WORLD HISTORY · 1938 日本語
Events of 1938Showa 13 (Japan) · Year of the Tiger
What happened in 1938?
In 1938, Japan's first Konoe Statement broke off peace negotiations with China, and Japan decided to give up hosting the Tokyo Olympics. In Europe, Germany annexed Austria, and its annexation of the Sudetenland was also accepted.
- First Konoe Statement issuedAsia
- Third Moscow show trial beginsEurope
- Germany annexes AustriaEurope
- Japan forfeits right to host Tokyo OlympicsAsia
- Battle of Lake Khasan breaks outAsia
- Munich Conference accepts Sudetenland annexationEurope
- Japanese army captures WuhanAsia
- Kristallnacht pogrom in GermanyEurope
Tap an event to jump to it in the timeline below.
1938 at a glance
| Japanese era | Showa 13 |
|---|---|
| Chinese zodiac | Year of the Tiger |
| Age of people born in 1938 | Turn 88 in 2026 |
| Previous / next year | 1937 (Showa 12) ／ 1939 (Showa 14) |
| Events | 48 |
| AP World History | Unit 7 (Global Conflict) |
| AP U.S. History | Period 7 |
Famous people born in 1938
Our birthday pages list 621 people born in 1938. Here are some of them.
- Donald KnuthBorn January 10 · turns 88 this year · American computer scientist who wrote The Art of Computer Programming and creat…
- Kofi AnnanBorn April 8 · turns 88 this year · Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nat…
- Bill WithersBorn July 4 · turns 88 this year · American soul singer-songwriter behind classics such as "Ain't No Sunshine," "L…
- Ben E. KingBorn September 28 · turns 88 this year · American soul singer who led the Drifters and recorded the classic hit Stand by…
- Christopher LloydBorn October 22 · turns 88 this year · American actor famous as Doc Brown in Back to the Future and as Jim Ignatowski…
- Ellen Johnson SirleafBorn October 29 · turns 88 this year · Liberian economist and politician who led Liberia from 2006 to 2018 and shared…
- Oscar RobertsonBorn November 24 · turns 88 this year · American Hall of Fame basketball player, nicknamed "the Big O," who averaged a…
- Morihiro HosokawaBorn January 14 · turns 88 this year
- Akira KobayashiBorn November 3 · turns 88 this year
- Alberto FujimoriBorn July 28 · turns 88 this year
- Kenny RogersBorn August 21 · turns 88 this year
- Frank LangellaBorn January 1 · turns 88 this year
Show 28 more
- David BaileyBorn January 2 · turns 88 this year
- Lynn ConwayBorn January 2 · turns 88 this year
- Robert SmithsonBorn January 2 · turns 88 this year
- K. GaneshalingamBorn January 3 · turns 88 this year
- Robin Butler, Baron Butler of BrockwellBorn January 3 · turns 88 this year
- Eberhard WagnerBorn January 4 · turns 88 this year
- Jim NortonBorn January 4 · turns 88 this year
- Juan Carlos I of SpainBorn January 5 · turns 88 this year
- Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'oBorn January 5 · turns 88 this year
- Adriano CelentanoBorn January 6 · turns 88 this year
- Adrienne ClarkeBorn January 6 · turns 88 this year
- Larisa ShepitkoBorn January 6 · turns 88 this year
- Rajnikumar PandyaBorn January 6 · turns 88 this year
- Bob BolandBorn January 7 · turns 88 this year
- Lou GrahamBorn January 7 · turns 88 this year
- Rory StormBorn January 7 · turns 88 this year
- Bob EubanksBorn January 8 · turns 88 this year
- Claudette BoyerBorn January 9 · turns 88 this year
- Elza IbrahimovaBorn January 10 · turns 88 this year
- Frank MahovlichBorn January 10 · turns 88 this year
- Willie McCoveyBorn January 10 · turns 88 this year
- Arthur ScargillBorn January 11 · turns 88 this year
- Alan ReesBorn January 12 · turns 88 this year
- Qazi Hussain AhmadBorn January 12 · turns 88 this year
- Anna HomeBorn January 13 · turns 88 this year
- Billy GrayBorn January 13 · turns 88 this year
- CabuBorn January 13 · turns 88 this year
- Charlie BrillBorn January 13 · turns 88 this year
Events of 1938 (timeline · 48)
Tip: the PC view is best for studying
On a computer, each region has its own vertical line, so you can follow the flow of events and see what was happening in different parts of the world at the same time.
The World Land Speed Record on a public road is broken by Rudolf Caracciola in the Mercedes-Benz W125 Rekordwagen at a speed of 432.7 kilometres per hour (268.9 mph).
