What Happened in June 1938

Historical Events

  • Jun 3 German law on "Entartete Art" legalizes art robbery
  • Jun 4 10th Walker Cup: Britain-Ireland wins 7½-4½ at the Old Course at St Andrews
  • Jun 4 70th Belmont: James Stout aboard Pasteurized wins in 2:29.6

Event of Interest

Jun 6 Sigmund Freud arrives in London

  • Jun 7 1st play telecast with original Broadway cast, "Susan & God"
  • Jun 7 Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat 1st flown (Eddie Allen)

Douglas DC-4E

Jun 7 The Douglas DC-4E makes its 1st test flight

  • Jun 8 Gert Terblanche, a local school boy, discovers fossils of an unknown 'robust-type' human ancestor, later named Paranthropus robustus by Robert Broom, at Kromdraai, Blaauwbank River Valley in South Africa
  • Jun 10 English cricketer Charlie Barnett makes 98 by lunch in England v Australia test match at Trent Bridge (closest any Englishman has come to scoring 100 runs before lunch)
  • Jun 11 5.0 Earthquake in Belgium kills 2, strongest in 45 years
  • Jun 11 Cincinnati Red Johnny Vander Meer no-hits Boston Braves, 3-0
  • Jun 11 Compton scores 1st Test Cricket ton (102 v Aust) aged 20 yrs 19 days
  • Jun 11 England cricket team declare at 8 for 658 v Australia at Trent Bridge
  • Jun 11 French Championships Men's Tennis: American Don Budge beats Roderich Menzel of Czechoslovakia 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 for the 2nd leg of his Grand Slam
  • Jun 11 French Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-French final Simonne Mathieu wins first of consecutive titles; beats Nelly Adamson 6-0, 6-3

US Golf Open

Jun 11 US Open Men's Golf, Cherry Hills CC: Ralph Guldahl wins back-to-back Open titles, 6 strokes ahead of runner-up Dick Metz

  • Jun 13 Great Cricket innings of 232 by Stan McCabe v England at Trent Bridge
  • Jun 13 Jews injured & property destroyed in Przemyal, Poland

Cricket History

Jun 14 Bradman scores 144* in 1st Test Cricket at Trent Bridge

  • Jun 14 Chlorophyll patented by Benjamin Grushkin
  • Jun 14 Dorothy Lathrop wins 1st Caldecott Medal (kid books author)
  • Jun 15 1st night game at Brooklyn Ebbets Field (Reds 6, Dodgers 0) as Cincinnati Red Johnny Vander Meer hurls unprecedented 2nd consecutive no-hitter

Baseball Record

Jun 16 Boston first baseman Jimmie Foxx is walked a record 6 consecutive times by St Louis Browns; Red Sox still win, 12-8

  • Jun 17 Japan declares war on China

Sports History

Jun 18 Baseball slugger Babe Ruth is signed as a Brooklyn Dodgers coach for the remainder of the season

  • Jun 19 "Olympian Flyer" express train crashes in Montana, killing 47
  • Jun 19 FIFA World Cup Final, Stade Olympique de Colombes, Paris, France: Luigi Colausig & Silvio Piola each score 2 goals as Italy beats Hungary, 4-1
  • Jun 19 Reds Johnny Vander Meer extends his string of hitless baseball innings to 21 2/3 before Debs Garms singles for Boston in 4th
  • Jun 21 Baseball's Pinky Higgins gets 12th straight hit
  • Jun 21 Bradman scores 101* in 77 minutes, Australia v Lancashire

Boxing Title Fight

Jun 22 Joe Louis scores a stunning 1st round KO of German Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium, NYC to retain his world heavyweight boxing title

  • Jun 23 Civil Aeronautics Authority (US) established
  • Jun 23 Marineland opens in Florida-1st aquarium
  • Jun 24 500 ton meteorite lands near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#1 in the Charts

Jun 25 "A Tisket A Tasket" by Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb hits #1

  • Jun 25 US federal minimum wage law guarantees workers 25 cents per hour (rising to 40 cents by 1945) and a maximum 44 hour working week
  • Jun 26 Cincinnati Red Lonny Frey hits 8 doubles in a doubleheader
  • Jun 28 Bradman scores 102* in drawn 2nd Test cricket at Lord's
  • Jun 30 Final game at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl, Giants beat Philadelphia 14-1
  • Jun 30 Superman 1st appears in DC Comics' Action Comics Series issue #1
1938 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jun 2 Frits Wols [Eugene W Wong Loi Sing], Suriname, Secretary-General (UNESCO)
  • Jun 2 Gene Michael, American baseball shortstop, and general manger (NY Yankees), born in Kent, Ohio (d. 2017)
  • Jun 2 Kevin Brownlow, English film historian and author
  • Jun 4 Art Mahaffey, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star (1961, 1961², 1962²; Philadelphia Phillies), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Jun 4 Pat Studstill, American football wide receiver (Pro Bowl 1965, 66; NFL receiving yards leader, record 99-yard TD reception [tied] 1966; Detroit Lions, LA Rams), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2021)
  • Jun 4 Simeon Coxe, American songwriter, singer and psychedelic synthesizer player (Silver Apples), born in Knoxville, Tennessee (d. 2020)
  • Jun 5 Karin Balzer, German athlete (Olympic gold 80m hurdles 1964; bronze 100m hurdles 1972), born in Magdeburg, Germany (d. 2019)
  • Jun 5 Marion Chapman, smallest known premature baby to survive (280 g), born in South Shields, England
  • Jun 6 Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza, pretender to the Brazilian throne, born in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France
  • Jun 7 Ian St John, Scottish soccer forward (21 caps; Motherwell; Liverpool 425 games), manager (Motherwell, Portsmouth) and broadcaster (ITV: Saint and Greavsie), born in Motherwell, Scotland (d. 2021)
  • Jun 7 Idris Sardi, Indonesian violinist and composer, noted for his film scores, born in Jakarta, Indonesia (d. 2014)
  • Jun 7 Judy Ann Scott-Fox, literary agent, born in Devon, England (d. 1994)

