Events
January
![BennyGoodmanStageDoorCanteen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/BennyGoodmanStageDoorCanteen.jpg)
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
** The
new constitution of
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the
Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime.
**
State-owned
State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
networks are created by merger, in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(
SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...
) and the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
(
Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and the ...
– NS).
*
January 20
Events Pre-1600
* 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
* 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
* 1156 &ndas ...
– King
Farouk of Egypt marries Safinaz Zulficar, who becomes
Queen Farida
Farida, born Safinaz Zulficar (5 September 1921 – 16 October 1988) (Arabic: صافيناز ذوالفقار), was the queen of Egypt for nearly eleven years as the first wife of King Farouk. She was the first queen of Egypt since antiquity to h ...
, in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
.
*
January 27
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent.
* 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...
– The
Honeymoon Bridge at
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...
, collapses as a result of an ice jam.
February
*
February 4
Events Pre–1600
* 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...
**
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
abolishes the War Ministry and creates the
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (High Command of the Armed Forces), giving him direct control of the German military. In addition, he dismisses political and military leaders considered unsympathetic to his philosophy or policies. General
Werner von Fritsch
Thomas Ludwig Werner Freiherr von Fritsch (4 August 1880 – 22 September 1939) was a member of the German High Command. He was Commander-in-Chief of the German Army from February 1934 until February 1938, when he was forced to resign after he ...
is forced to resign as Commander of Chief of the German Army following accusations of homosexuality, and replaced by General
Walther von Brauchitsch
Walther Heinrich Alfred Hermann von Brauchitsch (4 October 1881 – 18 October 1948) was a German field marshal and the Commander-in-Chief (''Oberbefehlshaber'') of the German Army during World War II. Born into an aristocratic military family ...
. Foreign Minister Baron
Konstantin von Neurath
Konstantin Hermann Karl Freiherr von Neurath (2 February 1873 – 14 August 1956) was a German diplomat and Nazi war criminal who served as Foreign Minister of Germany between 1932 and 1938.
Born to a Swabian noble family, Neurath began his di ...
is dismissed, and replaced by
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (; 30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a German politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945.
Ribbentrop first came to Adolf Hitler's not ...
.
** Walt Disney's ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as Ta ...
'', the first
cel
A cel, short for celluloid, is a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or painted for traditional, hand-drawn animation. Actual celluloid (consisting of cellulose nitrate and camphor) was used during the first half of the 20th century, but ...
-animated feature in motion picture history, is released in the United States, following a premiere on December 21 of the previous year.
*
February 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.
1601–1900
* 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...
– Black Sunday at
Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Easter ...
,
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia: 300 swimmers are dragged out to sea in 3 freak waves; 80
lifesavers save all but 5.
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, sparkin ...
**
Carol II of Romania
Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...
takes dictatorial powers.
**
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
:
Bombing of Chongqing
The bombing of Chongqing (, ja, 重慶爆撃), from 18 February 1938 to 23 August 1943, were massive terror bombing operations authorized by the Empire of Japan's Imperial General Headquarters and conducted by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Se ...
begins.
*
February 12
Events Pre-1600
*1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie performed the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna.
*1429 – English forces under ...
– Chancellor
Kurt von Schuschnigg
Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg (; 14 December 1897 – 18 November 1977) was an Austrian Fatherland Front politician who was the Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert Dollfu ...
of Austria meets
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
at
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps, south of Berchtesgaden; the ...
and, under threat of invasion, is forced to yield to German demands for greater
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
participation in the Austrian government.
*
February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
– Switzerland recognizes
Romansh as its fourth national language, besides German, French, and Italian.
*
February 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Ferdina ...
– The
Battle of Teruel ends in a
Nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
victory with recapture of the city, a turning point in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
.
*
February 24
Events Pre-1600
* 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica.
* 1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence.
* 13 ...
– A
nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
bristle
toothbrush
A toothbrush is an oral hygiene tool used to clean the teeth, gums, and tongue. It consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles, atop of which toothpaste can be applied, mounted on a handle which facilitates the cleaning of hard-to-reach are ...
becomes the first commercial product to be made with nylon yarn.
March
![Dammam No](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Dammam_No._7_on_March_4%2C_1938.jpg)
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor ...
–
Lee Byung-chul establishes a trucking business in
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
, Korea, which he names Samsung Trading Co, the forerunner to
Samsung
The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
.
*
March 3
Events Pre-1600
* 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan.
* 1575 &nd ...
** The
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river entirely within Southern California in the United States. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows for most of its length through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, before cutting through ...
in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, United States, spills over its banks during a rainy winter, killing 58 people in Orange County, and causing trouble as far inland as Palm Springs.
** Sir
Nevile Henderson, British Ambassador to Germany, presents a proposal to Hitler for an international consortium to rule much of Africa (in which Germany would be assigned a leading role), in exchange for a German promise never to resort to war to change her frontiers; Hitler rejects the British offer.
*
March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
– ''
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
:'' German troops occupy Austria; annexation is declared the following day.
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
– French Premier
Léon Blum
André Léon Blum (; 9 April 1872 – 30 March 1950) was a French socialist politician and three-time Prime Minister.
As a Jew, he was heavily influenced by the Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century. He was a disciple of French Socialist le ...
reassures the Czechoslovak government that France will honor its treaty obligations to aid
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, in the event of a German invasion.
*
March 17 – Poland
presents an ultimatum to
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, to establish normal diplomatic relations that were severed over the
Vilnius Region.
*
March 27 – Italian mathematician
Ettore Majorana disappears suddenly under mysterious circumstances, while travelling by ship from
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
to
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
.
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
– At a meeting with
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
in Berlin,
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein (6 May 1898 – 10 May 1945) was a leading Sudeten Germans, Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia. Upon the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German occupation in October 1938 he joined the Nazi Party as well ...
is instructed to make increasing demands concerning the status of the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
, but to avoid reaching an agreement with
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
authorities.
