What Happened in May 1938

Historical Events

A-Tisket, A-Tasket

May 2 American singer Ella Fitzgerald records "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" with Chick Webb and His Orchestra

Event of Interest

May 2 Pulitzer prize awarded to Thornton Wilder for his play "Our Town"

  • May 3 Concentration camp at Flossenburg goes into use
  • May 3 Lefty Grove defeats Tigers 4-3 for 1st of record 20 consecutive wins at his home field Fenway Park; he doesn't lose there until May 12 1941
  • May 4 Douglas Hyde (a protestant) becomes 1st president of Eire
  • May 5 MLB Philadelphia Phillies Harold Kelleher pitcher faces 16 batters in 6th, as Cubs score 12 runs, both marks are NL records off one hurler in a single inning
  • May 6 Dutch court sentences writer Maurits Dekker to 50 days imprisonment for "offending a friendly head of state" - Adolf Hitler

64th Kentucky Derby

May 7 64th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Arcaro aboard Lawrin scores first of record 5 Derby wins

  • May 7 Dutch Minister of Justice Goseling calls fugitives of Nazi-Germany "undesired strangers"
  • May 8 Stravinsky's "Dumbarton Oaks" premieres in Washington, D.C.
  • May 10 Banning speech on anti-fascism demonstration in Amsterdam

Joan of Arc at the Stake

May 12 Arthur Honegger and Paul Claudel's oratorio "Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher" (Joan of Arc at the Stake) premieres in Basel, Switzerland

  • May 12 Sandoz Labs begins manufacturing LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)

The Adventures of Robin Hood

May 14 "The Adventures of Robin Hood", directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland premieres

  • May 14 63rd Preakness: Maurice Peters aboard Dauber wins in 1:59.8
  • May 14 England soccer team beats Nazi-Germany, 6-3

Baseball History

May 15 Buck O'Neil makes his debut playing for the Negro league baseball team Kansas City Monarchs at Ruppert Stadium, Kansas City

  • May 15 Paul-Henri Spak forms red coalition of Belgium
  • May 16 1st animal breeding society forms (NJ)
  • May 16 38 die in a fire at Terminal Hotel Atlanta, Georgia

Cricket History

May 16 Australian cricketer Donald Bradman scores 278 vs MCC in 349 mins with 35 fours and 1 six

  • May 17 Radio quiz show "Information Please!" debuts on NBC Blue Network
  • May 17 US Congress approves Vinson Naval Act, which funds a two-ocean navy
  • May 21 Batsman Don Bradman scores 143 for Australia v Surrey, in 198 mins, with 11 fours

Hooray for What!

May 21 Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg's anti-war musical "Hooray for What!", starring Ed Wynn and directed by Vincente Minnelli, closes at the Winter Garden Theatre, NYC, after 200 performances

  • May 22 Dodgers announce contracts to install lights at Ebbets Field
  • May 25 Spanish Civil War: The bombing of Alicante takes place, with 313 deaths
  • May 26 US House of Representatives Committee on un-American Activities forms
  • May 27 Cricket batting genius Don Bradman scores 145 not out for Australia v Hampshire at Southampton, completing 1,000 runs before the end of May for the second time, the only touring batsman to England ever to perform the feat
  • May 28 Foundation for Tel Aviv harbor laid

Mathis der Maler

May 28 Paul Hindemith's opera "Mathis der Maler" premieres in Zurich

  • May 30 Indianapolis 500: Polesitter Floyd Roberts claims winner's cheque $32,075; car owner Lou Moore is also the chief mechanic
  • May 30 New York Yankees sweep arch rival Boston Red Sox, 10-0 & 5-4 in front of 83,533 at Yankee Stadium

The Incredible Flutist

May 30 Walter Piston's dance work, The Incredible Flutist, written for the Boston Pops Orchestra, which premieres it, Arthur Fiedler conducting

  • May 31 Bill Edrich scores his 1,000th run of cricket season, all at Lord's
1938 History