Martin Lee (85 years old)

Jun 8 Hong Kong politician (Democratic Party: 1985-2008) and barrister known as the "Father of Democracy" in Hong Kong, born in British Hong Kong

  • Jun 8 Vince Promuto, American football guard (Pro Bowl 1963, 64; Washington Redskins), born in New York City (d. 2021)
  • Jun 9 Charles Wuorinen, American contemporary classical pianist, conductor, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (Time's Encomium; Marimba Variations; Brokeback Mountain), born in New York City (d. 2020)
  • Jun 9 Gary Starkweather, American engineer and inventor of the laser printer, born in Lansing, Michigan (d. 2019) [1]
  • Jun 9 Jeremy Hardie, British economic and businessman (W H Smith Group, Monopoly and Mergers Commission)
  • Jun 9 Peter Sanders, British head of the Commission for Racial Equality
  • Jun 9 Roger Hurn, British businessman (Smith's Industries)
  • Jun 12 Tom Oliver, English-Australian actor (Number 96), born in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, England
  • Jun 13 Gwynne Howell, Welsh operatic bass, born in Gorseinon, Wales
  • Jun 14 Gustavo Ávila, Venezuelan jockey (Kentucky Derby/Preakness 1971), born in Caracas, Venezuela
  • Jun 14 Julie Felix, American-born British-based folk-rock singer-songwriter, and BBC presenter (The Frost Report; Once More With Felix), born in Santa Barbara, California (d. 2020)
  • Jun 15 Aron Burton, American electric and Chicago blues bass guitarist, singer, and songwriter, born in Senatobia, Mississippi (d. 2016)
  • Jun 15 Billy Williams, American Baseball HOF left fielder (6 x MLB All Star; NL Rookie of the Year 1961; NL batting champion 1972; Chicago Cubs), born in Whistler, Alabama
  • Jun 15 Tony Oxley, British free-jazz and avant-garde drummer, born in Sheffield, England
  • Jun 16 Joyce Carol Oates, American novelist (Garden of Earthly Delights), born in New York
  • Jun 16 Mickie Finn [Barbara Soetje], American banjo player, and TV hostess (Mickie Finn's), born in Hugo, Oklahoma
  • Jun 16 Robert Gutter, American conductor and teacher (founded International Institute for Conductors, 1996), born in New York City (d. 2017)
  • Jun 16 Torgny Lindgren, Swedish writer (The Way of a Serpent), born in Norsjö, Sweden (d. 2017)
  • Jun 17 Judy Kimball, American golfer (US Women's PGA C'ship 1962), born in Sioux City, Iowa
  • Jun 17 Peter Michael, English electronic manufacturer (UEI, Paintbox)
  • Jun 17 Wayne Hawkins, American football guard (5 × AFL All-Star 1963–1967; Oakland Raiders), born in Fort Peck, Montana (d. 2022)
  • Jun 18 Don "Sugarcane" Harris, American rock guitarist and electric violin pioneer (Don & Dewey; Frank Zappa), born in Pasadena, California (d. 1999)
  • Jun 18 Joop Worrell, Dutch politician (PvdA)
  • Jun 18 Kevin Murray, Australian rules footballer
  • Jun 19 Charles Gwathmey, architect (5 Architects)
  • Jun 19 Ian Smith, Australian actor
  • Jun 19 John Sheil, Northern Irish High Court judge
  • Jun 20 Mickie Most [Michael Hayes], British record producer (Herman's Hermits, The Nashville Teens, Donovan, Lulu), born in Aldershot, Hampshire, England (d. 2003)
  • Jun 20 Nikolay Martynov, Soviet Russian composer and musicologist, born in Leningrad, USSR (now Saint Petersburg, Russia)
  • Jun 21 Dan Burton, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Jun 21 James Botten, South African cricketer (all-rounder in 1965 South African series v England), born in Pretoria, Transvaal (d. 2006)
  • Jun 21 Ron Ely [Ronald Pierce], American actor (Tarzan, Doc Savage), born in Hereford, Texas
  • Jun 23 Alan Vega [Bermowitz] American punk rock vocalist (Suicide - "Ghost Rider"; "Dream Baby Dream"; Cubist Blues), and visual artist, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2016)
  • Jun 24 Boris Lagutin, Russian boxer (Olympic gold USSR light-middleweight 1964, 68; bronze 1960), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2022)
  • Jun 24 Lawrence Block, American writer
  • Jun 24 Lowell Cross, American electronic music composer, instrument maker and laser light show inventor, born in Kingsville, Texas
  • Jun 26 Billy Davis Jr, American pop singer (5th Dimension - "Up, Up And Away"), born in St Louis, Missouri
  • Jun 26 Gene Gaines, American Canadian Football HOF defensive back (CFL All Star 1965, 66, 67; Grey Cup 1968, 69 Ottawa Rough Riders, 1970, 74 Montreal Alouettes), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2023)
  • Jun 26 Gerald North, American climatologist, born in Sweetwater, Tennessee
  • Jun 26 Neil Abercrombie, American politician (Rep-D-Hawaii, 1986-88), born in Buffalo, New York
  • Jun 27 Bruce Babbitt, American attorney and politician (47th United States Secretary of the Interior), born in Flagstaff, Arizona
  • Jun 27 Gordon Rorke, Australian cricketer (Australian quickie, 4 Tests at end of 50's), born in Mosman, New South Wales, Australia
  • Jun 27 Jake Crouthamel, American football halfback (Boston Patriots), coach (Dartmouth College 1971-77) and administrator (AD Syracuse University 1978–2005), born in Perkasie, Pennsylvania (d. 2022)
  • Jun 27 Kathryn Beaumont, British voice actress (Alice-Alice in Wonderland), born in London
  • Jun 27 Shirley Anne Field, English actress (Beat Girl, Kings of the Sun), born in Forest Gate, London
  • Jun 27 Tommy Cannon [Derbyshire], English comedian and singer ("Cannon and Ball"), born in Oldham, Lancashire, England
  • Jun 28 John Byner, American actor (Transylvania 6-5000) and comedian, born in New York City
  • Jun 28 Leon Panetta, American politician (23rd United States Secretary of Defense), born in Monterey, California
  • Jun 28 Moy Yat, Chinese martial artist (student of Yip Man) (d. 2001)
  • Jun 29 Billy Storm [Spicer], American singer (Valiants - "This Is The Night"), born in Dayton, Ohio (d. 2000)
  • Jun 30 Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek folk singer (first Greek artist to record or re-record the authentic, "prohibited" rebetika songs in the early 1970s with their original lyrics), born in Drama, Greece (d. 1999)
  • Jun 30 Billy Mills, American 10k (Olympic gold 1964), born in Pine Ridge, South Dakota
  • Jun 30 Chris Hinze, Dutch flutist (Vivat Vivaldi), born in Hilversum, North Holland, Netherlands
  • Jun 30 Mike Hellawell, English soccer outside right (2 caps; Birmingham City 178 games), born in Keighley, England (d. 2023)
  • Jun 30 Mirko Novosel, Croatian Basketball HOF coach (EuroLeague C'ship 1985, 1986; European Coach of the Year 1985 Cibona Zagreb; 7 × Yugoslav Cup), born in Zagreb, Croatia (d. 2023)
Born in 1938