*
March 30 – Italy's ''
Duce''
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
is granted equal power over the Italian military to that of King
Victor Emmanuel III, as
First Marshal of the Empire.
April
*
April 10
Events Pre-1600
* 428 – Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.
* 837 – Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles).
* 1407 ...
**
Édouard Daladier
Édouard Daladier (; 18 June 1884 – 10 October 1970) was a French Radical-Socialist (centre-left) politician, and the Prime Minister of France who signed the Munich Agreement before the outbreak of World War II.
Daladier was born in Carpentr ...
becomes prime minister of France. He appoints as Foreign Minister a leading advocate of the policy of
appeasement
Appeasement in an international context is a diplomatic policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power in order to avoid conflict. The term is most often applied to the foreign policy of the UK governm ...
,
Georges Bonnet
Georges-Étienne Bonnet (22/23 July 1889 – 18 June 1973) was a French politician who served as foreign minister in 1938 and 1939 and was a leading figure in the Radical Party.
Early life
Bonnet was born in Bassillac, Dordogne, the son of ...
, effectively negating Blum's reassurances of March 14.
** In a result that astonishes even Hitler, the Austrian electorate in a national referendum approves
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
by an overwhelming 99.73%.
*
April 16 – The UK and Italy sign an agreement that sees Britain recognise Italian control of Ethiopia (formally on November 16), in return for an Italian pledge to withdraw all its 10,000 troops from Spain, at the conclusion of the civil war there.
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days.
* 1428 – Peace of Ferrara betw ...
–
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
first appears in ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover date June). The date is established in court documents released during the legal battle over the rights to Superman (on April 18, 2018, DC Comics released ''Action Comics'' #1000).
*
April 24 –
Konstantin Päts becomes the first
President of Estonia
The president of the Republic of Estonia ( et, Eesti Vabariigi President) is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia. The current president is Alar Karis, elected by Parliament on 31 August 2021, replacing Kersti Kaljulaid.
Estonia is ...
.
May
*
May 5
** The
Vatican recognizes
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...
's government in Spain.
** General
Ludwig Beck, Chief of the German Army's General Staff, submits a memorandum to Hitler opposing ''
Fall Grün'' (Case Green), the plan for a war with Czechoslovakia, under the grounds that Germany is ill-prepared for the world war likely to result from such an attack.
*
May 12 – U.S. Secretary of State
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull (October 2, 1871July 23, 1955) was an American politician from Tennessee and the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years (1933–1944) in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ...
rejects the Soviet Union's offer of a joint defence pact, to counter the rise of Nazi Germany.
*
May 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1027 – Robert II of France names his son Henry I as junior King of the Franks.
*1097 – The Siege of Nicaea begins during the First Crusade.
* 1264 – Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured and forc ...
–
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
withdraws from the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
.
*
May 19 –
May Crisis 1938
The May Crisis was a brief episode of international tension in 1938 caused by reports of German troop movements against Czechoslovakia that appeared to signal the imminent outbreak of war in Europe. Although the state of high anxiety soon subsided ...
:
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
intelligence receives reports of menacing
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
military concentrations (it later appears the reports are false).
*
May 20
Events Pre-1600
* 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.
* 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed '' Augusta'' is able to choose her ...
–
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
orders a partial mobilization of its armed forces along the German border.
*
May 21 –
Tsuyama massacre: Matsuo Toi kills 30 people in a village in
Okayama
is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is .
The city is ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, in the world's worst
spree killing
A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders or homicides in a short time, in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations wit ...
by an individual until
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
.
*
May 23 – No evidence of German troop movements against
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
is found, and the
May Crisis
The May Crisis was a brief episode of international tension in 1938 caused by reports of German troop movements against Czechoslovakia that appeared to signal the imminent outbreak of war in Europe. Although the state of high anxiety soon subsided ...
subsides.
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
is, nevertheless, perceived to have backed down in the face of Czechoslovak mobilization and international diplomatic unity, but the issue of the future of the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
is far from resolved.
* May 25
**
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
: Alicante is Bombing of Alicante, bombed by fascist rebels, resulting in 313 deaths.
** The Soviet Union, Soviet ambassador to the United States, A. A. Troyanovsky, declares Moscow ready to defend
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
.
* May 28 – In a conference at the Reich Chancellery,
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
declares his decision to destroy
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
by military force, and orders the immediate mobilization of 96 Wehrmacht divisions.
* May 30 –
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
issues a revised directive for ''
Fall Grün'' ("Case Green") - the invasion of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
- to be carried out by October 1, 1938.
June
* June 5 & June 7, 7 – The 1938 Yellow River flood is created by the Nationalist government in central China, breaching embankments during the early stage of the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
, in an attempt to halt the rapid advance of Japanese forces. The flood kills at least 400,000, covers and destroys thousands of square kilometers of farmland, and shifts the mouth of the Yellow River hundreds of kilometers to the south.
* June 11 – Fire destroys 214 buildings in Ludza, Latvia.
* June 15 – László Bíró patents the ballpoint pen in Britain.
* June 19 – Italy national football team, Italy beats Hungary national football team, Hungary 4–2, to win the 1938 FIFA World Cup.
* June 22 – Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis knocks out Max Schmeling in the first round of their rematch, at Yankee Stadium (1923), Yankee Stadium in New York City.
* June 25 – Dr. Douglas Hyde takes office as the first President of Ireland.
July
* July – The Mauthausen concentration camp is built in Austria.
* July 1 – The South African Press Association is established, with offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein and Pretoria.
* July 3
** The steam locomotive ''LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard, Mallard'' sets the world speed record for steam, by reaching 125.88 mph on the London and North Eastern Railway.
** The last reunion of the Blue and Confederate States of America, Gray commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
* July 5 – The Non-Intervention Committee reaches an agreement to withdraw all foreign volunteers from the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
. The agreement is respected by most Republican International Brigades, notably those from England and the United States, but is ignored by the governments of Germany and Italy.
