JULY 20, 1938

WEDNESDAY
$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
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
Three Comrades
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Three Comrades
Holiday
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Holiday
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 Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
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The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
Having Wonderful Time
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Having Wonderful Time
The Shopworn Angel
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The Shopworn Angel
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
The Young in Heart
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The Young in Heart
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
July 20, 1938 Trivia
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The Story of July 20, 1938

On July 20, 1938, Paris was alive with celebrations as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth embarked on a historic visit, greeted by enthusiastic crowds.

Inventions & Breakthroughs of July 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 ON July 20, 1938

Full News Archive

  • Headline: PARIS WELCOME GAY; Crowds Acclaim George and Queen, Who Ride in Glittering Procession POLICE LINES PUSHED BACK King and Lebrun Affirm the Peaceful Aims of Entente at Brilliant State Dinner Guards Screen Royal Couple Police Lines Driven Back PARIS CROWDS HAIL GEORGE AND QUEEN THE WELCOME ACCORDED TO KING GEORGE AND HIS QUEEN IN PARIS YESTERDAY. Impact: The royal visit sparked a frenzy of royal-themed merchandise. If it weren’t for this parade, we might not have had the 'Royal Corgi' plush toy collection that haunts us today.. Fact: The police lines pushed back so far they accidentally invented the concept of personal space in crowds. Thanks, King George!.
  • Headline: KIMON NICOLAIDES, DRAWING TEACHER; Instructor at Art Students League Dies--Won Honors With Own Paintings. Impact: Kimon Nicolaides’ death resulted in a mass existential crisis among art students, leading to a temporary ban on the phrase 'I can’t draw' in art classes worldwide.. Fact: Legend has it that Nicolaides' ghost still haunts art studios, critiquing students’ sketches from the afterlife..
  • Headline: MRS. EUGENIA GORSKI, FRENCH WRITER, 78; Ex-Executive of Paris Daily Is Dead in East Orange. Impact: Eugenia Gorski’s death prompted a surge in literary nostalgia, resulting in a minor cultural revolution where people suddenly decided they loved reading again. Shocking, I know!. Fact: Gorski was once described as the 'Queen of Quirk' for her unconventional writing style, which included her cat as a recurring character..
  • Headline: LOS ANGELES PLANS A BIG CORRIGAN FETE; Mayor and Uncle Urge Returning by Ship--World Flight Sough. Impact: The planning of the Corrigan Fete led to a national obsession with extravagant welcome-home parties, eventually culminating in the β€˜Welcome Home from Work’ parties that plague our weekends.. Fact: The Mayor’s uncle actually suggested a 'Welcome Home from the Grocery Store' parade, but that plan was deemed 'too pedestrian.'.
  • Headline: GUARD CALLED OUT IN MAYTAG STRIKE; Iowa Governor Acts on Plea of Newton Mayor, Sheriff and Judge TRUCKS ARE ATTACKED Phone Wires Also Cut, Spreading Fear of Outbreak Today After Plant Resumes. Impact: The Maytag strike escalated to the point where laundry machines became symbols of rebellion, leading to a global movement of washing machine rights that still reverberates in appliance stores today.. Fact: The National Guard was later replaced by the 'National Laundry Advocates,' who campaigned for softener equality..
  • Headline: TRANSPORT OFFERS SHOWER ON FLIER; Ship Companies and Commerce Groups Would Aid Him-Others Raising Funds TOUR CONTRACTS SIGNED ' Wrong Way' Story Is Derided by Navigators--Big Welcome in New York Planned. Impact: The offer of a shower on flier became the basis for future extreme sports, leading to the invention of water-skiing on shower curtains, a sport that never really caught on but definitely exists in theory.. Fact: The term 'shower on flier' inspired a new genre of reality TV, where contestants try to create the most ridiculous travel package imaginable..
  • Headline: CITY SETS UP SHOP TO FIX OLD FURNITURE; WPA Assigns 100 Artisans to Repair 2,000 Articles. Impact: The establishment of the shop to fix old furniture led to an unexpected trend of upcycled furniture, making 'vintage' the buzzword for hipsters everywhere. Thanks, WPA!. Fact: The WPA artisans became so skilled that they could turn a broken chair into a contemporary art installation, which was ironically never used for sitting again..

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1938, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1938
$0.06
2025 dataset 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
2025 dataset 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
2025 dataset 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