Look Back To 1940: What Happened That Year

Rationing, Dunkirk, Churchill and the Blitz - the year everything changed.

Here's 1940 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

Popular music in 1940

• Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again', recorded in 1939, became the song of the year.
• 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square' was published and quickly taken up by dance bands.
• Music While You Work began on the BBC in June, broadcast to factories twice a day.

In the news in 1940

• Food rationing began on 8 January, starting with bacon, butter and sugar.
• Winston Churchill became Prime Minister on 10 May.
• The Dunkirk evacuation ran from 26 May to 4 June.
• The Battle of Britain was fought through the summer, and the Blitz on London began on 7 September.

On screen in 1940

• BBC television had closed in September 1939 and stayed off air.
• Cinemas reopened after an initial wartime closure and stayed busy all decade.
• Newsreels and Pathe were how people saw events they had only heard on the wireless.

In sport in 1940

• League football was suspended and replaced by regional wartime competitions.
• The Grand National and most major race meetings were cancelled or moved.
• Sport continued informally, with guest players turning out wherever they were stationed.

Everyday life in 1940

• Blackout regulations meant no light showing after dark, and road deaths rose sharply.
• Anderson shelters went up in back gardens and the Underground became a shelter.
• Identity cards and gas masks were carried everywhere.

If you were born in 1940

• Anyone born in 1940 was born into rationing, the blackout and the Blitz.
• They started school before the war ended and were eight when the NHS began.
• Anyone born in 1940 turns 30 in 1970, 40 in 1980, 50 in 1990, 60 in 2000 and 70 in 2010.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1943
• Look back to 1942
• Look back to 1941
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• Wartime and 1950s party games
• Traditional British party games
• Pen and paper games
• Card games your nan taught you
• The 2020s so far
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

When did food rationing begin?

8 January 1940, covering bacon, butter and sugar first.

When did the Blitz start?

7 September 1940, when London was bombed on 57 consecutive nights, with other cities following.

How old is someone born in 1940?

Subtract 1940 from the current year. They turn 40 in 1980, 50 in 1990, 60 in 2000 and 70 in 2010.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page itself is free to read and free to copy.