* July 6 – The Evian Conference on Refugees is convened in France. No country in Europe is prepared to accept Jews fleeing persecution, and the United States will take only 27,370.
* July 14 – Howard Hughes sets a new record, by completing a 91-hour airplane flight around the world.
* July 18 – Wrong Way Corrigan takes off from New York, ostensibly heading for California. He lands in Ireland instead.
* July 22 – Britain rejects a proposal from its ambassador in Berlin,
Nevile Henderson, for a four-power summit on Czechoslovakia consisting of Britain, France, Germany and the U.S.S.R., as London will under no circumstances accept the U.S.S.R. as a diplomatic partner.
* July 24 – The north face of the Eiger in the Alps is first ascended.
* July 28
** 1938 Greek coup d'état attempt: A revolt against the Ioannis Metaxas dictatorship in Greece is put down in Chania.
** Pan American World Airways, Pan Am flying boat ''Hawaii Clipper'' disappears with 6 passengers and 9 crew members, en route from Guam to Manila.
August
* August – In the face of overwhelming Japanese military pressure, Chiang Kai-shek withdraws his government to Chungking.
* August 10 – At a secret summit with his leading generals, Hitler attacks General Beck's arguments against ''Fall Grün'', winning the majority of his senior officers over to his point of view.
* August 18 – Colonel General
Ludwig Beck, convinced that
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
's decision to attack
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
will lead to a general European war, resigns his position as Chief of the Army General Staff in protest.
* August 23 –
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
, hosting a dinner on board the ocean liner ''Patria'' in Kiel Bay, tells the Regent of Hungary, Admiral Horthy, that action against
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
is imminent and that "he who wants to sit at the table must at least help in the kitchen", a reference to Horthy's designs on Carpathian Ruthenia.
September
* September – The European crisis over German demands for annexation of the Sudetenland, Sudeten borderland of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
becomes increasingly severe.
* September 5 –
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
n President Edvard Beneš invites mid-level representatives of the Sudeten Germans Hradčany Palace, to tell them he will accept whatever demands they care to make, provided the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
remains part of the First Czechoslovak Republic, Republic of Czechoslovakia.
* September 6 – What eventually proves to be the last of the "Nuremberg Rallies" begins. It draws worldwide attention because it is widely assumed that
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
, in his closing remarks, will signal whether there will be peace with or war over
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
.
* September 7 – ''The Times'' publishes a lead article, which calls on
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
to cede the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
to Germany.
* September 10 – Hermann Göring, in a speech at Nuremberg, calls the Czechs a "miserable pygmy race" who are "harassing the human race." That same evening, Edvard Beneš, President of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, makes a broadcast in which he appeals for calm.
* September 12 –
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
makes his much-anticipated closing address at Nuremberg, in which he vehemently attacks the Czechs, Czech people and President Beneš. American news commentator H. V. Kaltenborn, Hans von Kaltenborn begins his famous marathon of broadcast bulletins over the CBS Radio Network, with a summation of Hitler's address.
* September 13 – The followers of
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein (6 May 1898 – 10 May 1945) was a leading Sudeten Germans, Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia. Upon the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German occupation in October 1938 he joined the Nazi Party as well ...
begin an armed revolt against the Czechoslovak government in
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
. Martial law is declared and after much bloodshed on both sides order is temporarily restored. Neville Chamberlain personally sends a telegram to
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
, urgently requesting that they both meet.
* September 15 – Neville Chamberlain arrives in
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps, south of Berchtesgaden; the ...
, to begin negotiations with
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
over the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
.
* September 16 – Lord Runciman is recalled to London from Prague, in order to brief the British government on the situation in the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
.
* September 17 – Neville Chamberlain returns temporarily to London, to confer with his cabinet. The U.S.S.R. Red Army masses along the Ukrainian frontier. Rumania agrees to allow Soviet soldiers free passage across her territory to defend Czechoslovakia.
* September 18
**During a meeting between Neville Chamberlain, the recently elected Premier of France,
Édouard Daladier
Édouard Daladier (; 18 June 1884 – 10 October 1970) was a French Radical-Socialist (centre-left) politician, and the Prime Minister of France who signed the Munich Agreement before the outbreak of World War II.
Daladier was born in Carpentr ...
, and Daladier's Foreign Minister,
Georges Bonnet
Georges-Étienne Bonnet (22/23 July 1889 – 18 June 1973) was a French politician who served as foreign minister in 1938 and 1939 and was a leading figure in the Radical Party.
Early life
Bonnet was born in Bassillac, Dordogne, the son of ...
, it becomes apparent that neither the British nor the French governments are prepared to go to war over the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
. The Soviet Union declares it will come to the defence of Czechoslovakia only if France honours her commitment to defend Czechoslovak independence.
**Mussolini makes a speech in Trieste, Italy, where he indicates that Italy is supporting Germany in the Sudeten crisis.
* September 21
** In the early hours of the day, representatives of the French and British governments call on Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš, to tell him France and Britain will not fight
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
if he decides to annex the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
by force. Late in the afternoon, the Czechoslovak government capitulates to the French and British demands.
** Winston Churchill warns of grave consequences to European security, if
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
is partitioned. The same day, Soviet Foreign Commissar Maxim Litvinov makes a similar statement in the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
.
** Following the capitulation of the Czech government to Germany's demands, both Poland and Hungary demand slices of Czech territory where their nationals reside.
** The 1938 New England hurricane in the United States strikes Long Island and southern New England, killing over 300 along the Rhode Island shoreline and 600 altogether.
* September 22
** Unable to survive the previous day's capitulation to the demands of the English and French governments, Czechoslovak premier Milan Hodža resigns. General Jan Syrový takes his place.
** Neville Chamberlain arrives in the city of Bad Godesberg, for another round of talks with
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
over the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
crisis. Hitler raises his demands to include occupation of all German Sudeten territories by October 1. That night after a telephone conference, Chamberlain reverses himself and advises the Czechoslovaks to mobilize.
* September 23
** The
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
army mobilizes.
