1940 in Italy
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{{Year in Italy|1940}}
Events from the year 1940 in Italy.
Incumbents
Events
- 18 March – In a meeting with Adolf Hitler at the Brenner Pass, Benito Mussolini undertakes to bring Italy into World War II.{{cite book | last = Burgwyn | first = H | title = Italian foreign policy in the interwar period, 1918-1940 | publisher = Praeger | location = Westport, Conn | year = 1997 | isbn = 9780275948771 | page=211}}
- 10 June – Count Ciano, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, relays Italy's declaration of war to André François-Poncet, the French Ambassador to Italy, declaring war on both the United Kingdom and France. This begins Italy's participation in World War II.{{Cite news |date=11 June 1940 |title=1940: Italy Declares War on Britain |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/iht-retrospective.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/1940-italy-declares-war-on-britain/ |access-date=6 June 2025 |work=The New York Times}}
- 28 October – Italy declares war on Greece, starting the Greco-Italian War, a theater of World War II.{{Cite news |last=Karageorgiou |first=Kathy |date=28 October 2024 |title=‘We shouldn’t ignore our history’: Greeks share why we must continue to celebrate OXI Day |url=https://greekherald.com.au/community/we-shouldnt-ignore-our-history-greeks-share-why-we-must-continue-to-celebrate-oxi-day/ |access-date=7 June 2025 |work=The Greek Herald}}{{Cite news |date=28 October 2024 |title=HT This Day: October 29, 1940 -- Mussolini marches into Greece |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ht-this-day-october-29-1940-mussolini-marches-into-greece-101730106698148.html |access-date=7 June 2024 |work=Hindustan Times}}
= Literature and culture =
{{main| 1940 in literature}}
- 16 March – Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian writer and film director
- 31 July – Fleur Jaeggy, Swiss-Italian fiction writer
Cinema
{{See also|List of Italian films of 1940}}
Births
- 3 January – Leo de Berardinis, Italian stage actor, theatre director (d. 2008){{in lang|it}} [http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/leo-de-berardinis/ Leo de Berardinis] on the Italian Encyclopedia Treccani
- 19 January – Paolo Borsellino, judge and magistrate (d. 1992){{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-paolo-borsellino-1534572.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-paolo-borsellino-1534572.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Obituary: Paolo Borsellino|website=Independent.co.uk |date=20 July 1992 }}{{cbignore}}
- 17 April – Ira von Fürstenberg, socialite and actress (d. 2024)[https://www.surinenglish.com/malaga/marbella-san-pedro/princess-ira-von-furstenberg-icon-marbellas-jet-20240220104326-nt.html Princess Ira Von Fürstenberg, icon of Marbella's jet set, dies at 83]
- 26 April – Giorgio Moroder, composer
- 24 June
- Augusto Fantozzi, lawyer, tax expert, academic, businessman and politician (d. 2019){{cite web|title=Augusto Fantozzi, morto a Roma il tributarista che fu ministro e commissario di Alitalia|url=https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2019/07/13/augusto-fantozzi-morto-a-roma-il-tributarista-che-fu-ministro-e-commissario-di-alitalia/5322197/|work=Il Fatto Quotidiano|accessdate=15 July 2019|language=it|date=13 July 2019}}
- Vittorio Storaro, cinematographer{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
- 16 October – Ivan Della Mea, singer-songwriter (d. 2009)
- 24 October – Giacomo Bulgarelli, Italian association football player (d. 2009)
- 2 November – Gigi Proietti, actor, singer, and comedian (d. 2020){{cite book|last1=Gigi Proietti|title=Tutto sommato: Qualcosa mi ricordo|date=13 November 2013|publisher=Rizzoli|isbn=978-8858662687}}
- 26 November – Gianni De Michelis, politician (d. 2019){{cite web|title=Biographies |url=http://www.theworldpoliticalforum.net/wp-content/uploads/wpf2003/05_founding_conference_turin/varie/bio.pdf |publisher=The World Politics Forum |access-date=1 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714193451/http://www.theworldpoliticalforum.net/wp-content/uploads/wpf2003/05_founding_conference_turin/varie/bio.pdf |archive-date=14 July 2014 }}
- 5 December – Paolo Pillitteri, politician (d. 2024)[https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/milan-dead-at-84-ex-mayor-paolo-pillitteri/ Milan: Former Mayor Paolo Pillitteri Dies at 84]
- 18 December – Ilario Castagner, football player and manager (d. 2023)
Deaths
{{main|Deaths in 1940}}
{{Further|Category:1940 deaths}}
- 28 April – Luisa Tetrazzini, Italian opera singer (b. 1871)
- 28 June – Italo Balbo, Italian Fascist leader (b. 1896)
- 10 July – Pietro Frugoni, Italian general (b. 1851)