In June of 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...1940, U.S. President . Franklin Delano Roosevelt ( January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), often referred to as FDR, was the 32nd ( 1933– 1945) President of the United States. ...Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare." Much of this work was done under the strictest secrecy. In June of 1941 The Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) superseded the committee structure. OSRD projects gave the United States and Allied troops more powerful and more accurate bombs, more reliable detonators, lighter and more accurate weapons, safer and more effective medical treatments, and more versatile vehicles.

NDRC projects

• Control panels and operators for calutrons at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ...Manhattan Project _ (atomic bomb)
• A DUKW in WW II. The DUKW, popularly called the DUCK, is a six_wheel_drive amphibious truck developed by the United States during World War 2 for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks. ...DUKW _ amphibious vehicle
• During World War 2, Project Pigeon was American behaviourist B. F. Skinners attempt to develop a pigeon_guided missile. ...Project Pigeon