** As the Polish army masses along the Czech border, the Soviet Union warns Poland that if it crosses the Czech frontier, Russia will regard the 1932 non-aggression pact between the two countries as void.
* September 24
** Sir Eric Phipps, British Ambassador to France, reports to London, "all that is best in France is against war, almost at any price", being opposed only by a "small, but noisy and corrupt, war group". Phipps's report creates major doubts about the ability and/or willingness of France to go to war.
** At 1:30 AM,
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
and Neville Chamberlain conclude their talks on the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
. Chamberlain agrees to take Hitler's demands, codified in the Godesberg Memorandum, personally to the Czech Government. The Czech Government rejects the demands, as does Chamberlain's own cabinet. The French Government also initially rejects the terms and orders a partial mobilization of the French army.
* September 25 – British Royal Navy is ordered to sea.
* September 26 – In a vitriolic speech at Berlin's Sportpalast, Hitler defies the world and implies war with
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
will begin at any time.
* September 28 – As his self-imposed October 1 deadline for occupation of the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
approaches,
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
invites Italian Duce Benito Mussolini, French Premier Edourd Deladier and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to one last conference in Munich. The Czechs themselves are not invited.
* September 29
** Colonel Graham Christie, former British military attaché in Berlin, is told by Carl Friedrich Goerdeler that the mobilization of the Royal Navy has badly damaged the popularity of the Nazi regime, as the German public realizes that ''
Fall Grün'' is likely to cause a world war.
** Munich Agreement: German, Italian, British and French leaders agree to German demands regarding annexation of the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
in
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. The Czechoslovak government is largely excluded from the negotiations, and is not a signatory to the agreement.
** The Republic of Hatay is declared in Syria.
* September 30 – Neville Chamberlain returns to Britain from meeting with Adolf Hitler, and declares "Peace for our time".
October
* October – The Imperial Japanese Army largely overruns Guangzhou, Canton.
* October 1 – German troops march into the
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
. The Polish government gives the Czech government an ultimatum, stating that Zaolzie region must be handed over within twenty-four hours. The Czechs have little choice but to comply; Polish forces occupy Zaolzie.
* October 2
** 1938 Tiberias massacre, Tiberias massacre: Arab raiders murder 19 Jewish immigrants.
** Disgusted with Neville Chamberlain's conduct at Munich, Duff Cooper resigns his post as First Lord of the Admiralty. With his resignation, formal debate begins in the Parliament of the United Kingdom on the Munich Agreement, but with Chamberlain at the peak of his popularity, there can be little doubt His Majesty's Government will receive a vote of confidence.
* October 4 – The Republican forces in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
begin withdrawing their foreign volunteers from combat, as agreed on July 5.
* October 5
**Edvard Beneš, president of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, resigns.
**Nuremberg Laws: In Nazi Germany, Jews' passports are invalidated, and those who need a passport for emigration purposes are given one marked with the letter J ("Jude" – "Jew").
[Nazi Germany and the Jews: 1938 – “The Fateful Year”](_blank)
on the Yad Vashem website
* October 16 – Winston Churchill, in a broadcast address to the United States, condemns the Munich Agreement as a defeat, and calls upon America and western Europe to prepare for armed resistance against Hitler.
* October 18 – The German government expels 12,000 Polish Jews living in Germany; the Polish government accepts 4,000 and refuses admittance to the remaining 8,000, who are forced to live in the no-man's land on the German-Polish frontier.
* October 21 – In direct contravention of the recently signed Munich Agreement,
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
circulates among his high command a secret memorandum stating that they should prepare for the "liquidation of the rest of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
" and the occupation of Klaipėda Region, Memel.
* October 24
** French Foreign Minister
Georges Bonnet
Georges-Étienne Bonnet (22/23 July 1889 – 18 June 1973) was a French politician who served as foreign minister in 1938 and 1939 and was a leading figure in the Radical Party.
Early life
Bonnet was born in Bassillac, Dordogne, the son of ...
carries out a major purge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (France), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissing or exiling a number of anti-appeasement officials such as Pierre Comert and René Massigli.
** At a "friendly luncheon" in
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps, south of Berchtesgaden; the ...
, German foreign minister
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (; 30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a German politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945.
Ribbentrop first came to Adolf Hitler's not ...
tells Józef Lipski, the Polish ambassador to Germany, that the Free City of Danzig must return to Germany, that the Germans must be given extraterritorial rights in the Polish Corridor, and that Poland must sign the Anti-Comintern Pact.
* October 27 – DuPont announces a name for its new synthetic yarn: "
nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
".
November
![The day after Kristallnacht](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/The_day_after_Kristallnacht.jpg)
* November 2 – Arising from The Munich Agreement, Hungary is "First Vienna Award, awarded" the Felvidek region of South Slovakia and Ruthenia.
* November 7 – Ernst vom Rath, the Third Secretary at the German Embassy in Paris, is assassinated by Herschel Grynszpan.
* November 9 – Holocaust – Kristallnacht: In Germany, the "night of broken glass" begins as Nazism, Nazi activists and sympathizers loot and burn Jewish businesses (the all night affair sees 7,500 Jewish businesses destroyed, 267 synagogues burned, 91 Jews killed and at least 25,000 Jewish men arrested).
* November 10 – İsmet İnönü becomes the second president of Turkey.
* November 11 – Celâl Bayar forms the new government of Turkey (10th government; Celal Bayar had served twice as a prime minister).
* November 12 – French Finance Minister Paul Reynaud brings into effect a series of laws aiming at improving French productivity (thus aiming to undo the economic weaknesses which led to Munich), and undoes most of the economic and social laws of the Popular Front.
* November 16 – LSD is first synthesized by Albert Hofmann from ergotamine, at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel.
* November 18 – Trade union members elect John L. Lewis, as the first president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations in the United States.
* November 25 – French Foreign Minister
Georges Bonnet
Georges-Étienne Bonnet (22/23 July 1889 – 18 June 1973) was a French politician who served as foreign minister in 1938 and 1939 and was a leading figure in the Radical Party.
