Today in World War II History—February 29, 1940

Cyclotron at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Berkeley, CA in 1939; the key figures in its development and use are shown, left to right: Dr D Cooksey, Dr D Corson, Dr Ernest Lawrence, the inventor of the cyclotron; Dr R Thornton, Dr J Backus, WS Sainsbury, Dr LW Alvarez, and Dr Edwin Mattison McMillan (Science Museum London)

80 Years Ago—February 29, 1940: Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Ernest Lawrence; ceremony held in Berkeley rather than Stockholm.

Academy Awards are held:

• Best picture of 1939—Gone with the Wind
• Best actor—Robert Donat in Goodbye, Mr. Chips
• Best actress—Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind
• Hattie McDaniel becomes the first black woman to win an Oscar (supporting actress in Gone with the Wind).