BBC Television produces the world's first ever science fiction television programme, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Čapek play R.U.R. that coined the term "robot".
Second Sino-Japanese War: During the Nanking Massacre, the Nanking Safety Zone International Committee is renamed "Nanking International Rescue Committee", and the safety zone in place for refugees falls apart.
Mexico creates Pemex by expropriating all foreign-owned oil reserves and facilities.
Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Taierzhuang begins, resulting several weeks later in the war's first major Chinese victory over Japan.
Spanish Civil War: Two days after the Nationalist army occupied the Catalan city of Lleida, dictator Francisco Franco decrees the abolition of the Generalitat (the autonomous government of Catalonia), the self-government granted by the Republic, and the official status of the Catalan language.
U.S. Supreme Court delivers its opinion in Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins and overturns a century of federal common law.
In the United States, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.
Second Sino-Japanese War: The Chinese Nationalist government creates the 1938 Yellow River flood to halt Japanese forces. Five hundred thousand to nine hundred thousand civilians are killed.
The Civil Aeronautics Act is signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States.
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).
United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates the Eternal Light Peace Memorial and lights the eternal flame at Gettysburg Battlefield.
Howard Hughes begins a 91-hour airplane flight around the world that will set a new record.
Douglas Corrigan takes off from Brooklyn to fly the "wrong way" to Ireland and becomes known as "Wrong Way" Corrigan.
The United States Department of Justice files suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system. The case would eventually result in a break-up of the industry in 1948.
Hawaii Clipper disappears between Guam and Manila as the first loss of an airliner in trans-Pacific China Clipper service.
Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius the Great in Persepolis.
Bulgaria signs a non-aggression pact with Greece and other states of Balkan Antanti (Turkey, Romania, Yugoslavia).
The Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting New York, United States, with Ontario, Canada, over the Saint Lawrence River, is dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Kweilin incident: A Japanese warplane shoots down the Kweilin, a Chinese civilian airliner, killing 14. It is the first recorded instance of a civilian airliner being shot down.
Chile: A group of youths affiliated with the fascist National Socialist Movement of Chile are executed after surrendering during a failed coup.
Adolf Hitler demands autonomy and self-determination for the Germans of the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.
The Great Hurricane of 1938 makes landfall on Long Island in New York. The death toll is estimated at 500–700 people.
Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich Agreement, whereby Germany annexes the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.
The League of Nations unanimously outlaws "intentional bombings of civilian populations".
Pursuant to the Munich Agreement signed the day before, Nazi Germany begins the military occupation and annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland.
Abiding by the Munich Agreement, Czechoslovakia completes its withdrawal from the Sudetenland.
Orson Welles broadcasts a radio adaptation of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, causing a massive panic in some of the audience in the United States.
Great Depression: In an effort to restore investor confidence, the New York Stock Exchange unveils a fifteen-point program aimed to upgrade protection for the investing public.
Seabiscuit defeats War Admiral in an upset victory during a match race deemed "the match of the century" in horse racing.
Kristallnacht occurs, instigated by the Nazis using the killing of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by Herschel Grynszpan as justification.
Nazi Germany issues the Decree on the Elimination of Jews from Economic Life prohibiting Jews from selling goods and services or working in a trade, totally segregating Jews from the German economy.
The Lions Gate Bridge, connecting Vancouver to the North Shore region, opens to traffic.
Nazi Germany bans Jewish children from public schools in the aftermath of Kristallnacht.
LSD is first synthesized by Albert Hofmann from ergotamine at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel.
Nazi Germany issues the Decree on the Utilization of Jewish Property forcing Jews to sell real property, businesses, and stocks at below market value as part of Aryanization.
The Holocaust: The Neuengamme concentration camp opens in the Bergedorf district of Hamburg, Germany.
Otto Hahn discovers the nuclear fission of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and technological basis of nuclear energy.
Source: Wikipedia date pages ("January 1" … "December 31") / CC BY-SA 4.0. Regions are assigned by the site editors.
FAQ
What year was 1938 in the Japanese calendar?
1938 was Showa 13 in the Japanese era system.
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1938?
1938 is the Year of the Tiger.
How old is someone born in 1938?
They turn 88 on their birthday in 2026.
What happened in 1938?
In 1938, Japan's first Konoe Statement broke off peace negotiations with China, and Japan decided to give up hosting the Tokyo Olympics. In Europe, Germany annexed Austria, and its annexation of the Sudetenland was also accepted.
Dates and events are based on Wikipedia and other references. Summaries and regions are written by the site editors.