Early life
Bonnet was born in Bassillac, Dordogne, the son of ...
informs Léon Noël, the French Ambassador to Poland, that France should find an excuse for terminating the 1921 Franco-Polish alliance.
* November 30
** The Czechoslovak parliament elects Emil Hácha as the new president of Czechoslovakia.
**
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
and his Foreign Minister, Count Galeazzo Ciano, order "spontaneous" demonstrations in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, demanding that France cede Tunisia, Nice, Corsica and French Somaliland to Italy. This begins an acute crisis in Franco-Italian relations, that lasts until March 1939.
** Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, leader of the Romanian fascist Iron Guard, is murdered on the orders of King
Carol II of Romania
Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...
. Officially, Codreanu and the 13 other Iron Guard leaders are "shot while trying to escape".
** A general strike is called in France by the French Communist Party, to protest the laws of November 12.
December
* December
** President Roosevelt agrees to loan $25 million to Chiang Kai-shek, cementing the Sino-American relationship and angering the Japanese government.
**
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
is ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine's "Time Person of the Year, Man of the Year", as the most influential person of the year.
* December 1 – Slovakia is granted the status of an autonomous state, under Catholic priest Fr. Joseph Tiso.
* December 6 – German Foreign Minister
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (; 30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a German politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945.
Ribbentrop first came to Adolf Hitler's not ...
visits Paris, where he is allegedly informed by French Foreign Minister
Georges Bonnet
Georges-Étienne Bonnet (22/23 July 1889 – 18 June 1973) was a French politician who served as foreign minister in 1938 and 1939 and was a leading figure in the Radical Party.
Early life
Bonnet was born in Bassillac, Dordogne, the son of ...
that France now recognizes all of Eastern Europe as being in Germany's exclusive sphere of influence. Bonnet's alleged statement (he subsequently always denies making the remark) to Ribbentrop is a major factor in German policy in 1939.
* December 11 – Kingdom of Yugoslavia parliamentary election, 1938, Kingdom of Yugoslavia parliamentary election: The opposition gains votes but not seats.
* December 13 – The Neuengamme concentration camp opens near Hamburg.
* December 15 – The
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
closes its border to refugees.
* December 17 – Otto Hahn discovers the nuclear fission of uranium, the scientific and technological basis of nuclear power, which marks the beginning of the Atomic Age.
* December 23 – A coelacanth, a fish thought to have been extinct, is caught off the coast of South Africa, near the Chalumna River.
* December 24 – Leading Korean dancer Choi Seung-hee arrives in Le Havre,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
after her tour in the United States. This is to begin her European tour in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. She is the first Korean Wave entertainer.
* December 27 – A massive avalanche of snow hits a construction worker dormitory site in Kurobe, Japan, killing 87 people.
Date unknown
* Majlis Khuddam-ul Ahmadiyya is established by Khalifat-ul Masih II, Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, the second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
* The Walther P38 pistol design is agreed to by the German military.
* The last Schomburgk's deer in the wild is said to have been killed.
* Herbert E. Ives and G. R. Stilwell execute the Ives–Stilwell experiment, showing that ions radiate at Frequency, frequencies affected by their motion.
Births
January–February
![SzaboIstvan1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/SzaboIstvan1.jpg)
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
** Frank Langella, American actor
** Fuad Masum, 9th President of Iraq
* January 2
** Goh Kun, Korean politician, Mayor of Seoul and 31st Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea (South Korea)
** Bohumil Nemecek, Czechoslovakian Olympic boxer (d. 2010)
* January 4 – Mohamed Rahmat ("Tok Mat"), Malaysian politician (d. 2010)
* January 5
** King Juan Carlos I of Spain
** Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan writer
* January 7 – Roland Topor, French illustrator (d. 1997)
* January 10 – Donald Knuth, American mathematician and computer scientist
* January 13 – Shivkumar Sharma, Indian musician
* January 14
** Morihiro Hosokawa, Japanese politician, 50th Prime Minister of Japan
** Jack Jones (singer), Jack Jones, American singer
** Allen Toussaint, American musician, composer (d. 2015)
* January 23 – Georg Baselitz, German painter, sculptor
* January 25
** Etta James, African-American singer (d. 2012)
** Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese manga artist, father of "Henshin Heroes" (d. 1998)
** Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian singer-songwriter, poet and actor (d. 1980)
* January 28 – Tomas Lindahl, Swedish biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
* January 29 – Shuji Tsurumi, Japanese men's artistic gymnast
* January 30 – Islam Karimov, President of Uzbekistan (d. 2016)
* January 31 – Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
* February 1 – Sherman Hemsley, African-American comedian and actor (d. 2012)
* February 2 – Pilar Pellicer, Mexican actress (d. 2020)
**Christopher Lloyd, American actor
* October 29
** Ralph Bakshi, Israeli cartoonist, film director, and video producer
** Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 24th President of Liberia
* October 30 – Ed Lauter, American actor (d. 2013)
November–December
![Jon Voight 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Jon_Voight_2012.jpg)
* November 2
** Pat Buchanan, American conservative political operative, journalist, pundit and one-time presidential candidate
** Queen Sofía of Spain
* November 5
** Joe Dassin, French singer (d. 1980)
** Ionatana Ionatana, 5th Prime Minister of Tuvalu (d. 2000)
** César Luis Menotti, Argentine football coach
* November 8 – Satch Sanders, American basketball player
* November 12 – Benjamin Mkapa, 3rd President of Tanzania (d. 2020)
* November 13 – Jean Seberg, American actress (d. 1979)
* November 16 – Robert Nozick, American philosopher (d. 2002)
* November 17 – Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk singer
* November 18
** Ahmad Obeidat, Prime Minister of Jordan
** Norbert Ratsirahonana, 9th Prime Minister of Madagascar
* November 19 – Ted Turner, American entrepreneur
* November 20 – Dick Smothers, American actor and comedian
* November 21 – Helen (actress), Helen, Indian actress and dancer
* November 24 – Oscar Robertson, African-American basketball player
* November 26 – Porter Goss, American politician, Central Intelligence Agency director
* December 5 – J. J. Cale, American singer-songwriter, guitarist (d. 2013)
* December 8 – John Kufuor, John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, President of Ghana
* December 13 – Heino, German singer
* December 15 – Juan Carlos Wasmosy, 48th President of Paraguay
* December 16 – Liv Ullmann, Norwegian actress
* December 17 – Peter Snell, New Zealand athlete (d. 2019)
* December 23 – Bob Kahn, American Internet pioneer
* December 28 – Lagumot Harris, Nauruan politician, President (d. 1999)
* December 29 – Jon Voight, American actor
Date unknown
* Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, President of Mauritania (d. 2020)
* Tafazzul Haque Habiganji, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and politician (d. 2020)
Deaths
January
![Andreas Michalakopoulos 1927](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Andreas_Michalakopoulos_1927.jpg)
* January 2 – Henry Victor Deligny, French general (b. 1855)
* January 3 – Arturo Berutti, Argentinian composer (b. 1862)
* January 4 – Paola Drigo, Italian novelist (b. 1876)
* January 5 – Karel Baxa, Czechoslovakian politician (b. 1863)
* January 8 – Christian Rohlfs, German painter (b. 1849)
* January 9 – Johnny Gruelle, American cartoonist and children's book author (b. 1880)
* January 11 – Isidore Konti, Austrian-born Hungarian sculptor (b. 1862)
* January 17 – Vladimir Beneshevich, Soviet scholar, martyr (executed) (b. 1874)
*
January 20
Events Pre-1600
* 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
* 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
* 1156 &ndas ...