Famous Weddings

Alec Guinness

Jun 20 British actor Alec Guinness (24) weds British actress and artist Merula Sylvia Salaman (23) in Surrey, England, until his death in 2000

Milton Friedman

Jun 25 Economist Milton Friedman (25) weds Rose Friedman at the Jewish Seminary in New York City


Famous Deaths

  • Jun 1 Ödön von Horváth, Hungarian writer (A Child of Our Time), dies at 36
  • Jun 2 Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, American yacht designer (6 x undefeated America's Cup campaigns 1893-1920) and naval architect (built first torpedo boat for US Navy), dies at 90
  • Jun 6 Rafael Guízar y Valencia, Mexican Catholic bishop (cared for the wounded, sick, and dying during the Mexican Revolution), dies at 60
  • Jun 7 Norbert Fonteyne, Flemish writer (How Flemings Came Late), dies
  • Jun 14 William Wallace Campbell, American astronomer and Director of Lick Observatory, dies at 76
  • Jun 15 Ernst L Kirchner, German painter, dies at 58
  • Jun 17 Ranji Hordern, Australian cricket spin bowler (7 Tests, 46 wickets, BB 7/90; NSW CA), dies at 55
  • Jun 20 Fred L Noonan, US aviator and navigator, declared dead after having disappeared over Pacific Ocean with Amelia Earhart in 1937
  • Jun 22 C. J. Dennis, Australian poet (The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke), dies at 61
  • Jun 24 "Digger" Robertson, Australian cricketer (Test for Australia 1885, played in California), dies at 76

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)

Jun 26 American Harlem Renaissance poet, lyricist ("Lift Every Voice And Sing"), civil rights activist, and leader of the NAACP, dies in a car crash at 67

  • Jun 30 Milan Rakic, Serbian poet (Nove Pesme), dies at 61