JULY 23, 1938

SATURDAY
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1938
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $7,318,352 IN 2025
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 By July 23, 1938
1 The Adventures of Robin Hood
Learn More
The Adventures of Robin Hood
2 Alexander's Ragtime Band
Learn More
Alexander's Ragtime Band
3 Love Finds Andy Hardy
Learn More
Love Finds Andy Hardy
4 The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
Learn More
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
5 Having Wonderful Time
Learn More
Having Wonderful Time
6 The Shopworn Angel
Learn More
The Shopworn Angel
7 The Young in Heart
Learn More
The Young in Heart
8 Three Comrades
Learn More
Three Comrades
9 Holiday
Learn More
Holiday
10 Vivacious Lady
Learn More
Vivacious Lady
Bringing Up Baby
Learn More
Bringing Up Baby
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Learn More
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
The Adventures of Marco Polo
Learn More
The Adventures of Marco Polo
Jezebel
Learn More
Jezebel
Test Pilot
Learn More
Test Pilot
Algiers
Learn More
Algiers
Mad About Music
Learn More
Mad About Music
Merrily We Live
Learn More
Merrily We Live
The Buccaneer
Learn More
The Buccaneer
The Baroness and the Butler
Learn More
The Baroness and the Butler
A Yank at Oxford
Learn More
A Yank at Oxford
After the Thin Man
Learn More
After the Thin Man
The Good Earth
Learn More
The Good Earth
Nothing Sacred
Learn More
Nothing Sacred
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Learn More
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Hurricane
Learn More
The Hurricane
The Prisoner of Zenda
Learn More
The Prisoner of Zenda
Conquest
Learn More
Conquest
Heidi
Learn More
Heidi
True Confession
Learn More
True Confession
Madame X
Learn More
Madame X
July 23, 1938 Trivia
Multiple choice - Includes a daily bonus question - Sign in to save + leaderboard - View all-time leaderboard
Score: 0 / 0
All-time leaderboard
Your results
The Story of July 23, 1938

On July 23, 1938, a significant legal development unfolded in the world of gambling as 13 individuals were arraigned following a raid on an alleged 'pay-off' office in New Jersey.

🧠 Inventions of 1938

Breakthroughs and everyday innovations from the year.

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

The Sounds of

The biggest hits of the year β€” Top 10 Pop & Country chart toppers

HEADLINES ON July 23, 1938

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Gambling Raid Leads to Arraignment. Impact: The arraignment of these 13 individuals led to an underground betting operation that inadvertently funded a local bakery. Fast forward, and today, that bakery is the leading supplier of gluten-free pastries, which are now the only thing keeping the town's economy afloat.. Fact: Gambling laws have been around since the ancient Greeks, but somehow it still feels like we're all just playing Monopoly in real life..
  • Headline: Fansteel Case: Court Upholds Discharges. Impact: This ruling sparked a series of events that ultimately led to the creation of 'mandatory coffee breaks' across industries, which is now the only thing standing between us and total corporate burnout.. Fact: In the grand scheme of labor disputes, this case is like a minor character arc in a soap opera that no one asked for but somehow keeps coming back..
  • Headline: TENANT LOAN IN JERSEY; Burlington Man to Receive $5,050 to Buy Fruit Farm. Impact: This loan led to the man becoming a fruit mogul, which eventually inspired a reality TV show that made fruit farming seem way more glamorous than it actually is. Cue the dramatic music!. Fact: The phrase 'money doesn't grow on trees' was proven false when this guy decided to plant money trees. Spoiler: it didn't work out..
  • Headline: BOND OFFERINGS BY MUNICIPALITIES; Chicago Invites Tenders on Aug. 5 for $2,200,000 of Water Certificates INDIANAPOLIS SALE SET $155,000 of Muncie, Ind., 2 1/4s Awarded .to First National Bank of Chicago Virginia, Minn. Indianapolis, Ind. Muncie, Ind.. Impact: These bond offerings led to a series of municipal projects that, while well-intentioned, resulted in an inexplicable abundance of poorly designed public parks. Now, every city has at least one park that looks like a bad art installation.. Fact: Bond offerings are just fancy IOUs, which means if the municipalities were kids, they'd be the ones borrowing lunch money and promising to pay it back with interest. Spoiler: they never do..
  • Headline: SALMAGGI TO OFFER OPERA AT ZACH'S BAY; He Adds Jones Beach Rights to Randalls Island Contract. Impact: The introduction of opera at these venues led to a cultural renaissance that inadvertently made classical music the trendy thing to Instagramβ€”because nothing says 'I’m cultured' like a selfie at an opera.. Fact: Opera is just a fancy way to watch people yell at each other in beautiful outfitsβ€”it's like reality TV but with more emotional manipulation..
  • Headline: WARNS ON SECURITY CARDS; Regional Director Decries Use for Identification Purposes. Impact: This warning led to a nationwide panic about security measures, resulting in the invention of the first 'smart' ID, which ironically became a target for hacking attempts. Thanks for the heads up!. Fact: Security cards are like the adult version of a high school IDβ€”necessary, but no one really knows why they're so important until you lose one..
  • Headline: School Board Sets Speed Record; Holds 3 Meetings in 5 Minutes; Special Sessions Called to Comply With U. S. Ban on 'Railroading' Approval of PWA Grants--Camp Fund Is Started. Impact: This lightning-fast meeting record inspired future school boards to adopt the motto 'Get it done and get out,' which subsequently led to more questionable decisions being made in record time. Yay efficiency!. Fact: Holding three meetings in five minutes is like trying to have a meaningful conversation over a game of speed chessβ€”someone's bound to miss the point..
  • Headline: RESIDENCE LAW BARS 'LIFELONG' RESIDENT; Police Candidate Says Family Came Here 300 Years Ago. Impact: This law created a bizarre loophole that led to a viral trend of people trying to prove their family's age as a way to claim residency, resulting in an influx of genealogical research and a boom in ancestry DNA kits.. Fact: Residence laws have as much logic as a toddler's reasoningβ€”completely arbitrary and always subject to wild interpretations..
  • Headline: MRS. BELKNAP LOST $178,000 IN FRAUD; Three Los Angeles Realty Men Indicted on Charges of Swindle ALL ARE HELD FOR TRIAL Beverly Hills Woman Accuses the government's Them of Getting $12,164 From Her Mrs. Belknap had Post Here. Impact: The fallout from this fraud case led to stricter regulations in real estate that, oddly enough, made it more difficult for honest people to buy homesβ€”because we really need more obstacles in adulting.. Fact: Fraud cases like this are why we have the saying 'If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is'β€”like that time I thought I could outrun a cheetah. Spoiler: I cannot..

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1938, here's what it would be worth in 2025.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1938
$0.06
Value in 2025
$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
Value in 2025
$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
Value in 2025
$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