Date in year · 1940 · The 1940s

March 12, 1940

On March 12, 1940, winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia. Susan Howatch, Willie John McBride, Tom Jones would arrive in the same year.

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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.

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What happened

On March 12, 1940

  1. 1940 Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia.

    1939–1940 war between the Soviet Union and Finland

    The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. Despite superior military strength, especially in tanks and aircraft, the Soviet Union suffered severe losses and initially made little headway.

  2. 1940 The most destructive train accident in Finnish history kills 39 and injures 69 people in Turenki, Janakkala.

    1940 fatal train accident in Finland

    The Turenki rail accident occurred on 12 March 1940, at 05:28 local time near Turenki, Finland, and remains the worst rail accident in Finnish history. A troop train carrying soldiers of the 71st Supply Company and horses south from Loimaa to Viipuri collided with a northbound freight train. The two trains were travelling at 40 km/h and 25–30 km/h respectively at the time of collision.

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

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