What happened in 1938
18 entries recorded for 1938, listed by date. That was 88 years ago.
1938 at a glance
- Years ago
- 88 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1930s
- Generation born
- Silent Generation
- Entries here
- 18
- Breakdown
- 17 historical events · 1 deaths
January
- January 3
March of Dimes
The American health charity March of Dimes was founded as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis to help raise money for polio research.
February
- February 11
BBC
The BBC aired an adaptation of a section of Czech writer Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. in the first broadcast of science fiction on television.
- February 14
Singapore Naval Base
The Singapore Naval Base, the cornerstone of the Singapore strategy, a British naval defence policy, was opened.
- February 18
David King Udall
David King Udall, American missionary and politician (born 1851)
April
May
- May 12
United States Army Air Corps
During an exercise to demonstrate air power, United States Army Air Corps bomber aircraft intercepted the Italian ocean liner SS Rex (pictured) 620 nautical miles (1,100 km) off the US Atlantic coast.
- May 26
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Un-American Activities Committee was established to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities by people or organizations in the U.S. suspected of having communist or fascist ties.
July
- July 3
1938 Gettysburg reunion
On the 75th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Gettysburg, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Eternal Light Peace Memorial.
- July 3
Steam locomotive
World speed record for a steam locomotive is set in England, by the Mallard, which reaches a speed of 125.88 miles per hour (202.58 km/h).
- July 3
Franklin D. Roosevelt
United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates the Eternal Light Peace Memorial and lights the eternal flame at Gettysburg Battlefield.
- July 29
Essential Commodities Reserves Act 1938
The Essential Commodities Reserves Act, which allowed the British government to build up reserves of essential commodities in anticipation of war, received royal assent.
September
- September 21
1938 New England hurricane
The Great New England Hurricane made landfall on Long Island, New York, killing an estimated 682 people and injuring 1,754 others.
- September 30
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Neville Chamberlain, and Édouard Daladier signed the Munich Agreement, stipulating that Czechoslovakia must cede the Sudetenland to Germany.
October
- October 30
CBS Radio
CBS Radio broadcast "The War of the Worlds", a radio drama that newspapers accused of tricking Americans into believing there was an actual Martian invasion.
November
- November 4
Hlinka Guard
The Hlinka Guard and Slovakian police began the deportation of several thousand Jews from the country.
- November 9
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht began as SA stormtroopers and civilians destroyed and ransacked Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues in Germany and Austria, resulting in at least 90 deaths and the deportation of 30,000 men to concentration camps.
- November 16
Albert Hofmann
Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized the psychedelic drug LSD in Basel, Switzerland.
December
- December 16
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler instituted the Cross of Honour of the German Mother, an order of merit for German mothers with at least four children.
Questions about 1938
What happened in 1938?
This site records 18 entries for 1938, including March of Dimes on January 3. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1938?
88 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1938 turns 88 this year.
Which century is 1938 in?
1938 falls in the 20th century, in the 1930s.
Which generation was born in 1938?
Silent Generation (1928–1945). Children of the Depression and war years.
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