**Émile Cohl, French caricaturist, animator (b. 1857)
**Liu Xiang (warlord), Liu Xiang, Chinese general (b. 1890)
* January 21 – Georges Méliès, French film director (b. 1861)
* January 22 – Sergei Buturlin, Soviet ornithologist (b. 1872)
* January 23 – J. P. Dahlén, Swedish worker, politician (b. 1881)
* January 28 – Bernd Rosemeyer, German racing driver (b. 1909)
* January 29 – Armando Palacio Valdés, Spanish writer (b. 1853)
* January 31 – Marcella Cosgrave, Irish nationalist leader (b. 1873)
February
![Edmund Landau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Edmund_Landau.jpg)
*
February 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.
1601–1900
* 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...
– George Auriol, French poet (b. 1863)
* February 7 – Harvey Firestone, American tire manufacturer (b. 1868)
* February 8 – Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (b. 1872)
* February 9 – Arturo Caprotti, Italian engineer, architect (b. 1881)
* February 11 – Kazimierz Twardowski, Polish philosopher, logician (b. 1866)
* February 16 – Hal De Forrest, Portuguese-born American actor (b. 1862)
* February 18 – Leopoldo Lugones, Argentine writer, journalist (b. 1874)
* February 19 – Edmund Landau, German mathematician (b. 1877)
* February 21 – Matvei Petrovich Bronstein, Soviet physicist (executed) (b. 1906)
March
![Cevat Pasha](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Cevat_Pasha.jpg)
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor ...
– Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italian writer, war hero, and politician (b. 1863)
* March 2 – William Blomfield, New Zealand cartoonist (b. 1866)
* March 7 – Andreas Michalakopoulos, Greek politician, 47th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
* March 10 – Ahn Changho, Korean independence activist (b. 1878)
*
March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
– Lyda Roberti, Polish actress (b. 1906)
* March 13
** Cevat Çobanlı, Ottoman military commander, Turkish army officer (b. 1870)
** Clarence Darrow, American attorney (b. 1857)
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
– Wang Mingzhang, Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1893)
* March 15
** Alexei Rykov, Premier of Russia and Premier of the Soviet Union (executed) (b. 1881)
** Nikolai Bukharin, Soviet politician (executed) (b. 1888)
**Genrikh Yagoda, Soviet police and intelligence official (executed) (b. 1891)
* March 18 – Lidia Charskaya, Soviet actress, writer (b. 1875)
* March 19 – Magzhan Zhumabayev, Soviet writer, pedagogue (b. 1893)
* March 20
** Martin Burrell, Canadian politician (b. 1858)
** Aleksandar Malinov, 17th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1867)
* March 26 – Lakshminath Bezbaroa, Indian writer, dramatist, novelist, poet and editor (b. 1864)
*
March 27
** William Stern (psychologist), William Stern, German psychologist, philosopher (b. 1871)
** Helen M. Winslow, American editor, author, and publisher (b. 1851)
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
– Zheng Xiaoxu, Chinese statesman, diplomat and calligrapher, first Prime Minister of Manchukuo (b. 1860)
* March 29 – Marcel Bloch (aviator), Marcel Bloch, Swiss aviator (b. 1890)
April
![Cesar vallejo 1929 RestauradabyJohnManuel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Cesar_vallejo_1929_RestauradabyJohnManuel.jpg)
* April 1 – Louis-Henri Foreau, French painter (b. 1866)
* April 6 – Khoren I of Armenia, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church and patriarch (b. 1873)
* April 8 – Joe "King" Oliver, American jazz musician (b. 1885)
* April 9 – Manuel Carrasco Formiguera, Spanish lawyer, politician (b. 1890)
* April 12 – Feodor Chaliapin, Soviet bass (b. 1873)
* April 14 – Gillis Grafström, Swedish figure skater (b. 1893)
* April 15 – César Vallejo, Peruvian poet (b. 1892)
*
April 16 – Steve Bloomer, English footballer (b. 1874)
* April 17 – Viktor Graf von Scheuchenstuel, Austro-Hungarian general (b. 1857)
* April 21
** Sultan Majid Afandiyev, Soviet revolutionary, statesman (b. 1887)
** Sir Muhammad Iqbal, Indian philosopher, poet (b. 1877)
* April 25 – Aleksander Świętochowski, Polish writer (b. 1849)
* April 27 – Edmund Husserl, Austrian philosopher (b. 1859)
May
![Cao Kun](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Cao_Kun.jpg)
* May 4 – Carl von Ossietzky, German pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1889)
* May 6 – Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire, British politician and Governor General of Canada (b. 1868)
* May 7 – Octavian Goga, 37th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1881)
* May 9 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish industrialist (b. 1866)
* May 10
**Benjamin Abrahão Botto, Brazilian photographer (b. 1890)
**Cary D. Landis, American attorney and politician (b. 1873)
* May 13 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, French physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
*
May 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1027 – Robert II of France names his son Henry I as junior King of the Franks.
