MAY 15, 1938

SUNDAY
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
Bringing Up Baby
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Bringing Up Baby
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
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Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
The Adventures of Marco Polo
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The Adventures of Marco Polo
Jezebel
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Jezebel
Algiers
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Algiers
Vivacious Lady
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Vivacious Lady
Mad About Music
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Mad About Music
Merrily We Live
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Merrily We Live
The Buccaneer
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The Buccaneer
The Baroness and the Butler
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The Baroness and the Butler
A Yank at Oxford
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A Yank at Oxford
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

May 15, 1938 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

May 15, 1938

On May 15, 1938, significant developments unfolded in various sectors across the United States. The Buckingham, a notable property, was announced to be leased with a purchase option, highlighting a trend towards property investmen...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of May 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 May 15, 1938

Full News Archive

  • Headline: The Buckingham's Unique Lease Agreement. Impact: If only Buckingham had decided to buy outright, we might have avoided the 'Leasing Crisis of 2042' where everyone had to lease their homes instead of owning them. Thanks, Buckingham!. Fact: Leasing options: the adult version of 'I'll think about it.'.
  • Headline: Philadelphia Civil Service Investigates Police Charges. Impact: The investigation led to a crackdown on police gaming. This set off a chain of events that ended with police officers taking up knitting instead, leading to a widespread rise in cozy crime-solving squads. Fact: Civil Service commissions: where action is weighed as heavily as a feather.
  • Headline: Hines Wins Again at Long Island Golf. Impact: Had he made that record, it could have inspired a cult of golf champions who would eventually rule over a new sports utopia, where golf carts are the preferred mode of transport. Fact: The only thing more elusive than a golf record is a golfer’s sense of humility.
  • Headline: Major Sports Yesterday; RACING. Impact: Danger Point winning led to an unexpected surge in horse gambling, resulting in a decade-long obsession with naming horses after famous historical figures, like 'Napoleon Dynamite.'. Fact: Horse racing: the only sport where you can cheer for something that literally doesn't care about your life.
  • Headline: TELEVISION HERE AND ABROAD. Impact: The NBC broadcast set off a revolution in media that resulted in the invention of reality TV, where people would do anything for fame – even sell out their dignity. Thanks, NBC!. Fact: Television: the only box that can make you feel connected while you’re sitting alone on your couch.
  • Headline: TEST MATERIALS TO GUIDE BUILDER; Officials Advised to Study Smoke and Panic Hazards in Drafting Codes SOME RULES TOO RIGID Economies Might Be Permitted in Many Building Types, Architect Points Out Others Means of Exit Materials Underg?? Tests. Impact: This sparked a wave of fire safety regulations that eventually led to the great 'Exit Sign Craze' of the 2050s, when people started hoarding them as collectibles. Fact: Building codes: because safety is just a suggestion when you’re feeling rebellious.
  • Headline: More Movie Furs Stolen. Impact: This theft might have inspired an underground fur trade that eventually led to a new fashion trend called 'Fur-Free Fridays,' where everyone pretends to care about animal rights for one day a week. Fact: In Hollywood, the only thing more valuable than a fur coat is a really good excuse for why you have it.
  • Headline: PORTRAIT OF A VICE PRESIDENT WHO HAS POWER; Garner, a Philosopher of the Southwest, Keeps His Counsel, but His Views Count in Congress A PORTRAIT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT. Impact: Garner's influence on Congress led to a shift towards more philosophical debates, resulting in the first-ever Congress book club, where they only read titles with the word 'power' in them. Fact: Being Vice President: the perfect job if you want to make important decisions while remaining comfortably in the shadows.

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