twenty-ninth season for Santos FC.


1940 Sewanee Tigers football team
The 1940 Sewanee Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Sewanee: The University of the South as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1940 college football season. In their first season under head coach Jenks Gillem, Sewanee compiled a 3–5 record.


1940 Silvertown by-election
Silvertown was a safe Labour seat, and none of the major parties stood against the Labour candidate.


1940 Silvertown by-election
It was one of the last by-elections contested by the British Union of Fascists which campaigned on a platform calling for an immediate peace with Nazi Germany, a policy which won them only 151 votes.


1940 South American Basketball Championship
The 1940 South American Basketball Championship was the 8th edition of this tournament. It was held in Montevideo, Uruguay and won by the host, Uruguay national basketball team. A record 6 teams competed, including Paraguay in their first appearance, despite the World War that was currently under way.


1940 South American Basketball Championship, Results
Each team played the other five teams once, for a total of five games played by each team and 15 overall in the tournament.


1940 South Australian Hundred
The 1940 South Australian Hundred was a motor race staged at the Lobethal Circuit in South Australia on 1 January 1940. It was held over 12 laps  of the 8¾ mile course, a total distance of 100 miles. The race was contested on a handicap basis with the slowest cars starting first and the fastest last. The "limit man", RS Uffindell (Austin 7), commenced the race 23 minutes before the "virtual scratch man", Alf Barrett (Alfa Romeo Monza).


1940 South Australian Hundred
The race was won by Jack Phillips driving a Ford V8.


1940 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
The 1940 South Carolina Gamecocks football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Carolina as a member of the Southern Conference during the 1940 college football season. In their third season under head coach Rex Enright, South Carolina compiled a 3–6 record.


1940 South Carolina hurricane
The 1940 South Carolina hurricane was a Category 2 hurricane that struck the Georgia and South Carolina coast between August 11 and 12, 1940. After forming north of the Leeward Islands, the storm moved west-northwest, moving east of the Bahamas before resuming a west-northwest track towards the Southeastern United States. Hurricane warnings were in effect for the United States coastline near and north of where the center made landfall. A 13-foot storm tide was measured along the South Carolina coast, while over 15 inches (380 mm) of rain fell across northern North Carolina.


1940 South Carolina hurricane
Significant flooding and landslides struck Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia during the system's slow trek as a weakening tropical storm, and then as an extratropical cyclone, through the Southeast. The landslides which struck North Carolina were considered a once in a century event. Damages relating to the storm totaled $13 million (1940 USD) and 50 people perished.


1940 South Carolina hurricane, Meteorological history
Morning weather charts detected a "slight" disturbance between St. Martin and St. Thomas on August 5. Around 18:00 UTC that day, a tropical depression developed about 30 mi (48 km) west-northwest of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands.


1940 South Carolina hurricane, Meteorological history
The storm moved moving west-northwest near the Mona Passage, bringing squalls of 44 miles per hour (71 km/h) to San Juan, Puerto Rico. On August 6, the developing storm was near the southeastern Bahamas, bringing moderate to rough seas. The cyclone turned northward after its close approach to the southeastern Bahamas. By August 10 a ship reported that winds were hurricane force. In the afternoon of August 11, the hurricane made landfall near Beaufort, South Carolina where it moved inland and turned just northeast of Savannah, Georgia between 5 and 6 p.m. on the same day.


1940 South Carolina hurricane, Meteorological history
Savannah's wind peaked at 73 miles per hour (117 km/h) and the pressure fell to 28.78 inches of mercury (975 hPa). It was the area's worst storm in 29 years. Hurricane-force winds were witnessed between Savannah and Charleston. Weakening into a tropical storm that evening, for the next four or five days the storm meandered inland as a weak tropical storm before evolving into an extratropical cyclone on the evening of August 14.


