Events from the year 1941 in the United States. At the end of this year, the United States enters World War II by declaring war on the
Empire of Japan following the
attack on Pearl Harbor.
January 4 – The short subject Elmer's Pet Rabbit is released, marking the second appearance of
Bugs Bunny, and also the first to have his name on a title card.
February 9 –
Winston Churchill, in a worldwide broadcast, asks the United States to show its support by sending arms to the British: "Give us the tools, and we will finish the job."
February 14 –
World War II – Attack on Pearl Harbor: Admiral
Kichisaburō Nomura begins his duties as Japanese ambassador to the United States.
March 30 – All German, Italian and Danish ships anchored in United States waters are taken into "protective custody".
April
April 9 – The U.S. acquires full military defense rights in
Greenland.
April 10 –
World War II: The U.S. destroyer Niblack, while picking up survivors from a sunken Dutch freighter, drops depth charges on a German
U-boat (the first "shot in anger" fired by America against Germany).
April 15 –
World War II: The U.S. begins shipping
Lend-Lease military equipment to China.
April 25 –
Franklin D. Roosevelt, at his regular press conference, criticizes Charles Lindbergh by comparing him to the
Copperheads of the Civil War period. In response, Lindbergh resigns his commission in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve on April 28.
The first
Series E "War Bonds" and Defense Savings Stamps go on sale in the United States, to help fund the greatly increased production of military equipment.
May 21 –
World War II: 950 miles off the coast of Brazil, the freighter
SS Robin Moor becomes the first United States (neutral) ship sunk by a German
U-boat, after its crew have been allowed to disembark.
May 27 –
World War II: President Roosevelt proclaims an "unlimited national emergency."
June
June 14 – All German and Italian assets in the United States are frozen.
June 16
All German and Italian consulates in the United States are ordered closed and their staffs to leave the country by July 10.
Official start of production at
Ford's
Willow Run facility (Air Force Plant 31) in Michigan. At its wartime peak, it will produce one
B-24 bomber every hour.[1]
NBC Television begins commercial operation on WNBT, on Channel 1. The world's first legal TV commercial, for
Bulova watches, occurs at 2:29 PM over WNBT, before a baseball game between the
Brooklyn Dodgers and
Philadelphia Phillies. The 10-second spot displays a picture of a clock superimposed on a map of the United States, accompanied by the voice-over "America runs on Bulova time."[2][3] As a one-off special, the first quiz show called "Uncle Bee" is telecast on WNBT's inaugural broadcast day, followed later the same day by
Ralph Edwards hosting the second game show broadcast on U.S. television, Truth or Consequences, as simulcast on radio and TV and sponsored by
Ivory Soap. Weekly broadcasts of the show commence in
1956, with
Bob Barker.
CBS Television begins commercial operation on New York station WCBW (modern-day
WCBS-TV), on Channel 2.
July 7 –
World War II: American forces take over the defense of
Iceland from the British.
World War II: General
Douglas MacArthur is named commander of all U.S. forces in the
Philippines; the Philippines Army is ordered nationalized by President Roosevelt.
July 28 –
World War II: Japan freezes all American assets.[6] After the United States froze Japanese assets the Japanese responded by freezing the assets of the United States, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.[7]
July 30 –
World War II: The U.S. gunboat
Tutuila is attacked by Japanese aircraft while anchored in the
Yangtze River at
Chungking. Japan apologizes for the incident the following day.
August 1 – U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt bans the export of U.S. aviation fuel from the western hemisphere except to Britain and allies.
August 6 – Six-year-old
Elaine Esposito undergoes an
appendectomy and lapses into a
coma that lasts for a record-breaking 37 years until her death in 1978.
August 12 – By one vote (203–202), the
U.S. House of Representatives passes legislation extending the draft period for selectees and the
National Guard from 1 year to 30 months.
September 4 –
World War II: The
USS Greer becomes the first United States Navy ship fired upon by a German submarine in the war, even though the United States is a neutral power. Tension heightens between the nations as a result.
October 23 – Walt Disney's fourth
animated film, Dumbo, is released to recoup the initial financial losses of both Pinocchio and Fantasia the year prior.
November 10 – In a speech at the
Mansion House, London,
Winston Churchill promises, "should the United States become involved in war with Japan, the British declaration will follow within the hour."
November 17 –
World War II – Attack on Pearl Harbor:
Joseph Grew, the United States ambassador to Japan, cables to
Washington, D.C., a warning that Japan may strike suddenly and unexpectedly at any time.
U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the 4th Thursday in November as
Thanksgiving Day in the United States (this partly reverses a 1939 action by Roosevelt that changed the celebration of Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November).
The
Hull note ultimatum is delivered to Japan by the United States.
November 27
A group of young men stop traffic on U.S. Highway 99 south of
Yreka, California, handing out fliers proclaiming the establishment of the
State of Jefferson.
World War II – Attack on Pearl Harbor: All U.S. military forces in Asia and the Pacific are placed on war alert.
Hungary and
Romania declare war on the United States.
