Historical eventMay 11941

Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane, a widely acclaimed film by actor and director Orson Welles, premiered.

Everything on May 1Original source

In context

When
Thursday, May 1 194185 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1940s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1941.

What happened

Citizen Kane, a widely acclaimed film by actor and director Orson Welles, premiered.

May 1 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1941Citizen Kane
  2. 2004Cyprus
  3. 2009Same-sex marriage in Sweden
  4. 2010Faisal Shahzad
  5. 2011Beatification of Pope John Paul II
  6. 20162016 Fort McMurray wildfire
  7. 2018Syrian civil war
  8. 2019Naxalism
  9. 2019Naruhito
  10. 2024Loblaw Companies
  11. 20262026 Canvas data breach

Also in 1941

  • September 11Des Moines, IowaIn Des Moines, Iowa, American aviator Charles Lindbergh delivered an antisemitic speech (reporting pictured) accusing Jews of controlling…
  • November 17World War IIWorld War II: Hjalmar Siilasvuo ordered Finnish forces to halt their assault against Soviet forces near Salla, concluding Operation Arcti…
  • January 3World War IISecond World War: As part of Operation Compass, Australian and United Kingdom forces attacked Italian forces at the Battle of Bardia in E…
  • August 14Dominion of NewfoundlandAfter a secret meeting in Newfoundland, British prime minister Winston Churchill and U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (both pictured)…
  • September 3Deportation of Soviet Germans (1941–1942)The mass expulsion of Soviet Germans from the Volga German ASSR began.
  • July 31The HolocaustThe Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring authorised SS officer Reinhard Heydrich to handle preparations for th…
  • December 10World War IISecond World War: The Royal Navy capital ships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy torpedo bombers ea…
  • June 8World War IIWorld War II: The Allies commenced the Syria–Lebanon campaign against Vichy French possessions in the Levant.

Everything we record for 1941 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Citizen Kane”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/citizen-kane-1941-may-1, accessed October 26, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Citizen Kane happen?

May 1 1941 — 85 years ago, on a Thursday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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