Greta Müller files an incident report with the Macon County Sheriff's Office against her husband Henrik for domestic assault and battery, but presses no formal charges.[3]
The Voice of the People publishes an editorial citing the IRS report condemning U.S. politicians for perpetuating a government that exists not to protect the average citizen, but to benefit the Rockefellers, Dreibergs, and other wealthy families who have earned fortunes by exploiting common laborers.[3]
February
6th
Greta Müller files another Macon County Sheriff's Office incident report against her husband Henrik for domestic assault and battery, but again presses no formal charges. Their son Rolf brutally beats Henrik in retaliation.[3]
Rolf Müller becomes a staunch anti-communist and joins the Ku Klux Klan. He, along with Frank Burrows and three other Klan members, are accused of murdering a black couple, Samuel and Elois Horton, after they attend the circus in Atlanta, Georgia.[3]
Several Jewish-European immigrants flee Europe due to the looming threat of Nazi Germany including Hans Osterman and his son, Jon, who are fleeing from Heidelberg, Germany after Hans' wife left them for a Nazi officer. Several immigrants ended up in the United Kingdom; and they briefly stay at Cartwithen Castle in North Wales whose owners are providing refugees a place to stay before traveling on to the United States.[8]
Rolf Müller joins the Shriner's Circus in New York City. Sixteen days later, he debuts as Rolf the European Powerhouse.[3]
March
12th
After Nazi forces seize control of Austria, Adolf Hitler marches into that country, stopping first in his hometown of Linz to deliver a speech to the masses.[1]
Action Comics 1, the first appearance of Superman, is published. Will Reeves, Hollis Mason, and others take notice. The arrival of superheroes as a publishing phenomenon inspires a number of people to put on costumes and fight crime.[5][10]
September
29th - 30th
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich Agreement, by which Czechoslovakia must surrender its border regions and defenses (the so-called Sudeten region) to Nazi Germany. The Czechoslovak government is largely excluded from the negotiations, and is not a signatory to the agreement.[1][10]
Fall
Hollis Mason discreetly reads several more comic books from children, never telling anyone else about his interest in superheroes.[5]
October
Before 14th
The New York Gazette releases an issue featuring the following headline titled 'Nazis March West' with an article titled 'War Crisis Test U.S. Foreign Policy'.[10]
Will Reeves arrests a businessman named Fred for firebombing the Rosenbloom family's Jewish delicatessen.[10]
Due to his Cyclops connections, Fred is released from prison.[10]
The Post-Star releases an issue featuring the following headline titled 'Berlin Hails Fuehrer as Conqueror; Warsaw Jubilant at Victory'.[10]
Will Reeves goes to a newspaper stand and the vendor shows him a copy of Action Comics 1 and learns of the origin story of Superman. Fred bumps past Reeves and snidely greets when he calls him out for it.[10]
On his way home from work, Will Reeves is attacked by police officers affiliated with Cyclops. Reeves is strung up on a tree with a noose around his neck. Though he is let go, but demand him to not interfere in their business.[10]
The New York Gazette runs a front-page story about the thwarted robbery by Hooded Justice. Hollis Mason reads the article and is stunned to find superheroes no longer confined to the world of comic books.[5][10]
Dressing up in a mask and costume to protect one's neighborhood becomes a popular fad in the United States. Americans grow fascinated by this development as the media devotes a good deal of coverage to these individuals.
DC Comics’ All-Star Comics issue #2 hits stands, featuring tales of The Spectre, Hourman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Flash, Johnny Thunder, The Sandman, and Red, White & Blue.
Word of the Minutemen's fledgling formation begins to spread.[3]
11th
National Bank's Thomas Younger writes a letter to Laurence Schexnayder, explaining Bill Brady's dual status as a crime-fighter and a widely recognized media figure, and suggests him as a potential Minutemen member.[3]
Eddie Blake accepts the invitation, and Laurence Schexnayder issues a press release announcing his membership in the crime-fighting team.