The U.S. seizes the French transatlantic liner
SS Normandie.
December 19 – The
United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland graduates its "Class of 1942" a semester early so as to induct the graduating students without delay into the U.S. Navy and/or Marine Corps as officers, for immediate stationing in the war.[9]
December 20 – Admiral
Ernest King is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. fleet.
December 23 –
World War II: A second Japanese landing attempt on
Wake Island is successful and the American garrison surrenders after a full night and morning of fighting.
The Centenary College Choir (America's Singing Ambassadors) is formed by Dr. A. C. Voran at Centenary College of Louisiana.
This calendar year is the wettest on record in Utah with 20.33 inches (516.4 mm),[10] Colorado with 25.52 inches (648.2 mm)[11] and New Mexico with 26.57 inches (674.9 mm) against a mean of only 13.74 inches or 349.0 millimetres.[12]
In contrast to the wetness in the West, it is the driest calendar year in Tennessee with only 36.44 inches (925.6 mm) versus a mean of 50.97 inches or 1,294.6 millimetres[13] and New Hampshire with 32.65 inches (829.3 mm) against a mean of 42.74 inches or 1,085.6 millimetres.[14]
Baseball fans across the nation witnessed not one, but two of the most amazing individual efforts and achievements the game has ever known. The two measures recorded during the 1941 campaign both stand to this day and are regarded by practically all, even the most casual of fans, to be unattainable in the game today. 1941 saw the great Joltin'
Joe DiMaggio step up to the plate in 56 consecutive baseball games and hit safely to break a record that had withstood the test of time since 1897 when
Wee Willie Keeler totaled 45 consecutive games hitting safely over the course of the 1896 and 97 seasons. The Splendid Splinter,
Ted Williams, also treated baseball fans to a feat that has also barely been threatened since by having a season for the ages. During the 1941 Teddy Ballgame managed to record a batting average over .400 by finishing the season with an unparalleled .406 batting average. Although his average for the season is not the single season record for baseball, no player has hit .400 or better since.
^Record, Jeffrey (February 1, 2009). "Japanese Aggression and U.S. Policy Responses, 1937-41.".
JAPAN'S DECISION FOR WAR IN 1941: SOME ENDURING LESSONS. Strategic Studies Institute and United States Army War College. pp. 14 & 15 – via JSTOR. {{
cite book}}: |journal= ignored (
help)
^Riemenschneider, Chris 2 (November 25, 1999).
"Doug Sahm: a life in music". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.{{
cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)
^Hainley, Bruce (May 1995).
"O Jackie". Artforum. 33.
Events from the year 1941 in the United States. At the end of this year, the United States enters World War II by declaring war on the
Empire of Japan following the
attack on Pearl Harbor.
January 4 – The short subject Elmer's Pet Rabbit is released, marking the second appearance of
Bugs Bunny, and also the first to have his name on a title card.
February 9 –
Winston Churchill, in a worldwide broadcast, asks the United States to show its support by sending arms to the British: "Give us the tools, and we will finish the job."
February 14 –
World War II – Attack on Pearl Harbor: Admiral
Kichisaburō Nomura begins his duties as Japanese ambassador to the United States.
March 30 – All German, Italian and Danish ships anchored in United States waters are taken into "protective custody".
April
April 9 – The U.S. acquires full military defense rights in
Greenland.
April 10 –
World War II: The U.S. destroyer Niblack, while picking up survivors from a sunken Dutch freighter, drops depth charges on a German
U-boat (the first "shot in anger" fired by America against Germany).
April 15 –
World War II: The U.S. begins shipping
Lend-Lease military equipment to China.
April 25 –
Franklin D. Roosevelt, at his regular press conference, criticizes Charles Lindbergh by comparing him to the
Copperheads of the Civil War period. In response, Lindbergh resigns his commission in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve on April 28.
The first
Series E "War Bonds" and Defense Savings Stamps go on sale in the United States, to help fund the greatly increased production of military equipment.
May 21 –
World War II: 950 miles off the coast of Brazil, the freighter
SS Robin Moor becomes the first United States (neutral) ship sunk by a German
U-boat, after its crew have been allowed to disembark.
May 27 –
World War II: President Roosevelt proclaims an "unlimited national emergency."
June
June 14 – All German and Italian assets in the United States are frozen.
June 16
All German and Italian consulates in the United States are ordered closed and their staffs to leave the country by July 10.
Official start of production at
Ford's
Willow Run facility (Air Force Plant 31) in Michigan. At its wartime peak, it will produce one
B-24 bomber every hour.[1]
NBC Television begins commercial operation on WNBT, on Channel 1. The world's first legal TV commercial, for
Bulova watches, occurs at 2:29 PM over WNBT, before a baseball game between the
Brooklyn Dodgers and
Philadelphia Phillies. The 10-second spot displays a picture of a clock superimposed on a map of the United States, accompanied by the voice-over "America runs on Bulova time."[2][3] As a one-off special, the first quiz show called "Uncle Bee" is telecast on WNBT's inaugural broadcast day, followed later the same day by
Ralph Edwards hosting the second game show broadcast on U.S. television, Truth or Consequences, as simulcast on radio and TV and sponsored by
Ivory Soap. Weekly broadcasts of the show commence in
1956, with
Bob Barker.
