WHAT HAPPENED IN 1940.
Look what happened the 1940.

World War II: The Battle of the Netherlands ends with the Netherlands surrendering to Germany. (14. May 1940)

The Yermolayev Yer-2, a long-range Soviet medium bomber, has its first flight. (14. May 1940)

USS Sailfish is recommissioned. It was originally the USS Squalus. (15. May 1940)

World War II: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation. (15. May 1940)

McDonald's opens its first restaurant in San Bernardino, California. (15. May 1940)

World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium. (17. May 1940)

World War II: the old city centre of the Dutch town of Middelburg is bombed by the German Luftwaffe, to force the surrender of the Dutch armies in Zeeland. (17. May 1940)

The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz. (20. May 1940)

Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight. (24. May 1940)

Acting on the orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, NKVD agent Iosif Grigulevich orchestrates an unsuccessful assassination attempt on exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky in Coyoacán, Mexico. (24. May 1940)

World War II: The German 2nd Panzer Division captures the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer; the surrender of the last French and British troops marks the end of the Battle of Boulogne (25. May 1940)

World War II: Battle of Dunkirk – In France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France. (26. May 1940)

World War II: The Siege of Calais ends with the surrender of the British and French garrison. (26. May 1940)

World War II: In the Le Paradis massacre, 99 soldiers from a Royal Norfolk Regiment unit are shot after surrendering to German troops; two survive. (27. May 1940)

World War II: Belgium surrenders to Nazi Germany to end the Battle of Belgium. (28. May 1940)

World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway. This is the first allied infantry victory of the War. (28. May 1940)

The first flight of the Vought F4U Corsair. (29. May 1940)

World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Paris. (3. June 1940)

World War II: The Battle of Dunkirk ends with a German victory and with Allied forces in full retreat. (3. June 1940)

Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland", an idea that had first been considered by 19th century journalist Theodor Herzl. (3. June 1940)