What happened in 1942
86 entries recorded for 1942, listed by date. That was 84 years ago.
1942 at a glance
- Years ago
- 84 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1940s
- Generation born
- Silent Generation
- Entries here
- 86
- Breakdown
- 86 historical events
January
- January 2
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtains the conviction of 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history; Also known as the Duquesne Spy Ring.
- January 2
Manila
World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces, enabling them to control the Philippines.
- January 16
TWA Flight 3
TWA Flight 3 crashed into Potosi Mountain in Nevada, killing actress Carole Lombard and all of the other 21 people on board.
- January 16
World War II
World War II: During the Battle of Bataan, U.S. Army sergeant Jose Calugas (pictured) organized a squad of volunteers to man an artillery position under heavy fire, an action that later earned him the Medal of Honor.
- January 20
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: Reinhard Heydrich and other senior Nazi officials met at the Wannsee Conference near Berlin to discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question".
- January 20
World War II
World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish question".
- January 23
World War II
World War II: Japan began an invasion of the island of New Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea.
- January 24
World War II
World War II: The Allies bombard Bangkok, leading Thailand, then under Japanese control, to declare war against the United States and United Kingdom.
February
- February 1
Voice of America
Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States federal government, began broadcasting to Germany during World War II.
- February 2
Norwegian resistance movement
The first act of the Norwegian resistance movement took place with the bombing of Oslo East Station by the Osvald Group to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
- February 2
Osvald Group
The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
- February 9
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army began the Battle of Kranji as part of their campaign to capture Singapore.
- February 12
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army initiated the Battle of Pasir Panjang in Kent Ridge Park in Singapore.
- February 15
World War II
Second World War: Japanese forces led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita captured Singapore with the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.
- February 19
World War II
World War II: U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forcible relocation of over 112,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps.
- February 19
Winnipeg
A book-burning was held and politicians were arrested in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, as part of a simulated Nazi invasion.
March
- March 3
World War II
World War II: Ten Japanese warplanes raid Broome, Western Australia, killing more than 100 people.
- March 17
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: The first mass killings of Jews began at Belzec extermination camp in occupied Poland, the first of the Operation Reinhard camps to begin operation.
- March 20
World War II
World War II: After being forced to flee the Philippines for Australia, US Army general Douglas MacArthur announced: "I came through and I shall return."
- March 22
World War II
Second World War: British and Italian naval forces fought the Second Battle of Sirte in the Gulf of Sidra north of Libya.
- March 26
SS Dixie Arrow
The American tanker Dixie Arrow is torpedoed and sunk off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, by the German U-boat U-71.
- March 28
World War II
Second World War: The port of Saint-Nazaire in German-occupied France was disabled by British naval forces.
- March 31
World War II
Second World War: Because of a mutiny by Indian soldiers against their British officers, Japanese troops captured Christmas Island without any resistance.
April
- April 8
World War II
World War II: The United States Army Air Forces flew its first mission from India over the Hump (the eastern end of the Himalayas) to deliver materiel to China.
- April 9
World War II
World War II: Japanese forces defeated Allied troops at the Battle of Bataan in the Philippines before beginning to forcibly transfer more than 90,000 prisoners of war to prison camps in the Bataan Death March.
- April 13
Anton Schmid
Austrian soldier Anton Schmid was executed for rescuing Jews from the Ponary massacre in Vilnius.
- April 15
Award of the George Cross to Malta
World War II: The George Cross is awarded "to the island fortress of Malta" by King George VI.
- April 17
World War II
World War II: Captured French general Henri Giraud escaped from German captivity in the Königstein Castle.
- April 20
World War II
World War II: German and Italian forces began a large-scale counter-insurgency operation in occupied Yugoslavia.
- April 23
World War II
Second World War: In retaliation for the Royal Air Force's bombing of Lübeck, the Luftwaffe began a series of air raids across England, beginning with Exeter.
May
- May 3
World War II
Second World War: Japanese forces began an invasion of Tulagi and nearby islands in the British Solomon Islands, enabling them to threaten and intercept supply and communication routes between the United States and Australasia.
