| Years in sports: | 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s |
| Years: | 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 |
Many sporting events did not take place because of World War II.
Contents |
Athletics
- September 17 - Taisto Mäki breaks the 10,000 m world record, becoming the first man to run the distance inside half an hour.
Auto racing
- Grand Prix racing - Main article: 1939 Grand Prix season. No European champion officially declared due to war breaking out.
- August 11 - Jean Bugatti, automobile designer and the 30-year-old son of Ettore Bugatti, died in a crash on the Molsheim-Strasbourg highway.
Baseball
- January 24: Hall of Fame election: The goal of 10 initial inductees from the 20th century is finally met as voters select George Sisler, Eddie Collins, and Willie Keeler.
- April 23: Pitcher Alejandro "Alex" Carrasquel made his major league debut with the Washington Senators. He became the first baseball player from Venezuela to play Major League Baseball.
- May 2: Cap Anson, Buck Ewing, Charles "Hoss" Radbourn, Albert Spalding, Charles Comiskey, and Candy Cummings are named to the Hall of Fame by a special committee, just weeks before the Hall opens. Along with the previous selections of Cy Young and Keeler in the writers' elections, Anson, Ewing and Radbourn arguably complete the 5 initial inductees from the 19th century which were promised but long delayed; Spalding, Comiskey and Cummings were largely elected as pioneers and contributors.
- May 2: Lou Gehrig's streak of 2130 consecutive Major League Baseball games played comes to an end. The record will stand for 56 years before Cal Ripken, Jr. breaks it.
- June 12: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is dedicated in Cooperstown, New York.
- July 4: Lou Gehrig announces his retirement from the game at Yankee Stadium.
- August 26: The first televised major-league baseball game is Brooklyn's 6-1 victory over Cincinnati at Ebbets Field.
- World Series: New York Yankees defeat Cincinnati Reds, 4-0.
- The Winnipeg Maroons win the Northern League championship.
- Little League Baseball is formed in Williamsport, Pennsylvania as a three-team league.
- December: A special election results in Lou Gehrig being selected to the Hall of Fame; he had announced his retirement after the Hall's June opening.
Basketball
- The third European basketball championship, Eurobasket 1939, is won by Lithuania.
- The seventh South American Basketball Championship in Rio de Janeiro is won by Brazil.
Chess
See, 1939 in chess
Figure skating
- World Figure Skating Championships:
- Men's champion: Graham Sharp, Great Britain
- Ladies' champion: Megan Taylor, Great Britain
- Pair skating champion: Maxi Herber & Ernst Baier, Germany
Football (American)
- Green Bay Packers defeat the New York Giants 27-0 for the NFL title. It was the first shutout in a championship game. The game was played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University) defeats Tulane University 14–13 in the 1940 Sugar Bowl for the NCAA football national championship.
Football (Australian)
- Victorian Football League
- Melbourne wins the 43rd VFL Premiership (Melbourne 21.22 (148) d Collingwood 14.11 (95))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Marcus Whelan (Collingwood)
Football (soccer)
England
- First Division - Everton win the 1938-39 title.
- FA Cup - Portsmouth beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1.
- The outbreak of World War II means all competitive football in England is suspended in September, and the 1939-40 season cancelled. Various regional leagues and cups are set up in place of normal Football League and FA Cup competition.
Golf
Men's professional
- March 30-April 2 - Masters Tournament - Ralph Guldahl
- June 8-11 - U.S. Open - Byron Nelson
- July 4-7 - British Open - Richard Burton
- July 12-15 - PGA Championship - Henry Picard
Men's amateur
Women's professional
Horse Racing
- May 6 - Johnstown wins the Kentucky Derby
Snooker
- World Snooker Championship: Joe Davis beats Sidney Smith 43-30
Tennis
- Alice Marble wins Wimbledon Ladies' Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles, US Open Women's Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles, as well as Associated Press Athlete of the Year.
Awards
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: Nile Kinnick, College football
- Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: Alice Marble, Tennis
Births
- January 3 — Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player
- January 6 — Valeri Lobanovsky, football player and manager (d. 2002)
- January 6 — Murray Rose, Scotland-born swimmer from Australia
- January 13 — José Neira, Colombian track and field athlete
- January 18 — Tsuyoshi Yamanaka, Japanese swimmer
- February 8 — Hortensio Fucil, Venezuelan track and field athlete
- February 27 — Peter Revson, Formula 1 race car driver (d. 1974)
- March 8 — Lidia Skoblikova, Soviet ice speed skater
- March 13 — Mario Pérez, Mexican long-distance runner
- March 19 — Hilário, Mozambique-born Portuguese football (soccer) player
- April 4 — JoAnne Carner, American female golfer
- April 10 — Alan Rothenberg, American soccer president
- May 6 — Fatai Ayinla, Nigerian boxer
- May 9 — Ralph Boston, American track and field champion
- May 9 — Ion Ţiriac, Romanian tennis player
- May 19 — Jānis Lūsis, Latvian athlete
- May 29 — Al Unser Sr., American auto racer
- June 9 — Dick Vitale, American college basketball tv announcer
- June 11 — Jackie Stewart, Scottish Formula 1 champion
- June 18 — Lou Brock, American baseball player
- July 6 — Mary Peters, British pentathlete
- July 25 — Hernán Barreneche, Colombian long-distance runner
- July 29 — Witold Baran, Polish middle distance runner
- August 3 — Víctor Maldonado, Venezuelan hurdler
- August 12 — Pam Kilborn, Australian hurdler
- August 22 — Carl Yastrzemski, American baseball player
- September 2 — Nicolino Locche, Argentine boxer (d. 2005)
- September 8 — Carsten Keller, German field hockey player
- September 14 — Ramón Barreto, Uruguayan football (soccer) referee
- September 17 — Rolando Cruz, Puerto Rican pole vaulter
- September 27 — Kathy Whitworth, American female golfer
- October 11 — Maria Bueno, tennis champion
- October 18 — Mike Ditka, American football coach
- November 20 — Jan Szczepański, Polish boxer
- December 1 — Lee Trevino, American golfer
- December 14 — Ernie Davis, American football player
- December 18 — Sandro Lopopolo, Italian light welterweight boxer
- December 30 — János Kajdi, Hungarian boxer
Deaths
- February 3 — C.C. Pyle, American pro football promoter
- March 29 — Fausto dos Santos (34), Brazilian football (soccer) player (b. 1905)
- April 29 — Charles Dixon (66), British tennis player (b. 1873)
- November 28 — James Naismith, Canadian who invented the game of basketball
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