JANUARY 12, 1938

WEDNESDAY
1938 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1938
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $7,318,352 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.29
Median Home Price$4,300.00
Gas Price Avg$0.18
Bread Price Avg$0.09
Movie Ticket Avg$0.29
First Class Stamp$0.03
Milk Price Avg$0.54
Top Movies From 1938
Show screen release and event cards
1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2 Boys Town
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Boys Town
3 Alexander's Ragtime Band
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Alexander's Ragtime Band
4 Test Pilot
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Test Pilot
5 You Can't Take It with You
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You Can't Take It with You
6 Sweethearts
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Sweethearts
7 In Old Chicago
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In Old Chicago
8 The Adventures of Robin Hood
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The Adventures of Robin Hood
9 Love Finds Andy Hardy
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Love Finds Andy Hardy
10 Marie Antoinette
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Marie Antoinette
After the Thin Man
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After the Thin Man
The Good Earth
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The Good Earth
Nothing Sacred
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Nothing Sacred
The Hurricane
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The Hurricane
The Prisoner of Zenda
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The Prisoner of Zenda
Conquest
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Conquest
Heidi
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Heidi
True Confession
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True Confession
Madame X
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Madame X

January 12, 1938 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

January 12, 1938

On January 12, 1938, the social landscape in America was illuminated by notable engagements. Nancy Bryce of Old Westbury announced her betrothal to F. S. Truesdale, a distinguished alumnus of Princeton University, reflecting the s...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of January 1938

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Ballpoint Pen
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Ballpoint Pen
2 Atomic Fission Discovery
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Atomic Fission Discovery
3 Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon)
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Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon)
4 Duplex Transmission Radio
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Duplex Transmission Radio
5 Gas Turbine Engine Improvements
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Gas Turbine Engine Improvements
6 Automatic Telephone Switching
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Automatic Telephone Switching
7 Instant Coffee
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Instant Coffee
8 Television Camera Tube Improvements
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Television Camera Tube Improvements
9 Aircraft Cabin Oxygen Systems
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Aircraft Cabin Oxygen Systems
10 Electric Hearing Aid
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Electric Hearing Aid

