The Year 1938 From The People History

1938 following a number of years of success with the US economy a recession hit which caused unemployment to rise back to 19%. In Europe Germany was continuing it's strategy of persecuting the Jews and occupation in Czechoslovakia, the British prime minister Neville Chamberlain went to Germany fearing another world war and after agreeing to allow Hitler could occupy Czechoslovakia declared "Peace in our time" . The law changed in the US that meant the minimum hourly wage was 40 cents per hour for a 44 hour working week. On September 21st a giant hurricane slammed into the east coast with little or no warning from the Weather Service , the hurricane caused 40 ft waves to hit Long Island and sixty three thousand people were left homeless and some 700 dead. On October 30th Orson Wells dramatization of "War of The Worlds" radio programme caused panic when it was broadcast more like a news breaking story than a play. Most of the world cheered when Germany's Max Schmeling was defeated by a knock out in the first round by the great Joe Louis for the heavyweight championship

What Events Happened in 1938

• New England Hurricane of 1938 (or Great New England Hurricane or Long Island Express

• Freak Waves at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia cause 300 swimmers to be dragged out to sea

• Honeymoon Bridge across Niagara Falls, collapses

• Floods and Landslides in Los Angeles cause 200 deaths

• The First use of A seeing eye dogs occurs

• German troops enter Austria

• Agricultural Adjustment Act is passed helping farmers affected by Dust Bowl

• Fair Labor Standards Act US with Minimum Hourly Rate of 25 cents

• Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae - FNMA) Established

• Germany begins its persecution of Jews

• Howard Hughes sets a new Round The World Record of 3 days, 19 hours

• March of Dimes Polio Foundation Created on January 3rd

• A 450 metric ton meteorite struck the earth in an empty field near Chicora, Pennsylvania

• Seabiscuit and War Admiral have their long awaited race to decide the best horse which Seabiscuit beats War Admiral

• RMS Queen Elizabeth is launched at John Brown, Clydebank, Scotland.

• Italy wins the 1938 World Cup in France defeating Hungary

Popular Culture

• Action Comics issues the first Superman comic
• Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is broadcast, causing mass panic in the eastern United States.



• Adolf Hitler is Time magazine's "Man of the Year" (as most influential during the course of the year, not as 'best' man of the year)
• Kate Smith sings a rendition of Irvin Berlin's 'God Bless America' for the first time on radion during an Armistice Day broadcast

Popular Films

• Disney releases Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs



• Boys Town, starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney



• Jezebel, starring Bette Davis

Technology

• Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.



• Steam locomotive "Mallard" sets the world speed record for steam by reaching 126 mph.



• Ball Point Pens are introduced



• Teflon Introduced



• Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: "nylon".



• The First Nylon Products Toothbrushes are marketed

Inventions Invented by Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use )
Ballpoint Pen Hungary by Laszlo Biró - also called a biro (UK)
Photocopier USA by Chester Carlston
Freeze Dried Coffee by Nescafe

Major World Political Leaders 1938

Australia Prime Minister Joseph Lyons

Brazil President Getúlio Vargas

Canada Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King

Germany Chancellor Adolf Hitler

Italy Prime Minister Benito Mussolini

Japan Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe

Mexico President Lázaro Cárdenas

Russia / Soviet Union
General Secretary of the Central Committee Joseph Stalin

South Africa Prime Minister James Barry Munnik Hertzog

United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt

United Kingdom Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain



The Information above is taken from our new page that gives world leaders from 1920 to current.
WorldLeaders