AUGUST 20, 1938

SATURDAY
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
Block-Heads
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Block-Heads
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 20, 1938 Trivia

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Exact-date daily brief

August 20, 1938

On August 20, 1938, significant news broke regarding Capshaw, whose actions allegedly freed employees of a lottery, sparking controversies within local political circles. In the same vein, testimonies were halted in a financial in...

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 20, 1938

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Capshaw's Controversial Testimony Unveiled. Impact: If Capshaw hadn’t been named, perhaps lottery employees would have started a revolution, leading to a world where every citizen gets a lottery ticket on their birthday. Instead, we just get more mediocre politicians. Fact: Did you know that in politics, 'very, very mad' is the official term for 'I can't believe you just did that'?.
  • Headline: Leander Riddle Passes Away at 69. Impact: The passing of Leander Riddle may have halted the production of a new line of fashionable horse-themed textiles, forever changing the way we dress at the races. Fact: Leander Riddle was not just a sportsman; he was also the brother of someone who owned racehorses. Clearly, the family was competing in the 'Most Confusing Legacy' category.
  • Headline: Bribery Scandal in Bronx Construction. Impact: This bribery scandal set off a chain reaction that ultimately led to the invention of the term 'creative accounting.' Who knew illegal activities could inspire such innovation?. Fact: Bribery: the only sport where everyone seems to win, except for those who get caught. How's that for fair play?.
  • Headline: MRS. JULES SANDOZ, MOTHER OF NOVELIST; Widow of Nebraska Rancher Who Was Hero of 'Old Jules'. Impact: The life and legacy of Mrs. Jules Sandoz inspired countless aspiring writers to pen their own tales of ranch life, leading to an explosion of mediocre cowboy novels in the decades that followed. Fact: Being a novelist's mother is basically a full-time job in the literary world. You can expect a lot of unsolicited manuscripts and even more unsolicited advice.
  • Headline: HELD IN STOCK FRAUD; New Yorker Is Charged With Violating Illinois Law. Impact: This stock fraud case sparked a nationwide distrust in the stock market, indirectly leading to the rise of alternative investments like beanie babies and potato chips. Fact: Stock fraud: because who doesn't want to risk their life savings for the chance to say they were part of a thrilling heist story?.
  • Headline: PASS TESTS IN OPTOMETRY; Thirty-Nine Will Get Licenses to Practice in This State. Impact: With 39 new optometrists entering the field, one can only imagine the subsequent spike in fashion-forward glasses that could have made hipsters swoon decades earlier. Fact: Optometry tests: the only exams where you can literally see the results comingβ€”if you can read the fine print, that is.
  • Headline: Electric Output Decreased. Impact: This decrease in electric output led to the invention of the flashlight, which was then used for midnight snacks and ghost stories. Thanks, science!. Fact: When electric output decreases, it's just nature's way of telling you to go outside for a change. Or to find that pesky light switch.
  • Headline: 7 Locomotives Shipped For Chilean Railroad. Impact: The shipment of these locomotives could have set off a chain reaction of rail travel that would eventually lead to a new trend: train-themed vacations. Who knew coal dust could be so enticing?. Fact: Shipping locomotives: a surefire way to ensure that someone, somewhere is getting really excited about trains... and possibly planning a themed party.
  • Headline: AIRCRAFT VICTORS TOUR SITE OF FAIR; Four Youths Back From Model Competition in Paris. Impact: This model plane competition may have inspired a future generation of engineers, leading to the eventual creation of drone racing. So, thanks a lot, kids!. Fact: Winning model aircraft competitions is basically the equivalent of winning at life for 12-year-olds. Just wait until they find out about taxes.

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