By the Numbers in 1940
World Population
2.2B
UK Life Expectancy
51.8 years
US Life Expectancy
53.1 years
Gold Price (per oz)
$35
Dow Jones Index
112
US National Debt
42.7B
Sovereign Nations
57
How Much Did Things Cost in 1940?
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £550 | $3,200 |
| Average salary | £200 | $1,725 |
| Pint of milk | 2d | $0.13 |
| Loaf of bread | 4d | $0.08 |
| Dozen eggs | 1s 6d | $0.33 |
| Pint of beer | 6d | $0.15 |
| Cinema ticket | 9d | $0.24 |
Technology and Inventions in 1940
Radar was being rapidly developed for military use, and the cavity magnetron was invented in Britain. Television broadcasting was suspended in the UK for the war, but radio dominated every household. Jeeps entered military production and penicillin was first used to treat a patient.
- ● Cavity magnetron invented, enabling compact radar systems
- ● First successful helicopter flight by the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300
- ● Penicillin first used clinically by Howard Florey's team at Oxford
- ● Jeep prototype delivered to the US Army for testing
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