1939 A.D. Pictorial History and World Map

Enthralling map of the world showing important current events in 1939.

Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939 took much of the world by surprise, and by the end of that year the conflict was already on a global scale. America remained a pro-Ally neutral in the first two years of the war, but domestic interest in the conflict was still very high. This map of the world shows the updated political boundaries as a result of Russian, Italian and German aggression in that year, and is bordered by photographs and news events “selected for their outstanding and importance by the United Press and the Columbia Broadcasting System.”

Starting with Franco’s victory in January, photographs and corresponding captions offer a highlight of the newsworthy events from the year. Other than the New York World’s Fair, the election of a new Pope and the establishment of regular trans-Atlantic flight service, every story pertains to the ongoing war. Note the conspicuous absence of stories from the eastern theater, where Russian and Japanese forces were also engaged.