After October 6th
The New York Gazette runs the announcement under the headline "Minutemen Adopt Kid Side-Kick", quoting Laurence Schexnayder as anticipating no problems due to Eddie Blake's young age.[3]
Nelson Gardner tracks down Will Reeves and deduces his identity as Hooded Justice; he convinces him to join the Minutemen. Due to his actual race, Reeves refuses to reveal his identity to most of the team, as well as the press.
Ursula Zandt and Sally Jupiter soon end up on bad terms, and the former goads the latter about being Polish, knowing it bothers Sally when she does.
During a press conference, Hooded Justice joins the other Minutemen to be introduced to the press by Captain Metropolis. Reeves is about to present his evidence of a secret conspiracy perpetuated by Cyclops, but Gardner interrupts him and states that a major crime is being planned by Moloch, and proudly unveils a racist poster from their sponsor National Bank, featuring the bank's hired hero and Minutemen member, Dollar Bill. HJ returns to his room and removes his hood and makeup, feeling dejected and unheard.
Laurence Schexnayder discovers Nelson Gardner’s secret relationship with Hooded Justice. Schexnayder convinces Sally Jupiter, when in the presence of photographers, to snuggle up to HJ so the press will infer romance and stop looking into his personal life.
December
14th
To further camouflage his identity, Will Reeves, as Hooded Justice, expresses approval of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich during an interview with Newsworld. In the article, the vigilante applauds Hitler for saving his nation from economic collapse, restoring dignity to his people, and "exterminating the undisciplined and perverse" from humanity.[3]Ursula Zandt, a Jew, is highly offend by his comments, but Nelson Gardner sweeps the matter under the rug to keep the Minutemen's reputation intact.[19]
16th
The Minutemen officially launch as a crimefighting team, with Laurence Schexnayder managing their publicity.
Moloch the Mystic uses a Solar Mirror Weapon to terrorize the city. He threatens to destroy the Empire State Building unless police provide him with a hand-rendered, illuminated copy of William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, worth more than $16 million.[3] The Minutemen manage to defeat Moloch and take his Solar Mirror Weapon, displaying it in their headquarters' trophy room.[16]
The Minutemen thwart a criminal called King Mob. The team display his ape mask in their trophy room.[16]
Eddie Blake makes no secret of his attraction to Sally Jupiter, despite being four years younger than her, but she shows interest only in her close friend Will Reeves.
Issue #1 of Minutemen, a new comic book about "America's greatest heroes", features adventures based on the exploits of the crimefighting team of the same name.[3]
Moloch earns a reputation for writing letters on parchment.
Between December 1939 and May 13th, 1946
Silhouette remains aloof from her fellow Minutemen, becoming close only with Laurence Schexnayder and, to some extent, Nite Owl and Mothman. She often tells them about her Aunt Emma in Katzenbuhl, Austria, and comments that men tend to treat people like cars.
In or After 1939 Until 1977
The United States government abolishes laws banning vigilantism in order to accommodate the strategically useful talents of costumed adventurers.
Psychologists such as Fredric Wertham offer theories about why someone would choose to don a costume and fight crime, while others spread jokes, rumors, and innuendo about the superhero crowd's motives.
Throughout his time with the Minutemen, Nelson Gardner suffers from the paranoid delusion that other members of the group are snickering behind his back. As a result, he spends much of his time desperate to earn their respect.[19]
1930s or 1940s
Hans Osterman expresses to his son Jon an admiration for the sky's precision.
1930s and 1940s
Clandestine pornographic comic books, dubbed Tijuana Bibles, flourish as an art form, featuring fictional characters like Chic Young's Blondie Boopadoop (probably this world's version of Betty Boop), as well as actress Mae West and Minutemen crimefighter Silk Spectre. One such comic portrays Jupiter's sexual exploits with a salesman from Acme Brush Co.
Late 1930s to 1950
Throughout his criminal career, the Screaming Skull is more interested in having fun playing the role of a typical comic book supervillain than in reaping the rewards of his schemes. Though he steals more than $15 million worth of property, he clears only $2,000 or so in total, due to steep overhead and insurance costs.[3]
