1939
1939 was the 68th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.
Events
- Holy Infant of Prague Catholic Church was founded by John Bratton in the Cahaba Housing Project.
Business
- Pete Koutroulakis purchased Louis's Place and turned it into Pete's Famous Hot Dogs
Sports
- Mel Allen began broadcasting for the New York Yankees.
- Satchel Paige debuted with the Kansas City Travelers
- November 9: Auburn and Dadeville High Schools played the first game at Auburn Stadium
Works
- Woodlawn High School's auditorium mural was completed.
- Gail Patrick starred in the film Disbarred.
Books
- Works Progress Administration, Guide to Alabama
Buildings
- Vulcan Park
- U.S. 31 Locust Fork Bridge
- Auto Movies 1 (Bessemer)
- St Elias Maronite Church closed briefly
- Shanghi Baptist Church
- Jordan-Hare Stadium
Music
- Erskine Hawkins' Tuxedo Junction was published.
- Hugh Martin arranged the score for Cole Porter's DuBarry Was a Lady.
- Lionel Hampton's "Flying Home", thought by some to be the first rock and roll recording.
People
- Frank M. Dixon succeeded Bibb Graves as Governor of Alabama.
- A. H. Parker retired as principal of Industrial High School
- Mary Anderson auditioned for the role of Scarlett in Gone With the Wind and was given a supporting role.
- Harry E. Smith succeeded Fred McDuff as Jefferson County sheriff.
- Harwell G. Davis succeeded Thomas V. Neal as President of Howard College.
- Milo Carlton got his first fast-food job.
- Tom Stewart entered the United States Senate, representing Tennessee.
- Zadoc L. Weatherford succeeded William B. Bankhead in the United States House of Representatives.
- J. T. Gaines succeeded A. D. Shores as principal of the Bessemer Colored High School.
- Geneva Mercer and Dorothea Moretti returned to the United States from Italy.
Births
- April 8: Alabama Power CEO Elmer Harris
- August 25: Film director John Badham
- August 31: Jazz bassist Cleveland Eaton
- September 7: Race car driver Donnie Allison
- November 6: Football coach Pat Dye
- Photographer Spider Martin
- Building inspector Audis Williams
- Singer Eddie Kendricks
Graduations
- B. Davie Napier received his master's degree from Yale University.
- Charles Brooks graduated from Andalusia High School.
Deaths
- Jeweler Frederick W. Bromberg
- November: Flag of Birmingham designer Idyl King Sorsby
See also
Context
1939 saw the founding of the Hewlett-Packard company. A massive earthquake killed 30,000 in Chile. New York City hosted the 1939 World's Fair. Pope Pius XII took office. Francisco Franco took control of Spain, ending the Spanish Civil War. Lou Gehrig ended his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. Siam became Thailand. Nazi Germany invaded Poland, spurring World War II. Al Capone was released from Alcatraz. Bob Kane created Batman.
Notable births of 1939 included Maury Povitch, Wolfman Jack, Brian Mulroney, Marvin Gaye, Francis Ford Coppola, Dick Vitale, Carl Yastrzemski, Lee Harvey Oswald, Ralph Lauren, John Cleese, Grace Slick and Tina Turner. Deaths in 1939 included those of William Butler Yeats, Pope Pius XI, Ford Madox Ford, Alfons Mucha, Sigmund Freud, James Naismith, and Princess Louise of the United Kingdom. Notable films of 1939 included Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.. Books of 1939 included John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Ernest Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro, James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake, Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was My Valley, and T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.
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