About the day » Friday March 17, 1939Calender converter

• Johannes Adriaan Zanoni, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Nederland († 1984)
• José Eugênio Holtz, Sarapuí, São Paulo, Brasil († 1939)
• James Vernon (Red) Morelock, Haleyville AL († 2007)
• Gerardus Martinus (Gerard) Kuipers, Vught († 2015)
• John Nathaniel Chapman, Ohura, Taranaki, New Zealand († 2005)
• Gert Eiking, Hilversum (Noord-Holland) († 2007)
• Hendrikus-Hermanus van de Kamp († 2007)
• Carolina Adriana Theodora de Been, Eindhoven († 1982)
• Maria Poulussen, Arnhem
• Hendrik Eeltje van Haasteren, Oegstgeest († 2013)

• Eelkje (Willem) Nooitgedagt (70), Leeuwarden, Nederland
• Calixtus Joannes (Constant?) LOOSEN LOOZEN (46), Lier (B)
• Andreas Maatjes (80), Bentinckslaan 9, Hoogeveen, Drenthe, Netherlands
• Nieweg (0), Wildervank, Groningen, Nederland
• Eelkje Willems Nooitgedagt (70), Leeuwarden, Friesland, Nederland
• Anna Belle Bechtel (49), Genesee County,Michigan
• Anna Berendina van Zoest (86), Apeldoorn
• Edna Leidy (28), Souderton, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Verenigde Staten
• Eelkje Willems Nooitgedacht (70), Leeuwarden, Gem. Leeuwarden, Friesland, Nederland
• Anna Plenter (68), Avereest

• 1937 » Galina Samsova, Russian ballerina
• 1938 » Keith O'Brien, Northern Ireland-born Scottish cleric, theologian, and cardinal († 2018)
• 1938 » Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-French dancer and choreographer († 1993)
• 1938 » Zola Taylor, American singer († 2007)
• 1939 » Bill Graham, Canadian academic and politician, 4th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1939 » Giovanni Trapattoni, Italian footballer and manager
• 1939 » Jim Gary, American sculptor († 2006)
• 1939 » Robin Knox-Johnston, English sailor and first person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe
• 1940 » Mark White, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Texas († 2017)
• 1941 » Wang Jin-pyng, Taiwanese soldier and politician

• 1926 » Aleksei Brusilov, Georgian-Russian general (b. 1853)
• 1937 » Austen Chamberlain, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1863)
• 1940 » Philomène Belliveau, Canadian artist (b. 1854)
• 1946 » Dai Li, Chinese general (b. 1897)
• 1949 » Aleksandra Ekster, Russian-French painter and set designer (b. 1882)
• 1956 » Fred Allen, American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and author (b. 1894)
• 1956 » Irène Joliot-Curie, French physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
• 1957 » Ramon Magsaysay, Filipino captain and politician, 7th President of the Philippines (b. 1907)
• 1958 » Bertha De Vriese, Belgian physician (b. 1877)
• 1958 » John Pius Boland, Irish tennis player and politician (b. 1870)

1. Johannes
2. Jan
3. Cornelis
4. Hendrik
5. Willem
6. Pieter
7. Adrianus
8. Gerrit
9. Petrus
10. Robert
11. Jacobus
12. Jacob
13. Gerardus
14. Wilhelmus
15. Antonius
16. Arie

1. Maria
2. Johanna
3. Anna
4. Cornelia
5. Elisabeth
6. Wilhelmina
7. Hendrika
8. Catharina
9. Adriana
10. Petronella
11. Geertruida
12. Jacoba
13. Margaretha
14. Trijntje
15. Aaltje
16. Mary

• Koningin Wilhelmina (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1890 till 1948 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from June 24, 1937 to July 25, 1939 the cabinet Colijn IV, with Dr. H. Colijn (ARP) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from July 25, 1939 to August 10, 1939 the cabinet Colijn V, with Dr. H. Colijn (ARP) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from August 10, 1939 to September 3, 1940 the cabinet De Geer II, with Jonkheer mr. D.J. de Geer (CHU) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 8.7 million citizens.
• February 28 » The erroneous word "dord" is discovered in the Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.
• March 28 » Spanish Civil War: Generalissimo Francisco Franco conquers Madrid after a three-year siege.
• August 2 » Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard write a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging him to begin the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear weapon.
• August 23 » World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In a secret addition to the pact, the Baltic states, Finland, Romania, and Poland are divided between the two nations.
• September 3 » World War II: France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland, forming the Allies.
• December 12 » HMSDuchess sinks after a collision with HMSBarham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.

The temperature on March 17, 1939 was between -1.5 °C and 4.0 °C and averaged 1.7 °C. There was 0.7 mm of rain during 0.5 hours. There was 1.3 hours of sunshine (11%). The average windspeed was 4 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the north-northeast.