WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20. CENTURY
Find out what all happened in the first half of the 20. century

Safety glass in vehicle windscreens becomes mandatory in the United Kingdom. (1. January 1937)

Sydney, Australia, swelters in 45 ˚C (113 ˚F) heat, a record for the city. (1. January 1939)

The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations. (1. January 1942)

World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops massacre 30 SS prisoners at Chenogne. (1. January 1945)

World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow. (1. January 1945)

The American and British occupation zones in Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, that later became West Germany. (1. January 1947)

The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 comes into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen. (1. January 1947)

The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways. (1. January 1948)

The Constitution of Italy comes into force. (1. January 1948)

United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly. (1. January 1949)

Standard practice uses this day as the origin of the age scale Before Present (1. January 1950)

Russo-Japanese War: The Russian garrison surrenders at Port Arthur, China. (2. January 1905)

A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill. (2. January 1911)

The second Palmer Raid takes place with another 6,000 suspected communists and anarchists arrested and held without trial. These raids take place in several U.S. cities. (2. January 1920)

Angered by the anti-clerical provisions of the Mexican Constitution of 1917, Catholic rebels in Mexico rebelled against the government. (2. January 1927)

Bruno Hauptmann goes on trial for the murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., infant son of aviator Charles Lindbergh. (2. January 1935)

World War II: German bombing severely damages the Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. (2. January 1941)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) convicts 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history—the Duquesne Spy Ring. (2. January 1942)

World War II: Manila, Philippines is captured by Japanese forces. (2. January 1942)

World War II: Nuremberg, Germany (in German, Nürnberg) is severely bombed by Allied forces. (2. January 1945)