About the day » Thursday February 1, 1940Calender converter

• Gerrit van Orden, Wageningen († 2020)
• Anna Reens, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Nederland († 1942)
• Dirk Pieter Versteeg, Utrecht († 1945)
• Frank Everett Bennett, New York, Verenigde Staten († 1962)
• Hillichje (Hillie) Vedelaar, Zweeloo, Drenthe, Nederland († 2023)
• Arie Jacobs († 2012)
• Barbara Joan Wiersum, Michigan, Verenigde Staten († 2019)
• Gerardus Adrianus Johannes van Bennekom, Schalkwijk, Utrecht, Nederland († 2019)
• Billy Walter Garvie, Quinlan, Woodward County, Oklahoma, Verenigde Staten († 2015)
• Elizabeth Johanna Maria Sinkeldam, Amsterdam († 1987)

• Alida van Nispen (79)
• Antonius Marie Conijn (71), 's-Gravenhage, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Aaron Bowman (82), East Penn, Carbon, Pennsylvania, Verenigde Staten
• Anna Maria Johanna Lambertina Tebben (43), Amstelveen,, Noord-Holland, Nederland
• Amos Plessinger (90), Warfordsburg, Fulton County, Pennsylvania
• Angenita Kuipers (87), Wildervank
• Adriaan Hulleman (18), Bergentheim
• Anton Frank Pingel (83), Perryville, Perry, Missouri, United States
• Arie van den Oever (67), Katwijk, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Arie Boom (81)

• 1938 » Jacky Cupit, American golfer
• 1938 » Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer († 2008)
• 1938 » Sherman Hemsley, American actor and singer († 2012)
• 1939 » Claude François, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and dancer († 1978)
• 1939 » Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina († 2009)
• 1939 » Fritjof Capra, Austrian physicist, author, and academic
• 1939 » Joe Sample, American pianist and composer († 2014)
• 1939 » Paul Gillmor, American lawyer and politician († 2007)
• 1941 » Jerry Spinelli, American author
• 1942 » Bibi Besch, Austrian-American actress († 1996)

• 1922 » William Desmond Taylor, American actor and director (b. 1872)
• 1924 » Maurice Prendergast, American painter (b. 1858)
• 1928 » Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
• 1936 » Georgios Kondylis, Greek general and politician, 128th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1878)
• 1940 » Philip Francis Nowlan, American author, created Buck Rogers (b. 1888)
• 1940 » Zacharias Papantoniou, Greek journalist and critic (b. 1877)
• 1944 » Piet Mondrian, Dutch-American painter (b. 1872)
• 1949 » Herbert Stothart, American conductor and composer (b. 1885)
• 1949 » Nicolae Dumitru Cocea, Romanian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1880)
• 1957 » Friedrich Paulus, German general (b. 1890)

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

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

• 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 August 10, 1939 to September 3, 1940 the cabinet De Geer II, with Jonkheer mr. D.J. de Geer (CHU) as prime minister.
• 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.
• The Netherlands had about 8.8 million citizens.
• May 10 » World War II: German fighters accidentally bomb the German city of Freiburg.
• May 15 » World War II: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation.
• June 18 » The "Finest Hour" speech is delivered by Winston Churchill.
• June 23 » Adolf Hitler goes on a three-hour tour of the architecture of Paris with architect Albert Speer and sculptor Arno Breker in his only visit to the city.
• November 9 » Warsaw is awarded the Virtuti Militari.
• November 27 » World War II: At the Battle of Cape Spartivento, the Royal Navy engages the Regia Marina in the Mediterranean Sea.

The temperature on February 1, 1940 was between -7.8 °C and -4.3 °C and averaged -6.6 °C. There was 0.4 mm of rain. The average windspeed was 4 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the east-northeast.