Historic Newspapers: World War II Battles

THE NEW YORK TIMES, March 19, 1945

* Maurice 'Rocket' Richard 
* National Hockey League - NHL
* Montreal Canadians 
* Becomes 1st to score 50 goals in season (1st report) 

The sport's section (page 15) has a very small one column heading: "Richard gets 50th Goal" First report on Maurice 'Rocket' Richard... Read full description  

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, April 20, 1940

* Little Falls NY New York - Gulf Curve
* Lake Shore Limited train wreck (1st report)

The front page has a nice banner headline: "TRAIN CRASH; 13 DIE, 60 HURT" with subhead. First report on the Lake Shore Limited train disaster at Little Falls, New York.
Other news, sports and advertisements... Read full description  

NEW YORK WORLD-TELEGRAM, March 13, 1940

* Moscow Peace Treaty signed (1st report)
* 105-day Winter war ends
* Finland - Soviet Union (Russia)

The front page has a banner headline: "SCANDINAVIA TO UNITE IN DEFENSE; Soviet Will Stay Out of War in the West" with subheads. First report coverage on the Moscow Peace Treaty which ended 105-day... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, June 14, 1946

* King Umberto II of Italy
* Abdication to Portugal

The front page has one column headings: "HUMBERT DEPARTS 'TO SPARE ITALIANS'" "Proclamation Denounces Action of Government--King Will Join Family in Lisbon" with related photo. (see) Report continues on page 3 with smaller... Read full description  

THE BETHLEHEM GLOBE-TIMES, Pennsylvania, October 1, 1941.

* New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers (game 1)
* Major league baseball MLB - Subway series

Above the masthead is a nice scoreboard graph showing the New York Yankees winning 3-2. (see) The front page has a two column headline: "RUFFING, YANKS, CAPTURE OPENER FROM... Read full description  

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, Feb. 2, 1942

* Marshalls-Gilberts raids - Pacific Islands
* USS Yorktown - Task Force 17
* Post Attack on Pearl Harbor
* Prelude to the Battle of Midway

The front page has a nice banner headline: "SIX JAP BASES RAIDED BY U. S." with subheads. (see) Nice for display. First report coverage on the... Read full description  

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, June 11, 1942

* Lidice Czechoslovakia massacre
* World War II Nazis liquidation
* Battle of Midway victory

The front page has a two column heading: "Nazis Destroy Czech Village; Shoot All Men, Jail Women" Small related map on page 5. (see) First report coverage on the annihilation of the town of Lidice... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, sport's section only, July 21, 1940

* Nile Kinnick's all-star voting tops all
* Iowa Hawkeyes - NCAA college football

Page 5 of this section has a small and somewhat discrete heading: "Kinnick Is Far In Lead" with subhead. (see)
Other sporting news of the day. Complete sport's section with all 8 pages,... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, July 11, 1941

* Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak reaches 49
* New York Yankees - MLB baseball
* Best title to be had ?

The sport's section (page 20) has headings: "Yanks Triumph" "DiMaggio Runs Streak to 49 Games As Yanks Halt Browns at Night, 1-0" and more with box scores.
(see) First report coverage on... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 5, 1943 

* Jewish Holocaust becoming reality to the public 
* Nazi-occupied Europe exterminations 
* Help on the way ? 

This 36 page newspaper has one column headlines on page 14: "JEWISH CONGRESS ASKS AID IN EUROPE", "Chicago Division to Push Succor Programs for... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, sport's section only, July 6, 1941 

* Joe DiMaggio - New York Yankees
* All time MLB hitting streak record continues (46)

The front page of this section has a one column heading: "YANKEES WIN, 10-5, WITH FIVE HOMERS, ONE BY DIMAGGIO" with subheads that include: "Joe, on First... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Sept. 18, 1938

* Bethlehem, Palestine - birthplace of Christ
* Raided by Arab gangs - terrorists

The top of page 29 has a one column heading: "ARAB REBEL GANGS SEIZE BETHLEHEM" with subheads. (see)
Other news of the day. Complete 1st section only with all 48 pages, light toning and a little wear at the... Read full description  

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, Oct. 7, 1941

* Hideki Tojo becomes Prime Minister of Japan
* General of the Imperial Japanese Army
* Bombing of Pearl Harbor imminent ?

