35 Photos of What the World Looked Like in 1939

Daniel Bonfiglio Published 12/07/2024 in wow

In 1939, the world was on the brink of war, but back here in the United States we were none the wiser. While Germany was busy assembling an army capable of taking over Europe, we were filming The Wizard of Oz.

Here are 35 photos that show what the world looked like in 1939.

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1.
Milkman dropping off and picking up milk, 1939.
2.
Oklahoma man “saucering” his coffee in 1939.
3.
A grocery store in 1939, colorized.
4.
Times Square, 1939.
5.
The "Typical American Family" at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
6.
Kids protesting the DST. New York, 1939.
7.
20,000 Americans attend a rally in Madison Square Garden, February 20, 1939.
8.
A man standing in the lumberyard of Seattle Cedar Lumber Manufacturing. 1939.
9.
Celebrating The Wizard of Oz, circa 1939.
10.
Norma Jean, (Marilyn Monroe), 1939. Colorized.
11.
German soldiers fooling around, 1939.
12.
“My grandfather, mom, and uncle in 1939, relaxing after crossing the border out of German territory.”
13.
Vivien Leigh, cigarette break filming Gone With the Wind, 1939.
14.
“My great-grandmother, aged 29, on a sunny day in October 1939 posing with her 1937 Plymouth P4.”
15.
Berlin, Germany, 1939.
16.
Albert Einstein at the Beach, 1939.
17.
Charlie Chaplin and Walt Disney hanging out at the Santa Anita race track in Arcadia, California. 1939.
18.
John F. Kennedy in 1939, aged 22.
19.
Billie Holiday performing “Strange Fruit” in NYC’s first integrated club, 1939. Photo by Gjon Mili.
20.
Einstein in 1939.
21.
Girls reading in 1939, photo by Dorothea Lange.
22.
“No dog biscuits today,” London, 1939.
23.
Bette Davis at home, 1939.
24.
Margaret Hamilton, 1939, as The Wicked Witch of the West.
25.
Queen Fawzia Fuad of Iran, and Princess of Egypt, 1939.
26.
Rosemary Kennedy, before her Lobotomy, 1939.
27.
Model posing atop the Eiffel Tower, 1939.
28.
Judy Garland on set, 1939.
29.
Crowds in Warsaw, Poland, cheer the British declaration of war. September, 1939.
30.
The making of Mount Rushmore, 1939.
31.
Stalin smiles after signing the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, August 1939.
32.
Rooftop shot of New York City in 1939. Everyone wore a hat.
33.
Unemployed lumber worker in Oregon, August 1939. His Social Security number is tattooed on his arm.
34.
A young man arrested for cross-dressing emerges from a police van in New York, 1939.
35.
Gus' Cafe. Waco, Texas, 1939.

1.
Milkman dropping off and picking up milk, 1939.
2.
Oklahoma man “saucering” his coffee in 1939.
3.
A grocery store in 1939, colorized.
4.
Times Square, 1939.
5.
The "Typical American Family" at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
6.
Kids protesting the DST. New York, 1939.
7.
20,000 Americans attend a rally in Madison Square Garden, February 20, 1939.
8.
A man standing in the lumberyard of Seattle Cedar Lumber Manufacturing. 1939.
9.
Celebrating The Wizard of Oz, circa 1939.
10.
Norma Jean, (Marilyn Monroe), 1939. Colorized.
11.
German soldiers fooling around, 1939.
12.
“My grandfather, mom, and uncle in 1939, relaxing after crossing the border out of German territory.”
13.
Vivien Leigh, cigarette break filming Gone With the Wind, 1939.
14.
“My great-grandmother, aged 29, on a sunny day in October 1939 posing with her 1937 Plymouth P4.”
15.
Berlin, Germany, 1939.
16.
Albert Einstein at the Beach, 1939.
17.
Charlie Chaplin and Walt Disney hanging out at the Santa Anita race track in Arcadia, California. 1939.
18.
John F. Kennedy in 1939, aged 22.
19.
Billie Holiday performing “Strange Fruit” in NYC’s first integrated club, 1939. Photo by Gjon Mili.
20.
Einstein in 1939.
21.
Girls reading in 1939, photo by Dorothea Lange.
22.
“No dog biscuits today,” London, 1939.
23.
Bette Davis at home, 1939.
24.
Margaret Hamilton, 1939, as The Wicked Witch of the West.
25.
Queen Fawzia Fuad of Iran, and Princess of Egypt, 1939.
26.
Rosemary Kennedy, before her Lobotomy, 1939.
27.
Model posing atop the Eiffel Tower, 1939.
28.
Judy Garland on set, 1939.
29.
Crowds in Warsaw, Poland, cheer the British declaration of war. September, 1939.
30.
The making of Mount Rushmore, 1939.
31.
Stalin smiles after signing the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, August 1939.
32.
Rooftop shot of New York City in 1939. Everyone wore a hat.
33.
Unemployed lumber worker in Oregon, August 1939. His Social Security number is tattooed on his arm.
34.
A young man arrested for cross-dressing emerges from a police van in New York, 1939.
35.
Gus' Cafe. Waco, Texas, 1939.