CBS Television begins commercial operation on New York station WCBW (modern-day
WCBS-TV), on Channel 2.
July 7 –
World War II: American forces take over the defense of
Iceland from the British.
World War II: General
Douglas MacArthur is named commander of all U.S. forces in the
Philippines; the Philippines Army is ordered nationalized by President Roosevelt.
July 28 –
World War II: Japan freezes all American assets.[6] After the United States froze Japanese assets the Japanese responded by freezing the assets of the United States, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.[7]
July 30 –
World War II: The U.S. gunboat
Tutuila is attacked by Japanese aircraft while anchored in the
Yangtze River at
Chungking. Japan apologizes for the incident the following day.
August 1 – U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt bans the export of U.S. aviation fuel from the western hemisphere except to Britain and allies.
August 6 – Six-year-old
Elaine Esposito undergoes an
appendectomy and lapses into a
coma that lasts for a record-breaking 37 years until her death in 1978.
August 12 – By one vote (203–202), the
U.S. House of Representatives passes legislation extending the draft period for selectees and the
National Guard from 1 year to 30 months.
September 4 –
World War II: The
USS Greer becomes the first United States Navy ship fired upon by a German submarine in the war, even though the United States is a neutral power. Tension heightens between the nations as a result.
October 23 – Walt Disney's fourth
animated film, Dumbo, is released to recoup the initial financial losses of both Pinocchio and Fantasia the year prior.
November 10 – In a speech at the
Mansion House, London,
Winston Churchill promises, "should the United States become involved in war with Japan, the British declaration will follow within the hour."
November 17 –
World War II – Attack on Pearl Harbor:
Joseph Grew, the United States ambassador to Japan, cables to
Washington, D.C., a warning that Japan may strike suddenly and unexpectedly at any time.
U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the 4th Thursday in November as
Thanksgiving Day in the United States (this partly reverses a 1939 action by Roosevelt that changed the celebration of Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November).
The
Hull note ultimatum is delivered to Japan by the United States.
November 27
A group of young men stop traffic on U.S. Highway 99 south of
Yreka, California, handing out fliers proclaiming the establishment of the
State of Jefferson.
World War II – Attack on Pearl Harbor: All U.S. military forces in Asia and the Pacific are placed on war alert.
Hungary and
Romania declare war on the United States.
The U.S. seizes the French transatlantic liner
SS Normandie.
December 19 – The
United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland graduates its "Class of 1942" a semester early so as to induct the graduating students without delay into the U.S. Navy and/or Marine Corps as officers, for immediate stationing in the war.[9]
December 20 – Admiral
Ernest King is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. fleet.
December 23 –
World War II: A second Japanese landing attempt on
Wake Island is successful and the American garrison surrenders after a full night and morning of fighting.
The Centenary College Choir (America's Singing Ambassadors) is formed by Dr. A. C. Voran at Centenary College of Louisiana.
This calendar year is the wettest on record in Utah with 20.33 inches (516.4 mm),[10] Colorado with 25.52 inches (648.2 mm)[11] and New Mexico with 26.57 inches (674.9 mm) against a mean of only 13.74 inches or 349.0 millimetres.[12]
In contrast to the wetness in the West, it is the driest calendar year in Tennessee with only 36.44 inches (925.6 mm) versus a mean of 50.97 inches or 1,294.6 millimetres[13] and New Hampshire with 32.65 inches (829.3 mm) against a mean of 42.74 inches or 1,085.6 millimetres.[14]
Baseball fans across the nation witnessed not one, but two of the most amazing individual efforts and achievements the game has ever known. The two measures recorded during the 1941 campaign both stand to this day and are regarded by practically all, even the most casual of fans, to be unattainable in the game today. 1941 saw the great Joltin'
Joe DiMaggio step up to the plate in 56 consecutive baseball games and hit safely to break a record that had withstood the test of time since 1897 when
Wee Willie Keeler totaled 45 consecutive games hitting safely over the course of the 1896 and 97 seasons. The Splendid Splinter,
Ted Williams, also treated baseball fans to a feat that has also barely been threatened since by having a season for the ages. During the 1941 Teddy Ballgame managed to record a batting average over .400 by finishing the season with an unparalleled .406 batting average. Although his average for the season is not the single season record for baseball, no player has hit .400 or better since.
^Record, Jeffrey (February 1, 2009). "Japanese Aggression and U.S. Policy Responses, 1937-41.".
JAPAN'S DECISION FOR WAR IN 1941: SOME ENDURING LESSONS. Strategic Studies Institute and United States Army War College. pp. 14 & 15 – via JSTOR. {{
cite book}}: |journal= ignored (
help)
^Riemenschneider, Chris 2 (November 25, 1999).
"Doug Sahm: a life in music". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.{{
cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)
^Hainley, Bruce (May 1995).
"O Jackie". Artforum. 33.