- May 4
World War II
World War II: Aircraft from Imperial Japanese Navy vessels attacked Allied naval forces, beginning the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval action in which the participating ships never sighted or fired directly at each other.
- May 6
World War II
World War II: Japanese troops overcame fierce American and Philippine resistance to win the Battle of Corregidor.
- May 8
World War II
World War II: The Axis launched a major counteroffensive, turning the tide of the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula.
- May 10
Phayap Army
World War II: The Thai Phayap Army invades the Shan States during the Burma Campaign.
- May 12
World War II
World War II: Second Battle of Kharkov: In eastern Ukraine, Red Army forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launch a major offensive from the Izium bridgehead, only to be encircled and destroyed by the troops of Army Group South two weeks later.
- May 15
Women's Army Corps
World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law.
- May 29
Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby recorded his version of the song "White Christmas", which went on to become the best-selling single worldwide, with more than 50 million copies sold.
June
- June 1
World War II
World War II: The crews of three Japanese submarines scuttled their vessels and committed suicide after entering Sydney Harbour and launching a failed attack.
- June 4
World War II
World War II: The Battle of Midway, a major battle of the Pacific War, began with a massive Japanese offensive on American forces on Midway Atoll.
- June 6
World War II
World War II: The United States Navy's victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway is a major turning point in the Pacific Theater. All four Japanese fleet carriers taking part—Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū and Hiryū—are sunk, as is the heavy cruiser Mikuma. The American
- June 12
Anne Frank
On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank (pictured) began keeping a diary during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.
- June 28
World War II
World War II: The Wehrmacht launched Case Blue, a strategic German offensive to capture oil fields in the south of the Soviet Union.
July
- July 10
Akutan Zero
A downed Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero was discovered on Akutan Island, Alaska; it was later rebuilt and flown to devise tactics against the aircraft during World War II.
- July 13
World War II
World War II: The 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment was converted from a battalion to accommodate a larger number of volunteers spurred on by the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.
- July 14
Wardha
In the Wardha session of Congress, the "Quit India" resolution is approved, authorising Mahatma Gandhi to campaign for India's independence from Britain.
- July 23
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: The gas chambers at Treblinka extermination camp began operation, killing 6,500 Jews who had been transported from the Warsaw Ghetto the day before.
- July 23
Nikola Vaptsarov
Bulgarian poet and communist activist Nikola Vaptsarov was executed by firing squad.
- July 27
World War II
Second World War: Allied forces halted the Axis invasion of Egypt at the First Battle of El Alamein.
August
- August 6
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands becomes the first reigning queen to address a joint session of the United States Congress.
- August 7
World War II
World War II: U.S. Marines initiated the first American offensive of the Guadalcanal campaign, with landings on Tulagi (pictured), Gavutu–Tanambogo and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
- August 9
World War II
World War II: In the first major naval engagement of the Guadalcanal campaign, Japan forced the U.S. Navy to withdraw from the Solomon Islands.
- August 9
Leningrad première of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7
Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 was premiered in Leningrad while the city was under siege by Nazi forces.
- August 13
Eugene Reybold
Major General Eugene Reybold of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorizes the construction of facilities that would house the "Development of Substitute Materials" project, better known as the Manhattan Project.
- August 15
World War II
World War II: The tanker SS Ohio reached Malta as part of an operation to deliver much-needed supplies during the siege of Malta.
- August 16
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: During the deportation of Jews from Slovakia, President Jozef Tiso gave a speech describing Jews as "parasites" and "the eternal enemy".
- August 21
World War II
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army lost the Battle of the Tenaru, the first of its three major land offensives during the Guadalcanal campaign.
- August 24
World War II
World War II: At the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, bombers from the U.S. aircraft carrier Saratoga sank the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō near Santa Isabel Island, contributing to an Allied victory.
- August 25
World War II
World War II: Japanese forces attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay during the New Guinea campaign.
- August 30
Prisoner of war
British and Australian prisoners of war in Singapore revolted against their Japanese captors, who required them to pledge not to escape.
- August 30
World War II
Second World War: German field marshal Erwin Rommel launched the last major Axis offensive of the Western Desert campaign, attacking British positions near El Alamein, Egypt.
