Date in year · 1940 · The 1940s

December 14, 1940

On December 14, 1940, plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California. Susan Howatch, Willie John McBride, Tom Jones would arrive in the same year.

Events

1

Births

0

Deaths

0

Year

1940

1940s

Around 1940

The year in brief

1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1940th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 940th year of the 2nd millennium, the 40th year of the 20th century, and the 1st year of the 1940s decade.

Read the full year of 1940 →

What happened

On December 14, 1940

  1. 1940 Plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California.

    Chemical element with atomic number 94 (Pu)

    Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation states.

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1940

The class of 1940

Others born in 1940

Susan Howatch 1940– English author and academic
Willie John McBride 1940– Northern Irish rugby player who toured with the British Lions five times
Tom Jones 1940– Welsh singer and actor
Ronald Pickup 1940– English actor (died 2021)
James L. Brooks 1940– American director, producer, and screenwriter
Susan Howatch 1940– English author and academic

Step through

Nearby

Keep going

More to explore