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From January 12, 1938

Full News Archive

  • Headline: J Bright's Hold-Up Attempt Incident. Impact: This injury incident launched J Bright into a world of accidental celebrity, leading him to write a bestselling memoir titled 'I Got Hurt Trying to Be a Hero.' This book's popularity inspired a generation of would-be heroes to attempt ridiculous stunts, ultimately leading to an increase in safety regulations everywhere. Thanks, J Bright!. Fact: Injury during a hold-up attempt? Sounds like the plot twist of a bad action movie. Spoiler alert: the hero always gets hurt.
  • Headline: Nancy Bryce Engaged to F. S. Truesdale. Impact: Nancy Bryce's engagement to F. S. Truesdale triggered a matchmaking craze among Princeton alumni, resulting in a bizarre trend where every Princeton reunion turned into a reality dating show. Who knew romance could be so... collegiate?. Fact: Old Westbury? More like 'Old Wedding Bells'! Because nothing says romance quite like a betrothal announcement in the local paper.
  • Headline: Eleanor Angle to Marry Yale Student. Impact: Eleanor Angle and Thomas Richmond's engagement led to a secret society of Smith and Yale alumni, where they conspired to create the most pretentious brunches known to humanity. Avocado toast was never the same. Fact: A Smith senior marrying a Yale student? Sounds like the plot of an indie film that would win all the film festivals and make you question your life choices.
  • Headline: J. E. Watson in New Post. Impact: J. E. Watson’s new post as 'miscellaneous bur chief' opened the floodgates for the creation of entirely new job titles that no one understands. The confusion that ensued led to a decade of people asking, 'What does your job even mean?'. Fact: Miscellaneous bur chief? Sounds like a fancy way to say 'I do a lot of things, but none of them are important.'.
  • Headline: CHAMBER OPERAS' AT LITTLE THEATRE; Winifred Radford, Woodhouse and Dunn Offer Variety of Dramatic Excerpts. Impact: The chamber operas’ performances sparked an underground opera movement that culminated in a cult following for dramatic excerpts, forever changing the landscape of dramatic arts and leading to the rise of 'musical flash mobs.'. Fact: Chamber operas at a little theatre? Perfect for those who prefer their drama with a side of intimacy... and a dash of awkwardness.
  • Headline: SISTER MARIE MATILDE. Impact: Sister Marie Matilde’s contributions to her community inspired a wave of nun-themed superhero stories, where sisters save the day with kindness and a ruler. Who knew they were the original superheroes?. Fact: Sister Marie Matilde? The only person who could probably teach Batman a thing or two about discipline.
  • Headline: IMPERIAL COUNCIL FIXES JAPAN'S AIM; CHINA LISTS GAINS; Tokyo Is Expected to Reveal Secret Decisions of Leaders in a Few Days. Impact: This Imperial Council meeting set off a chain reaction that led to Japan's ambitious plans being scrutinized for decades, giving birth to a new genre of political thrillers that would make even the best spy novels look like children's bedtime stories. Fact: Secret decisions of leaders? Sounds like the plot of a really boring spy movie – where everyone just sits around and talks about their feelings.
  • Headline: EQUITY WILL DEMAND CLOSED SHOP AT FAIR; Report Approved by Actors--Conference With Exposition Management Begins. Impact: The demand for a closed shop at the fair led to an influx of unionized actors, who then staged a theatrical revolt at the fair, forever altering the landscape of labor rights in the performing arts. Who knew drama could lead to real change?. Fact: Actors demanding a closed shop? What next, a playwright demanding everyone read their work? Oh wait, that's already happening.
  • Headline: GALLERY HAS FIRST SALE; $13,232 Received at Auction by Parke-Bernet Concern. Impact: The first gallery sale at Parke-Bernet concerned sparked a modern art craze that had people questioning the value of splattered paint and calling it 'expressionism.' Little did they know, the real art was in the marketing. Fact: Auction sales of over $13,000? Meanwhile, I can barely sell my old furniture for 50 bucks on Craigslist.
  • Headline: 2 TRAVEL AGENCIES TAKE SPACE AT FAIR; American Express Contracts for 12,000 Square Feet in Marine Building. Impact: The expansion of travel agencies at the fair led to a travel boom that had everyone jet-setting around the globe. The butterfly effect of this decision? The invention of the selfie stick – so thanks for that!. Fact: 12,000 square feet for American Express? That’s more space than I have in my entire apartment – and they’re making money off travel while I’m just here trying to figure out how to pay rent.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1938
$0.06
Stored value
$3,433,940

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1938, it would be worth $3,433,940 today (3433.9x return)

Rank #2
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1938
$0.25
Stored value
$586,656

Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1938, it would be worth $586,656 today (586.7x return)

Rank #3
CVX
Chevron
Price in 1938
$0.31
Stored value
$474,914

Chevron - If you invested $1,000 in 1938, it would be worth $474,914 today (474.9x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Action Comics #1
Action Comics #1
$8,000
Detective Comics #16
Detective Comics #16
$10,200
Adventure Comics #32
Adventure Comics #32
$50,000
Famous Funnies #47
Famous Funnies #47
$1,200
The Funnies #12
The Funnies #12
$42,000
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Scrabble
Scrabble
$250.00
MÀrklin Electric Trains
MÀrklin Electric Trains
$300.00
Monopoly
Monopoly
$200.00
Tinkertoys
Tinkertoys
$150.00
Radio Flyer Wagon
Radio Flyer Wagon
$120.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1938 Gum Inc. Horrors of War #1 It's War
1938 Gum Inc. Horrors of War #1 It's War
$2,500
1938 Churchman's Boxing Personalities Joe Louis
1938 Churchman's Boxing Personalities Joe Louis
$32,000
1938 Wills's Three Castles Film Stars Clark Gable
1938 Wills's Three Castles Film Stars Clark Gable
$80,000
1938 Player's Cigarettes Film Stars Second Series Charlie Chaplin
1938 Player's Cigarettes Film Stars Second Series Charlie Chaplin
$250,000
1938 Gallaher Famous Cricketers Don Bradman
1938 Gallaher Famous Cricketers Don Bradman
$15,000