*1097 – The Siege of Nicaea begins during the First Crusade.
* 1264 – Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured and forc ...
– Miguel Cabanellas, Spanish army officer (b. 1872)
* May 15 – Cao Kun, 6th President of the Republic of China (b. 1862)
* May 16 – Ivan Mrkvička, Czechoslovakian-born Bulgarian painter (b. 1856)
* May 18 – Mikhail Babushkin, Soviet polar aviator (b. 1893)
* May 22 – William Glackens, American painter (b. 1870)
* May 25 – Rafael Colliander, Finnish journalist, politician (b. 1870)
* May 26 – John Jacob Abel, American pharmacologist (b. 1857)
* May 29 – Miguel Fleta, Spanish tenor (b. 1897)
June
![Maria Obligado](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Maria_Obligado.jpg)
* June 3 – Tulio Febres Cordero, Venezuelan writer, journalist (b. 1860)
* June 4 – Oscar Bystrom (actor), Oscar Bystrom, Swedish actor (b. 1857)
* June 7 – Jenő Dsida, Hungarian poet, translator (b. 1907)
* June 15 – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German painter (b. 1880)
* June 19 – María Obligado de Soto y Calvo, Argentinian painter (b. 1857)
* June 21 – Mathilde Comont, French-born American actress (b. 1886)
* June 25 – Edith Anne Stoney, Irish physicist (b. 1869)
* June 26 – James Weldon Johnson, American author, politician, and diplomat (b. 1871)
* June 29 – Shlomo Ben-Yosef, Israeli Zionist leader (b. 1913)
July
![Franz I von Liechtenstein](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Franz_I_von_Liechtenstein.jpg)
* July 1 – Carrie Daumery, Dutch-born American actress (b. 1863)
* July 2 – John James Burnet, Sir John James Burnet, British architect (b. 1857)
* July 4
** Otto Bauer, Austrian Social Democratic politician (b. 1881)
** Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis champion (b. 1899)
* July 9 – Benjamin N. Cardozo, United States Supreme Court Justice (b. 1870)
* July 10 – Arthur Barclay, 15th president of Liberia (b. 1854)
* July 14 – Abel Adams, Finnish producer (b. 1879)
* July 17 – Robert Wiene, German director (b. 1873)
* July 18 – Marie of Romania, Queen Marie of Romania (b. 1875)
* July 20 – George Martley Davis, Australian politician (b. 1860)
* July 24 – Pedro Figari, Uruguayan painter, writer and politician (b. 1861)
* July 25
** Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein (b. 1853)
** Kōsaku Hamada, Japanese academic, archaeologist and author (b. 1881)
* July 27 – Tom Crean (explorer), Tom Crean, Irish seaman, Antarctic explorer (b. 1877)
* July 28
** Yakov Alksnis, Soviet aviator, commander of Red Army Air Forces (executed) (b. 1897)
** Yakov Davydov, Soviet general (executed) (b. 1888)
* July 29 – Nikolai Krylenko, Russian Bolshevik and Soviet politician (executed) (b. 1885)
August
![TombstoneRobert Johnson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/TombstoneRobert_Johnson.jpg)
* August 2 – Edmund Duggan (playwright), Edmund Dunggan, Irish-born Australian actor (b. 1862)
* August 4 – Pearl White, American actress (b. 1889)
* August 6 – Warner Oland, Swedish-born American actor (b. 1879)
* August 7 – Konstantin Stanislavsky, Soviet theatre practitioner (b. 1863)
* August 9 – Leo Frobenius, German ethnologist, archaeologist and Africanist (b. 1873)
* August 14 – Hugh Trumble, Australian test cricketer (b. 1876)
* August 16 – Robert Johnson, American blues singer (b. 1911)
* August 21 – Tomasz Dąbal, Polish activist (b. 1890)
* August 23
** Carlos Echandi, Costa Rican surgeon (b. 1900)
** Frank Hawks, American aviator (b. 1897)
* August 26 – Teodor Axentowicz, Polish-born Soviet painter (b. 1859)
* August 29 – Béla Kun, Hungarian Communist leader (b. 1886)
September
![Portrait of Paul Olaf Bodding (1865-1938)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Portrait_of_Paul_Olaf_Bodding_%281865-1938%29.jpg)
* September 1 – Nikolai Bryukhanov, Soviet statesman, political figure and People's Commissar of Finances (b. 1878)
* September 3 – Gustav Adolf Closs, German illustrator, painter (b. 1864)
* September 5 – Gheorghe Mărdărescu, Romanian general and politician (b. 1866)
* September 6 – Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907-1938), Alfonso de Borbón y Battenberg, Prince of Asturias, former heir apparent to the Kings of Spain, throne of Spain (b. 1907)
* September 8 – Cecilio Apostol, Filipino poet, laurate (b. 1877)
* September 12 – Prince Arthur of Connaught (b. 1883)
* September 15
** Yannoulis Chalepas, Greek sculptor (b. 1851)
** Thomas Wolfe, American author (b. 1900)
* September 16
** Herman Baltia, Belgian general (b. 1863)
** Valerie Bergere, French-born American actress (b. 1867)
* September 17 – Bruno Jasieński, Polish poet (b. 1901)
* September 19 – Pauline Frederick, American actress (b. 1883)
* September 20 – Maria Teresa of St. Joseph, German Roman Catholic religious professed and blessed (b. 1855)
