health caused by syphilis. November 17 – WWII: To punish protests against the Nazi occupation of the Czech homeland, the Nazis storm the University of Prague and murder 9 Czech graduate students, send over 1,200 to concentration camps, and close all Czech universities, an event which will be commemorated as International Students' Day. November 23 – WWII: British armed merchantman is sunk in the GIUK gap, in an action against the German battleships and . November 26 – Shelling of Mainila: The Soviet Union's Red Army shells the Russian village of Mainila, then claims that the fire originated from Finland, giving a casus belli for the Winter War. November 30 – WWII: Winter War: Soviet forces attack Finland and reach the Mannerheim Line, starting the war. Sweden declares itself a non-belligerent in the Winter War. December December 2 – LaGuardia Airport opens for business in New York City. December 4 – WWII: British battleship strikes a mine (laid by ) off the coast of Scotland, and is laid up for repairs until August 1940. German submarine U-36 is torpedoed and sunk by British submarine HMS Salmon off Stavanger, the first enemy submarine lost to a British one during the war. December 9 – WWII: The first soldier of the British Expeditionary Force is killed; Corporal Thomas Priday triggers a French land mine. December 12 – WWII: sinks after a collision with off the coast of Scotland, with the loss of 124 men. December 13 – WWII – Battle of the River Plate: The German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee is trapped by cruisers , HMNZS Achilles, and after a running battle off the coast of Uruguay. Graf Spee is scuttled by its crew off Montevideo Harbor, on December 17. December 14 – WWII – Winter War: The League of Nations expels the USSR for attacking Finland. December 15 – The epic historical romance film Gone with the Wind, starring Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard, premieres at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta. Based on Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel of 1936, it is the longest American film made up to this date (at nearly four hours) and rapidly becomes the highest-grossing film up to this time. December 18 – WWII – Battle of the Heligoland Bight: RAF Bomber Command, on a daylight mission to attack Kriegsmarine ships in the Heligoland Bight, is repulsed by Luftwaffe fighter aircraft.