March 19 » Auguste and Louis Lumière record their first footage using their newly patented cinematograph.
May 7 » In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector—a primitive radio receiver. In some parts of the former Soviet Union the anniversary of this day is celebrated as Radio Day.
October 21 » The Republic of Formosa collapses as Japanese forces invade.
November 5 » George B. Selden is granted the first U.S. patent for an automobile.
November 8 » While experimenting with electricity, Wilhelm Röntgen discovers the X-ray.
Day of death January 20, 1941
The temperature on January 20, 1941 was between -0.7 °C and 4.9 °C and averaged 1.4 °C. There was 14.2 mm of rain during 11.5 hours. The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the east-southeast. Source: KNMI
In The Netherlands , there was from September 3, 1940 to July 27, 1941 the cabinet Gerbrandy I, with Prof. dr. P.S. Gerbrandy (ARP) as prime minister.
In The Netherlands , there was from July 27, 1941 to February 23, 1945 the cabinet Gerbrandy II, with Prof. dr. P.S. Gerbrandy (ARP) as prime minister.
March 29 » World War II: British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy forces defeat those of the Italian Regia Marina off the Peloponnesian coast of Greece in the Battle of Cape Matapan.
June 8 » World War II: The Allies commence the Syria-Lebanon Campaign against the possessions of Vichy France in the Levant.
July 20 » Soviet leader Joseph Stalin consolidates the Commissariats of Home Affairs and National Security to form the NKVD and names Lavrentiy Beria its chief.
December 5 » World War II: Great Britain declares war on Finland, Hungary and Romania.
December 7 » World War II: Attack on Pearl Harbor: The Imperial Japanese Navy carries out a surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet and its defending Army and Marine air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (For Japan's near-simultaneous attacks on Eastern Hemisphere targets, see December 8.)
December 10 » World War II: Battle of the Philippines: Imperial Japanese forces under the command of General Masaharu Homma land on Luzon.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Hendrik Dreyer, "Dreyer Tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/dreyer-tree/I9413.php : accessed February 19, 2026), "Debora Jacoba du Toit (1895-1941)".
Copy warning
Genealogical publications are copyright protected. Although data is often retrieved from public archives, the searching, interpreting, collecting, selecting and sorting of the data results in a unique product. Copyright protected work may not simply be copied or republished.
Please stick to the following rules
Request permission to copy data or at least inform the author, chances are that the author gives permission, often the contact also leads to more exchange of data.
Do not use this data until you have checked it, preferably at the source (the archives).
State from whom you have copied the data and ideally also his/her original source.