The front page has a nice headline: "JAPAN GETS AN ARMY PREMIER" with subheads and photo of the outgoing Prince Konoye. Nice for display. Japan would attack Pearl... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Nov. 27, 1940

* Jewish Holocaust being known for the 1st time
* Nazi-occupied Poland exterminations - atrocities

The top of page 8 has a one column heading: "WOMAN OF POLAND DEPICT ITS MISERY" with subhead: "EXTERMINATION HELD AIM" and more. See images for coverage on the ongoing atrocities in... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 2, 1939

* Francoist Spain State - regime
* United States recognition
* Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War)

The top of the front page has a one column heading: "REGIME OF FRANCO RECONGNIZED BY U.S.; EMBARGO IS LIFTED" with subheads. (see) Always nice to have notable events in history reported in this... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Sept. 11, 1938

* Amelia Earhart lost at sea
* Captain Hilton H. Railey
* "Preface To Greatness"
* re. Lost in Pacific Ocean

The top of page 49 has a one column heading: "MISS EARHART HELD VICTIM OF 'CAREER'" with subheads. (see) Amelia Earhart was lost over a year earlier.
Other news of the... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, July 28, 1944

* Lesley J. McNair death (1st report)
* World War II United States Army
* Operation Cobra - Normandy Campaign

The front page has a two column heading: "McNair Killed in Normandy Watching Push on U.S. Front" with subhead and photo. (see) More on page 3.
Other news, sports and advertisements of the day.... Read full description  

CHRONICLE SPORTING GREEN sport's section only of the San Francisco Chronicle, August 28, 1938

* Monte Pearson pitches no-hitter
* New York Yankees - MLB baseball
* Joe DiMaggio 3 triples in a row

The top of the front page of this sport's section only has a nice banner headline: "PEARSON HURLS NO HIT TILT FOR YANKS !" The top of... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, October 26, 1940

* Cabin in the Sky 1st review
* Broadway musical w/ Ethel Waters

This 36 page newspaper has the very 1st review of the all black cast Broadway musical "Cabin in the Sky"
Page 19 has a heading: "Ethel Waters Heads Players of 'Cabin in the Sky,' a Musical Fantasy With a Negro Cast"... Read full description  

NEW YORK WORLD-TELEGRAM, February 10, 1942

* SS Normandie burns - on fire
* Early, same day report before capsizing
* Nice headline in this uncommon NYC title

The front page has a great banner headline: "NORMANDIE ON FIRE HERE" (see) A very early, same day report before the famous ocean liner capsized in New York Harbor.
Complete with all 24 pages,... Read full description  

NEW YORK WORLD-TELEGRAM, December 15, 1939 

* Gone With The Wind film premiere in Atlanta Ga (day of)
* Clark Gable - Vivien Leigh - Leslie Howard

Here is a great report on the most successful movie of all time in terms of ticket sales. The bottom of the front page has a two column heading: "Atlanta to See if it's True... Read full description  

NEW YORK WORLD-TELEGRAM, June 4, 1938

* Pasteurized - horse racing
* Belmont Stakes victory
* Thoroughbred racehorse

The front page has a banner headline: "PASTEURIZED WINS BELMONT STAKE" with subheads. (see) Unusual for such a nice headline on the front page as most newspapers reported such events in the sport's section only.... Read full description  

NEW YORK WORLD TELEGRAM, Aug. 12, 1939

* Marx Brothers family comedy act
* Chico - Harpo - Groucho - pictorial

Page 6 has a pictorial showing Marx Brothers characters with brief text. (see) This was during the height of their careers.
News, sports and advertisements of the day. Complete with all 30 pages, light toning at the margins, small library... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Aug. 11, 1940

* Alessandro Bonci death (1st report)
* Italian lyric tenor - bel canto singing

The top of page 31 has a on column heading: "ALESSANDRO BONCI, LYRIC TENOR, DIES" with subheads and photo. (see) I suspect this is one of the few publications to report this particular event as other titles in our... Read full description  

THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 29, 1940

* Luisa Tetrazzini death (1st report)
* Italian coloratura soprano opera singer

the top of page 15 has a one column heading: "LUIISA TETRAZZINI, DIVA, DIES IN MILAN" with subheads and photo. (see) I suspect this is one of the few publications to report this particular event as other... Read full description