AUGUST 17, 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
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
Four Daughters
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Four Daughters
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

August 17, 1938 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

August 17, 1938

On August 17, 1938, a significant legal development emerged as the court announced its decision to use phone listings to select jurors. This method included individuals with confidential numbers, indicating a progressive step in t...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of August 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 August 17, 1938

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Juror Selection via Phone Listings, 1938. Impact: This phone listing incident eventually leads to the rise of the anti-telemarketing movement. Who knew jurors would be the ones to fight back against unsolicited calls? Thanks for the heads-up, justice system!. Fact: Did you know that jurors were once chosen based on how many spam calls they received? Just kidding, but it would explain a lot about court cases.
  • Headline: Court Decision Pending in Lewis's Case. Impact: This decision delay sparks a nationwide trend where people start reserving decisions about lunch too. 'I'll decide on pizza… maybe tomorrow!'. Fact: Fun fact: 'reserving decisions' is the court's way of saying, 'We're just as confused as you are, but we like to keep you on the edge of your seat.'.
  • Headline: Whooping Cough Warning Issued in NYC. Impact: The warning leads to a sudden boom in the hand sanitizer market. Everyone starts to think that if they can just wash their hands enough, they can avoid any and all diseases. Spoiler: That didn't work out too well. Fact: Whooping cough, not to be confused with the sound of your neighbor's terrible karaoke, has long been a menace to infants. So, let's keep those little ones safe and avoid the cough-a-thon!.
  • Headline: WENTWORTH WINSLOW; Christian Science Healer Here for Thirty Years. Impact: Winslow's healing powers inspire a wave of DIY spirituality that leads to the creation of 'healing crystals' in the 21st century. Thanks, Wentworth, for both enlightenment and overpriced rocks!. Fact: Christian Science healing: because who needs doctors when you can just believe really, really hard?.
  • Headline: London Honors Buffalo Cat. Impact: This heroic feline's fame inspires a series of cat-based superhero movies, leading to a cultural renaissance of feline admiration. Cats become the new leaders of the world, or at least of the internet. Fact: This cat probably received more honor than most politicians. I mean, who can resist a furry hero saving lives? Take notes, human leaders!.
  • Headline: Note Accuses Japanese Of Shanghai Terrorism. Impact: This accusation leads to a series of international diplomatic incidents, eventually resulting in a very awkward family reunion where everyone forgets to mention the elephant in the room. Fact: Accusing a country of terrorism is like calling out your sibling for eating the last cookieβ€”everyone gets defensive, and someone ends up in a timeout.
  • Headline: BENJAMIN B. DALE. Impact: Benjamin B. Dale becomes an obscure historical figure, whose name is later used by a 21st-century hipster band hoping to ride the wave of nostalgia for forgotten names. Fact: Benjamin B. Dale: the man, the myth, the name that no one remembers but everyone pretends to know.
  • Headline: 37 YEARLINGS BRING $66,425; Ziegler Pays $6,000 for Teddy Colt at Saratoga. Impact: This extravagant horse auction leads to a bizarre trend of people naming their children after racehorses. So, watch out for little Secretariat running around in the playground!. Fact: In horse racing, $6,000 can buy you a future champion or just a very expensive pet. Good luck figuring out which one you’ve got!.
  • Headline: Mrs. Dey Returns 79 to Capture Low Gross Honors at Glen Head; Mrs. Rudel Three Strokes Behind in One-Day Golf--Mrs. Huebner Net Victor After Tying Miss Morton, Mrs. Cotter Fails on Last Two Holes Gets 38 Going Out. Impact: This golf tournament leads to the rise of amateur golf leagues, where socializing over bad swings and worse scores becomes a national pastime. Because who doesn’t love an excuse to wear plaid?. Fact: Golf: the only sport where you can play for hours and still have no idea who won. But hey, at least you got some fresh air!.

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