1940 in Brazil

Events in the year 1940 in Brazil.

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Getúlio Vargas

Governors

• Alagoas:
  • Osman Laurel (until 31 October)
  • José Maria Correia das Neves (from 31 October)
• Amazonas: Álvaro Botelho Maia
• Bahia: Landulfo Alves
• Ceará: Francisco de Meneses Pimentel
• Espírito Santo: João Punaro Bley
• Goiás: Pedro Ludovico Teixeira
• Maranhão:
• Mato Grosso: Júlio Strübing Müller
• Minas Gerais: Benedito Valadares Ribeiro
• Pará: José Carneiro da Gama Malcher
• Paraíba:
  • till 29 July: Argemiro de Figueiredo
  • 29 July-16 August: Antônio Galdino Guedes
  • starting 16 August: Rui Carneiro
• Paraná: Manuel Ribas
• Pernambuco: Agamenon Magalhães
• Piauí: Leônidas Melo
• Rio Grande do Norte: Rafael Fernandes Gurjão
• Rio Grande do Sul: Osvaldo Cordeiro de Farias
• Santa Catarina: Nereu Ramos
• São Paulo: Ademar de Barros
• Sergipe: Erônides de Carvalho

Vice governors

• Rio Grande do Norte: no vice governor
• São Paulo: no vice governor

Events

• 27 April - The Estádio do Pacaembu is inaugurated, at a ceremony attended by President Getúlio Vargas.

May

• 1 May: President Getúlio Vargas signs a decree, establishing the country's minimum wage.^[1]
• 12 May - The Interlagos Circuit is inaugurated in São Paulo.
• 5 June - President Vargas approves broad military collaboration between Brazil and the United States.

• date unknown - The minority Baenan language becomes extinct.^[2]

Arts and culture

Films

• Argila, directed by Humberto Mauro

Births

• 22 February - Aracy Balabanian, actress (died 2023)
• 29 March - Astrud Gilberto, singer-songwriter (died 2023)^[3]
• 15 May - Oscar Castro-Neves, guitarist, arranger, and composer (died 2013)^[4]
• 19 May - Carlos Diegues, film director (died 2025)
• 23 June - Sérgio Reis, singer and actor
• 9 July - Jair da Costa, footballer (died 2025)^[5]
• 21 July - Marco Maciel, politician (died 2021)
• 23 September - Michel Temer, politician
• 23 October - Pelé, footballer (died 2022)^[6]
• 16 December - Adelaide Neri, teacher and politician.^[7]

Deaths

• 29 January - Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará, born second-in-line to the Imperial throne of Brazil (born 1875)
• 6 October - Adolfo Lutz, physician and epidemiologist (born 1855)
• 8 November - Evandro Chagas, physician and biomedical scientist (born 1905; air crash)
• date unknown - Manuel F. Araujo, actor (born 1880)