1940 South Carolina hurricane, Preparations and impact
From August 7 and 9, small craft were advised to exercise caution over the eastern Bahamas and western subtropical Atlantic Ocean as the system approached the region. By 9:30 a.m. on August 10, small craft warnings were in effect for the extreme northern Bahamas, and along the United States coast from Miami, Florida to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. By the morning of August 11, storm warnings were in effect from Wilmington, North Carolina northward to Cape Hatteras and from Savannah, Georgia to Fernandina Beach, Florida. Hurricane warnings were in effect from Savannah northward to Wilmington. All coastal warnings were dropped by August 12.


1940 South Carolina hurricane, Preparations and impact
A storm tide of 13 feet (4.0 m) was measured along the coast of South Carolina. The cyclone inflicted $1.5 million in damage in Charleston, South Carolina, while Savannah, Georgia received $1 million in damage. Damage to the country's coastline totaled $3 million (1940 USD). Two people at Savannah died, one of whom from heart failure due to fright. Near the point of landfall, a total of 10.84 inches (275 mm) of rainfall fell at Beaufort, South Carolina within a 24-hour period.


1940 South Carolina hurricane, Preparations and impact
The highest reported rainfall amount in Georgia was recorded was 13.68 inches (347 mm) one mile east of Louisville while the highest amount in South Carolina was reported from Charleston, where 12.66 inches (322 mm) fell. On the coastal areas where the hurricane hit, there was a considerable loss of life. Early press reports said that 35 had died. According to the Monthly Weather Review, the deaths were low because of hurricane warnings and evacuations. However, modern sources indicate that 50 people died during this storm.


1940 South Carolina hurricane, Preparations and impact
After leaving the coast, the dissipating storm brought heavy rains that sparked disastrous flash floods. The floods inundated much of Tennessee, the Carolinas and northern Georgia. Rainfall amounts across western North Carolina exceeded 15 inches (380 mm), with the highest amount recorded at Idlewild, where 20.65 inches (525 mm) fell. Landslides were common in the mountains of western North Carolina, where it is considered a once in over 100 year landslide event. The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad line was severed so badly it ceased operation.


1940 South Carolina hurricane, Preparations and impact
The peak discharge of the flood along Wilson Creek near Adako, North Carolina was estimated at 99,000 cubic feet per second (2,800 m3/s). A total of 26 perished during the Deep Gap Debris Flow in Watauga County, North Carolina alone. Major portions of the county were cut off for two weeks. Debris flows and flooding cut off U.S. Highway 421 in 21 places through a six-mile stretch of roadway between Deep Gap and Maple Springs in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Flooding destroyed 90% of the bridges in Caldwell County, North Carolina. Press reports stated that 30 people died in the floods. Damage amounted to over $10 million (1940 USD).


1940 South Carolina hurricane, Preparations and impact
Rains began in Virginia on August 13, as the system entered the state from the west. Deluges flooded locations across southern and western sections of the Old Dominion. Hampton Roads measured 4.76 inches (121 mm) of rainfall. The highest rainfall amount statewide was recorded at Copper Hill, where 17.03 inches (433 mm) fell. Emporia, on the Meherrin River, recorded a flood of record on August 17 when the river crested at 31.50 feet (9.60 m), which was 8.5 feet (2.6 m) feet above flood stage. Mountain rivers and streams overflowed, washing out bridges and causing landslides which blocked roads. Several highways between Norfolk, southwest Virginia, and Asheville, North Carolina were closed. A collision on August 13 involving the oil screw F.B. Scarbrough 5 miles (8.0 km) above Coles Point may have been caused by this system.


1940 South Dakota Coyotes football team
The 1940 South Dakota Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Dakota in the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1940 college football season. In its seventh season under head coach Harry Gamage, the team compiled a 4–5–1 record (2–1–1 against NCC opponents), finished in third place out of seven teams in the NCC, and was outscored by a total of 162 to 109. The team played its home games at Inman Field in Vermillion, South Dakota.


1940 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team
The 1940 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team was an American football team that represented South Dakota State University in the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1940 college football season. In its third season under head coach Jack V. Barnes, the team compiled a 4–3–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 78 to 57.


