5 Jan 1939
Kiichiro Hiranuma became the 35th Prime Minister of Japan. [CPC]
Adolf Hitler met Polish Foreign Minister Józef Beck at Berchtesgaden in southern Germany and, in a friendly manner, mentioned that Danzig was German, and it was in his interest to one day see it return within German borders.
16 Jan 1939
Austrian physicists Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch successfully achieved nuclear fission in an experiment in Sweden.
24 Jan 1939
Germany established the National Central Office for Jewish Emigration with branch offices in Vienna and Prague.
25 Jan 1939
Uranium atom was split for the first time at Columbia University in the United States.
The US Army Air Corps announced a new competition for a new fighter design. The requirements were 310-370 miles per hour top speed, 15,000 feet ceiling, and 2 hours endurance at cruise speed. The firm Curtiss-Wright would ultimate win the competition with the P-40 design.
