On This Day

Police raid 11th district of Paris, taking 4,000+ Jewish males

Jews originated from the Israelites and Hebrews of historical Israel and Judah, two related kingdoms that emerged in the Levant during the Iron Age.

Jews originated from the Israelites and Hebrews of historical Israel and Judah, two related kingdoms that emerged in the Levant during the Iron Age. The earliest mention of Israelites is inscribed on the Merneptah Stele c. 1213–1203 BCE; later religious literature tells the story of Israelites going back at least as far as c. 1500 BCE. Traditionally, the name Israel is said to originate with the Hebrew patriarch Jacob, who provides a narrative etiology for the name – after wrestling with an angel, Jacob is renamed Israel, meaning "he who struggles with God". The Kingdom of Israel based in Samaria fell to the Neo-Assyrian Empire c. 720 BCE, and the Kingdom of Judah to the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE. Part of the Judean population was exiled to Babylon.

Historical Significance

Jews originated from the Israelites and Hebrews of historical Israel and Judah, two related kingdoms that emerged in the Levant during the Iron Age.

Events Before

  1. American entertainer Danny Kaye (28) weds American songwriter Sylvia Fine (26) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, until his de

    American entertainer Danny Kaye (28) weds American songwriter Sylvia Fine (26) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, until his death in 1987

  2. "The Grapes of Wrath", directed by John Ford and based on John Steinbeck's novel of the same name, starring Henry Fonda

    "The Grapes of Wrath", directed by John Ford and based on John Steinbeck's novel of the same name, starring Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell, is released

  3. American actress Lana Turner (19) weds American bandleader Artie Shaw (29) in a Las Vegas elopement; divorce after 4 mon

    American actress Lana Turner (19) weds American bandleader Artie Shaw (29) in a Las Vegas elopement; divorce after 4 months

  4. Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discover carbon-14 (radiocarbon dating) at the University of California Radiation Laboratory

    Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discover carbon-14 (radiocarbon dating) at the University of California Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley, California

  5. Hattie McDaniel becomes 1st African American woman to win an Oscar for "Gone With The Wind"

    Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893 – October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian.

Events After

  1. World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pled

    World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pledging to make no separate peace deals

  2. The US and 25 other countries sign the Declaration by United Nations against the Axis

    The Declaration by United Nations was the main treaty that formalized the Allies of World War II and was signed by 47 national governments between 1942 and 1945.

  3. Nazi officials hold the notorious Wannsee Conference in Berlin to coordinate the "Final Solution", the extermination of

    Nazi officials hold the notorious Wannsee Conference in Berlin to coordinate the "Final Solution", the extermination of Europe's Jews

  4. Novelist Anthony Burgess (25) weds Llewela Jones

    Novelist Anthony Burgess (25) weds Llewela Jones

  5. Glenn Miller and his Orchestra are awarded the first-ever gold record for selling 1 million copies of "Chattanooga Choo

    Glenn Miller and his Orchestra are awarded the first-ever gold record for selling 1 million copies of "Chattanooga Choo Choo"

More from the 1940s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 20, 1941?
Jews originated from the Israelites and Hebrews of historical Israel and Judah, two related kingdoms that emerged in the Levant during the Iron Age. The earliest mention of Israelites is inscribed on the Merneptah Stele c. 1213–1203 BCE; later religious literature tells the story of Israelites going back at least as far as c.
Why is Police raid 11th district of Paris, taking 4,000+ Jewish males significant?
Jews originated from the Israelites and Hebrews of historical Israel and Judah, two related kingdoms that emerged in the Levant during the Iron Age.

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