* September 21
**Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, Yugoslav writer (b. 1874)
** Oscar Westover Major General, Chief of the United States Army Air Corps, in a plane crash in Burbank, California.
* September 23
** Philbert Maurice d'Ocagne, French engineer, mathematician (b. 1862)
** Aurelio Giorni, Italian composer, pianist (b. 1895)
* September 24 – Silouan the Athonite, Soviet Orthodox priest and saint (b. 1866)
* September 25– Paul Olaf Bodding, Norwegian missionary to India, creator of the Santali Latin alphabet (b. 1865)
* September 30 – Tang Shaoyi, First Premier of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China (b. 1862)
October
![200px-Faustina](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/200px-Faustina.jpg)
* October 2 – Alexandru Averescu, Romanian general, politician, and 24th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1859)
* October 4 – José Luis Tejada Sorzano, Bolivian lawyer, politician and 34th President of Bolivia (b. 1882)
* October 5
** Faustina Kowalska, Polish nun and saint, the ''Secretary of Divine Mercy'' (b. 1905)
** Albert Ranft, Swedish theatre director, actor (b. 1858)
* October 12 – Kirill Vladimirovich, Grand Duke of Russia (b. 1876)
* October 13 – E. C. Segar, American comics artist (''Popeye'') (b. 1894)
* October 14 – Charles Dalmas, French architect (b. 1863)
* October 17
** Eshref Frasheri, Albanian politician (b. 1874)
** Karl Kautsky, Austrian Marxist theoretician (b. 1854)
* October 19
** Niño Fidencio, Mexican Roman Catholic priest and saint (b. 1898)
** Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi of Japan (b. 1897)
* October 22
** Chrysostomos I of Athens, Greek priest, metropolitan (b. 1868)
** May Irwin, Canadian actress, singer (b. 1862)
* October 24 – Ernst Barlach, German sculptor and poet (b. 1870)
* October 25
** Raoul Bensaude, French physician (b. 1866)
** Alfonsina Storni, Argentine poet (b. 1892)
* October 27
** Lascelles Abercrombie, English poet and critic (b. 1881)
** Alma Gluck, American soprano (b. 1884)
* October 28
** Ramón Franco, Spanish aviation pioneer (b. 1896)
** Fred Kohler, American actor (b. 1888)
* October 30 – Robert Woolsey, American film comedian (b. 1888)
* October 31
** Sakari Ainali, Finnish farmer, businessman and politician (b. 1874)
** Jean Degoutte, French general, leader of World War I (b. 1866)
November
![Kaarlo Castr%C3%A9n](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Kaarlo_Castr%C3%A9n.jpg)
* November 4 – Jiang Baili, Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1882)
* November 7 – Prince Georgy Konstantinovich of Russia (b. 1903)
* November 9
** Vasily Blyukher, Soviet military commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1889)
** Ernst vom Rath, German diplomat (b. 1909)
* November 10 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, 1st Prime Minister of Turkey, 1st President of Turkey (b. c.1881)
* November 11 – Mary Mallon (''Typhoid Mary''), first known (in the United States) asymptomatic carrier of the pathogen associated with typhoid fever (b. 1869)
* November 14 – William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp, British politician and colonial governor (b. 1872)
* November 19 – Kaarlo Castren, Finnish politician, 4th Prime Minister of Finland (b. 1860)
* November 20
** Arthur Elliott (photographer), Arthur Elliott, South African photographer (b. 1870)
** Maud of Wales, Queen of Haakon VII of Norway (b. 1869)
* November 22 – Sahachiro Hata, Japanese bacteriologist (b. 1873)
* November 25 – Otto von Lossow, Bavarian, German general (b. 1868)
* November 30 – Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, Romanian fascist politician, leader of the Iron Guard (executed along other Guard activists) (b. 1899)
December
![AnnieWalkerArmstrong](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/AnnieWalkerArmstrong.jpg)
* December 3 – Juho Vennola, 5th Prime Minister of Finland (b. 1872)
* December 4 – Gonzalo Bilbao, Spanish painter (b. 1860)
* December 7 – Anna Marie Hahn, German-born American serial killer (b. 1907)
* December 10 – Paul Morgan (actor), Paul Morgan, Austrian actor (b. 1886)
* December 11 – Christian Lous Lange, Norwegian pacifist, Nobel Peace Prize recipient (b. 1869)
* December 14 – Maurice Emmanuel, French composer (b. 1862)
* December 15
** Antonio Rafael Barcelo, Puerto Rican lawyer, businessman and politician (b. 1868)
** Valery Chkalov, Soviet test pilot (b. 1904)
* December 20 – Annie Armstrong, American Christian missions, missionary leader (b. 1850)
* December 24 – Bruno Taut, German architect, urban planner (b. 1880)
* December 25
** Karel Čapek, Czech author (b. 1890)
** Theodor Fischer (architect), Theodor Fischer, German architect (b. 1862)
* December 27
** Calvin Bridges, American scientist (b. 1889)
** Osip Mandelstam, Soviet poet (b. 1891)
[Izvestia, 8 January 1991. Reproduced according to ed. – Osip Mandelstam and his time: Sat. memories. – Publisher L'Age d'Homme – Nash Dom, 1995 480 p. – p. 402]
/ref>
** Emile Vandervelde, Belgian Socialist politician (b. 1866)
* December 28 – Florence Lawrence, Canadian actress (b. 1886)
* December 29 – Eugenia de Reuss Ianculescu, Romanian teacher, writer and activist (b. 1866)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Enrico Fermi
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Richard Kuhn
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – Corneille Jean François Heymans
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Pearl S. Buck
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – Nansen International Office for Refugees, Geneva
References
External links
1938 WWII Timeline
– from American Studies Programs at The University of Virginia
1938 – “The Fateful Year” for the Jews in Nazi Germany
- About the Holocaust- Yad Vashem
{{Authority control
1938,