- August 31
1942 Matagorda hurricane
The Matagorda hurricane, the most intense and costliest tropical cyclone of the 1942 Atlantic hurricane season, dissipated after causing $26.5 million in damages and eight deaths.
September
- September 3
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: In possibly the first Jewish ghetto uprising, residents of the Łachwa Ghetto in occupied Poland, informed of the upcoming "liquidation" of the ghetto, unsuccessfully fought against their Nazi captors.
- September 3
Łachwa Ghetto
World War II: In response to news of its coming liquidation, Dov Lopatyn leads an uprising in the Ghetto of Lakhva (present-day Belarus).
- September 12
World War II
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army began the Battle of Edson's Ridge in an effort to retake Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands from the Allies.
- September 12
RMS Laconia (1921)
RMS Laconia was sunk by a U-boat off the coast of West Africa, which then attempted to rescue the passengers as it was acting under the old prize rules.
October
- October 2
World War II
Second World War: HMS Curacoa (pictured) was accidentally rammed and sunk by RMS Queen Mary while escorting the liner to provide protection from submarine attacks.
- October 6
Actions along the Matanikau
World War II: American troops force the Japanese from their positions east of the Matanikau River during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
- October 9
World War II
World War II: American forces defeated the Japanese at the Third Battle of the Matanikau in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, reversing the Japanese victory a couple of weeks earlier.
- October 11
World War II
World War II: At the Battle of Cape Esperance on the northwest coast of Guadalcanal, American ships intercepted and defeated a Japanese fleet sent to attack Henderson Field.
- October 23
World War II
World War II: Japanese troops began an unsuccessful attempt to recapture Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands from American forces.
- October 27
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan achieved a pyrrhic victory against the United States at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
November
- November 3
World War II
World War II: U.S. Marines and U.S. Army forces began an attempt to encircle and destroy a regiment of Imperial Japanese Army troops on Guadalcanal.
- November 12
World War II
World War II: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, the decisive engagement in a series of sea battles between Allied and Japanese forces during the months-long Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands, began.
- November 19
World War II
World War II: Soviet troops launched Operation Uranus at the Battle of Stalingrad with the goal of encircling Axis forces, turning the tide of the battle in their favour.
- November 22
Battle of Stalingrad
World War II: Battle of Stalingrad: General Friedrich Paulus sends Adolf Hitler a telegram saying that the German 6th Army is surrounded.
- November 26
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, premiered at the Hollywood Theatre in New York City to coincide with the Allied invasion of French North Africa and the capture of Casablanca.
- November 26
World War II
World War II: Josip Broz Tito and the Yugoslav Partisans convened the first meeting of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia at Bihać in northwestern Bosnia.
- November 26
1942 Phoenix Thanksgiving Day riot
A riot involving infantrymen, military police, and local law enforcement officers killed three people in Phoenix, Arizona.
- November 30
World War II
World War II: Japanese warships defeated the U.S. Navy in a nighttime naval battle off Tassafaronga, Guadalcanal.
December
- December 2
Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project scientists led by Enrico Fermi initiated the first self-sustaining chain reaction in the experimental nuclear reactor Chicago Pile-1.
- December 6
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: Members of the German Ordnungspolizei massacred 31 people in Stary Ciepielów and Rekówka within occupied Poland for helping Jews.
- December 7
World War II
Second World War: A small unit of Royal Marines launched Operation Frankton, in which they damaged six ships in the port of Bordeaux in German-occupied France.
- December 10
Edward Bernard Raczyński
Edward Raczyński of the Polish government-in-exile issued a note that was the first official report on the Holocaust.
- December 12
World War II
World War II: German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad.
- December 16
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: Schutzstaffel chief Heinrich Himmler orders that Roma candidates for extermination be deported to Auschwitz.
Questions about 1942
What happened in 1942?
This site records 86 entries for 1942, including Federal Bureau of Investigation on January 2. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1942?
84 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1942 turns 84 this year.
Which century is 1942 in?
1942 falls in the 20th century, in the 1940s.
Which generation was born in 1942?
Silent Generation (1928–1945). Children of the Depression and war years.
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