About the day » Sunday December 17, 1939Calender converter

• Cornelia Braam, Lisse, Nederland († 1989)
• Ines de Medina y Atienza, Sevilla, Espagne († 2008)
• Gezinus Jantinus Meppelink, Dalerveen, Dalen, Drenthe, Nederland († 1980)
• Anna Maria Meerten, Ubach over Worms, Landgraaf, Limburg, Netherlands († 2000)
• Heiltje Vink, Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands († 1939)
• Johannes Hermanus Pieter Rijkenberg, Amsterdam († 2005)
• Gerald Wayne Beck, Jefferson County, Alabama († 1989)
• Aad Poot († 2023)
• Harvey George THOMPSON, Hitchin, Hertfordshire († 2000)
• Gay Ethel Grant, New York, Verenigde Staten († 1939)

• Charles Louis Waldkötter (79), Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Anthoon Schonk (90), Overasselt,, Gelderland, Nederland
• Aart van Harten (68), Mijdrecht, Utrecht, Nederland
• Anthoon Schenk (Schonk) (90), Overasselt, Heumen, Gelderland, Nederland
• Agatha Johanna Snijders (61), 's-Gravenhage
• Caroline Myers (74), Stepney
• Aart van Harten (66), Mijdrecht
• Alida Eradus (0), Delft
• Anthony Bernardus Kuipers (57), Platte South Dakota, Verenigde Staten
• Agatha Johanna Snijders (61), Den Haag

• 1937 » Art Neville, American singer and keyboard player († 2019)
• 1937 » Brian Hayes, Australian-English radio host
• 1937 » Calvin Waller, American general († 1996)
• 1937 » John Kennedy Toole, American novelist († 1969)
• 1937 » Kerry Packer, Australian businessman, founded World Series Cricket († 2005)
• 1938 » Peter Snell, New Zealand runner († 2019)
• 1939 » Eddie Kendricks, American R&B singer-songwriter († 1992)
• 1939 » James Booker, American pianist († 1983)
• 1940 » Kåre Valebrokk, Norwegian journalist († 2013)
• 1940 » María Elena Velasco, Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter († 2015)

• 1927 » Rajendra Lahiri, Indian activist (b. 1892)
• 1928 » Frank Rinehart, American photographer (b. 1861)
• 1929 » Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa, Portuguese general and politician, 10th President of Portugal (b. 1863)
• 1930 » Peter Warlock, Welsh composer and critic (b. 1894)
• 1932 » Charles Winckler, Danish discus thrower, shot putter, and tug of war competitor (b. 1867)
• 1933 » 13th Dalai Lama (b. 1876)
• 1935 » Lizette Woodworth Reese, American poet (b. 1856)
• 1940 » Alicia Boole Stott, Anglo-Irish mathematician and academic (b. 1860)
• 1942 » Allen Bathurst, Lord Apsley, English lieutenant and politician (b. 1895)
• 1947 » Christos Tsigiridis, Greek engineer (b. 1877)

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.
• March 26 » Spanish Civil War: Nationalists begin their final offensive of the war.
• July 4 » Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, informs a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth", then announces his retirement from major league baseball.
• September 28 » World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agree on a division of Poland.
• October 1 » World War II: After a one-month siege, German troops occupy Warsaw.
• October 15 » The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed LaGuardia Airport) is dedicated.
• December 17 » World War II: Battle of the River Plate: The Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff outside Montevideo.

The temperature on December 17, 1939 was between -8.0 °C and -3.3 °C and averaged -6.1 °C. There was 4.1 hours of sunshine (53%). The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the east-northeast.