Tech & Science · 1939
Shadows of War and Dawn of Atomic Power
In 1939, scientific innovation accelerated under the looming shadow of global conflict. Breakthroughs in nuclear physics, computing, and aviation laid the foundation for the modern technological era.
- January 1939 | Physics | Sweden
Nuclear Fission Discovery Explained
Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch published the theoretical explanation of nuclear fission, unlocking the immense power hidden inside the atomic nucleus.
- August 27, 1939 | Aviation | Germany
Heinkel He 178 First Jet Flight
The Heinkel He 178 took to the skies as the world's first aircraft powered entirely by a turbojet engine, revolutionizing aerial transport.
- April 30, 1939 | Media | USA
RCA Television at the World's Fair
RCA introduced public electronic television broadcasts at the New York World's Fair, featuring Franklin D. Roosevelt as the first president on TV.
- January 1, 1939 | Hardware | USA
Hewlett-Packard Sound Oscillator
Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP in a Palo Alto garage, debuting the HP 200A audio oscillator bought by Walt Disney Studios.
- September 14, 1939 | Aviation | USA
Sikorsky VS-300 Helicopter Flight
Igor Sikorsky successfully flew the VS-300, establishing the single main rotor with tail rotor design standard for modern helicopters.
- 1939 | Chemistry | Switzerland
DDT Insecticidal Qualities Discovered
Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Müller discovered that DDT acted as a high-potency contact poison against insects, later earning a Nobel Prize.
- November 1939 | Computing | USA
The Atanasoff-Berry Computer Prototype
John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry demonstrated a functional prototype of the ABC, pioneering electronic logic gates and binary calculation.
- August 2, 1939 | Science Policy | USA
The Einstein-Szilárd Letter
Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd urged President Roosevelt to start an American atomic research effort, setting the stage for the Manhattan Project.
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