August 5th, 1939 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
The first British transatlantic air mail service is inaugurated.
Transatlantic air service between the US and the UK was started
simultaneously. The
American provider was Pan American World Airlines with their Boeing 314 Clippers. The
inauguration of this service caused the creation of a very famous alcoholic beverage,
Irish Coffee.
Eastbound across the Atlantic, the 314 Clipper's left New York City and flew to
Newfoundland and then on to Foynes, Ireland. [Foynes is on the River Shannon about 10
miles (16 km) west of the present Shannon Airport.] The passengers disembarked while the
aircraft was serviced and took temporary refuge in a local hotel/restaurant.
These flights were long and tedious and the passengers were very tired and worn out by the
time they hit Foynes so one of the Irish bartenders developed a drink rich in sugar to pep
the Yanks up.
And so, Irish Coffee was born.
A joint Anglo-French military delegation led by Admiral Sir Reginald
Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax and General Joseph Doumenc leaves Britain, travelling by sea to
Leningrad, for discussions with Molotov.
At Balmoral Castle in Scotland, two hundred boys are entertained to tea by the King and Queen.
Destroyers HMS Jervis and Janus commissioned.
GERMANY:
Albert Forster, the Nazi Gauleiter of Danzig, flies to Berchtesgaden to confer with Adolf
Hitler.
U-44 launched.
FREE CITY OF DANZIG:
The customs dispute is temporarily resolved, but its resolution is seen in other countries
as a Nazi climb-down, infuriating Hitler.