1940 South Dakota gubernatorial election
The 1940 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1940. Incumbent Republican Governor Harlan J. Bushfield sought re-election to a second term. After winning the Republican primary by a large margin, he faced Democrat Lewis W. Bicknell, former Day County State's Attorney, in the general election. Though Bushfield underperformed Republican presidential nominee Wendell Willkie, who won the state in a landslide, he nonetheless defeated Bicknell by a wide margin to easily win re-election.


1940 South West African legislative election
Legislative elections were held in South West Africa on 21 February 1940. The whites-only election saw a victory for the United National South West Party, which won 10 of the 12 elected seats in the Legislative Assembly.


1940 South West African legislative election, Electoral system
The Legislative Assembly had 18 seats, of which twelve were elected in single-member constituencies, and six were appointed by the territory's Administrator, David Gideon Conradie. The twelve constituencies were Gibeon, Gobabis, Grootfontein, Keetmanshoop, Luderitz, Okahandja, Otjiwarongo, Stampriet, Swakopmund, Warmbad, Windhoek Central and Windhoek District.


1940 South West African legislative election, Results
Two seats, Gibeon and Windhoek District, were won unopposed by the United National South West Party. Of the six members appointed by Administrator, all were from the United National South West Party.


1940 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1940 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from February 29–March 2, 1940, at Thompson Gym in Raleigh, North Carolina. The North Carolina Tar Heels won their seventh Southern Conference title, led by head coach Bill Lange.


1940 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The top eight finishers of the conference's fifteen members were eligible for the tournament. Teams were seeded based on conference winning percentage. The tournament used a preset bracket consisting of three rounds.


1940 Southern Illinois Maroons football team
The 1940 Southern Illinois Maroons football team was an American football team that represented Southern Illinois Normal University (now known as Southern Illinois University Carbondale) in the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1940 college football season. Under second-year head coach Glenn Martin, the team compiled a 2–5–1 record. The team played its home games at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.


1940 Southwark Central by-election
The Southwark Central by-election of 1940 was held on 10 February 1940. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Labour MP, Harry Day. It was won by the Labour candidate John Hanbury Martin.


1940 Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs football team
The 1940 Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented the Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in the Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference during the 1940 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Johnny Cain, the team compiled a 6–3–1 record.


1940 Soviet First League
The 1940 Soviet football championship in Gruppa B (Russian: Чемпионат СССР по футболу в группе «Б») was fifth season of the (second tier) professional football competitions in the Soviet Union. It was also the second season after revival of the second tier competitions and the last season before the Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union with the ongoing World War II.


1940 Soviet First League
The season started on 2 May 1940 (following the International Workers' Day) with matches in Ukraine and the Caucasus republics. The season ended on 27 October 1940 in Kiev.


1940 Soviet First League, Teams
The league was reduced almost in half from 23 to 14 teams. The competitions were conducted in double round robin format where each team is playing with every other twice, at home and away.


1940 Soviet Top League
Following are the results of the 1940 Soviet Top League football championship.


1940 Spen Valley by-election
The Spen Valley by-election, 1940 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Spen Valley on 1 June 1940. The seat had become vacant when the National Liberal Member of Parliament Sir John Simon, had been elevated to the peerage as Viscount Simon. Simon had held the seat since the 1922 general election.


1940 Spen Valley by-election
During the Second World War, the political parties in the Coalition Government had agreed not to contest by-elections when a vacancy arose in any of the seats held by the other coalition parties. As a result, the only candidate was William Woolley of the National Liberal Party, who was returned unopposed. He represented the constituency until his defeat at the 1945 general election.


1940 Spring Hill Badgers football team
The 1940 Spring Hill Badgers football team was an American football team that represented Spring Hill College as a member of the Dixie Conference during the 1940 college football season. In their second year under head coach Andrew Edington, the team compiled a 3–5 record.


1940 St. Louis Browns season
The 1940 St. Louis Browns season involved the Browns finishing 6th in the American League with a record of 67 wins and 87 losses.


1940 St. Louis Browns 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


1940 St. Louis Browns 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


1940 St. Louis Browns season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 St. Louis Browns season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 St. Louis Browns season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1940 St. Louis Cardinals season
The 1940 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 59th season in St. Louis, Missouri and 49th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 84–69 during the season and finished 3rd in the National League.