Famous Birthdays

  • May 2 Moshoeshoe II, King of Lesotho (1966-90), born in Morija, Lesotho (d. 1996)
  • May 3 Chris Cannizzaro, American baseball player, born in Oakland, California (d. 2016)
  • May 4 Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer and political activist, born in Mexico City
  • May 4 Tyrone Davis, American R&B singer ("Can I Change My Mind"; "Turn Back The Hands Of Time"), born in Greenville, Mississippi (d. 2005)
  • May 4 William J. Bennett, American politician, U.S. Secretary of Education (1985-88), born in New York City
  • May 5 (Veronica) "Roni" Stoneman, American banjo player, singer, and comedienne (The Stoneman Family; Hee Haw), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2024)
  • May 5 Adolf Scherer, Slovak soccer striker (36 caps Czechoslovakia; CH Bratislava, Slovnaft Bratislava, VSS Košice, Nîmes, Olympique Avignonais), born in Martin, Slovakia (d. 2023)
  • May 5 Jerzy Skolimowski, Polish film director (Hands Up, Deep End), born in Warsaw, Poland
  • May 5 Johnnie Taylor, American R&B and multi-genre singer ("Disco Lady"; "I Believe In You"), born in Crawfordsville, Arkansas (d. 2000)
  • May 5 Michael Murphy, American actor (McCabe & Mrs Miller, Unmarried Woman), born in Los Angeles, California
  • May 6 Jean Garon, Quebec economist and politician, born in Saint-Michel, Quebec (d. 2014)
  • May 6 Larry Gogan, Irish radio personality (Raidió Teilifís Éireann), born in Dublin
  • May 7 Johnny Caldwell, Irish flyweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1956), born in Belfast, Ireland (d. 2009)
  • May 8 - Algerian-French Catholic Bishop of Oran (murdered by Islamic extremists in Algeria, born in Bab El Oued, Algeria (d. 1996)
  • May 8 Javed Burki, Pakistani cricket batsman (25 Tests, 3 x 100, 4 x 50, HS 140; Oxford University CC), born in Meerut, India
  • May 8 Jean Giraud, French comic artist (Alien, Tron), born in Val-de-Marne, French (d. 2012)
  • May 9 Charles Simic Yugoslavian-born poet, 15th Poet Laureate of the United States
  • May 9 Geoffrey Holland, civil servant
  • May 9 Walt Corey, American football linebacker (AFL C'ship 1962, 66; AFL All-Star 1963; Dallas Texans/KC Chiefs) and coach (KC Chiefs, Buffalo Bills), born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania (d. 2022)
  • May 10 Henry Fambrough, American pop and R&B singer (The Spinners, 1954-2023 - "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love?"; "The Rubberband Man"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2024) [1] [2]
  • May 10 Jean Becker, French director, screenwriter and actor
  • May 10 Manuel Santana, Spanish tennis player (French Open 1961, 64; Wimbledon 1966; US Open 1965; French Open doubles 1963), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2021)
  • May 10 Maxim Shostakovich, Russian-American pianist and conductor, born in Leningrad, USSR (now Saint Petersburg, Russia)
  • May 10 Merritt Ranew, baseball player
  • May 10 Peter Davies, Major-General/Director-General (RSPCA)
  • May 10 Philip Gordon Winsor, American composer, born in Morris, Illinois (d. 2012)
  • May 11 Bruce Langhorne, American session and touring folk guitarist and tambourine man, born in Tallahassee, Florida (d. 2017)
  • May 11 Harvey Sollberger, flutist/composer (2 Oboes Troping), born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • May 12 Andrei Amalrik, Russian writer and dissident (Will the Soviet Union Survive Until 1984), born in Moscow, Soviet Union (d. 1980)
  • May 12 Millie Perkins, American actress (Diary of Anne Frank, Table for 5, Shooting), born in Passaic, New Jersey
  • May 12 Susan Hampshire, English actress (Vanity Fair, Living Free), born in London, England
  • May 13 Buck Taylor, American actor (Monroes, Gunsmoke), born in Hollywood, California
  • May 13 Giuliano Amato, Italian politician (Prime Minister of Italy 1992-93, 2000-01), born in Turin, Italy
  • May 13 Laurent Beaudoin, French Canadian businessman (Bombardier)
  • May 14 Clive Rowlands, Welsh rugby union scrum half (14 caps; Abercraf RFC, Pontypool RFC, Llanelli RFC, Swansea RFC), born in Upper Cwmtwrch, Wales (d. 2023)
  • May 15 Lenny Welch, American singer (Since I Fell for You), born in New York
  • May 15 Mireille Darc, French actress (Week End, Hurried Man), born in Toulon

Ivan Sutherland (85 years old)

May 16 American computer scientist (Sketchpad), born in Hastings, Nebraska [1]

  • May 17 Don Dolan, actor (Guy Lewis- General Hospital), born in Staten Island, New York
  • May 17 Jason Bernard, actor (Judge-Liar Liar)
  • May 17 Pervis Jackson, American pop and R&B singer (The Spinners, 1954-2008 - "Games People Play"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2008)
  • May 17 Trinus Riemersma, Dutch-Frisian writer (Conquest of Leeuwarden)
  • May 18 Janet Fish, American realist artist, born in Boston, Massachusetts
  • May 19 Girish Karnad, Indian playwright and filmmaker (Tuglaq), born in Dharwad, British India (d. 2019)
  • May 19 James Bilbray, American lawyer and politician (Rep-D-Nevada 1987-95), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • May 19 Moisés da Costa Amaral, East Timorese leader, born in Fahinihan, East Timor (d. 1989)
  • May 19 [Brian Keith] Herbie Flowers, English bassist and session musician (Lou Reed, Harry Nilsson, T-Rex), born in Isleworth, England
  • May 20 Alan Smithers, British professor
  • May 20 Astrid Kirchherr, German photographer, helped establish The Beatles image, born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 2020)
  • May 20 Christina Bass-Kaiser, Dutch speed skater (Olympic gold 3000m 1972; World C'ship gold allround 1967, 68; 9 x WR's), born in Delft, Netherlands (d. 2022)
  • May 20 Marinella [Kyriaki Papadopoulou], Greek pop , folk, and rebetiko singer, born in Thessaloniki, Greece
  • May 21 (Henry) Lee "Shot" Williams, American blues singer ("I Like Your Style"), born in Mississippi (d. 2011)
  • May 21 David Groh, American actor (Rhoda - "Joe"; Another Day - "Don"), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2008)
  • May 21 Urs Widmer, Swiss writer, born in Basel (d. 2014)
  • May 22 Alain Gagnon, Canadian composer (Chansons d'Orient), and music educator (Université Laval, 1967-2008), born in Trois-Pistoles, Quebec (d. 2017)
  • May 22 Frank Converse, American actor (It's About Time, Dr Cook's Garden, Movin' On), born in St. Louis, Missouri
  • May 22 Richard Benjamin, American director and actor (Goodbye Columbus, He & She), born in New York City
  • May 22 Susan Strasberg, American actress (In Praise of Older Women, Manitou), born in New York City
  • May 23 Graham "Johnny" Ball, British TV personality and mathematics educator (Play School), born in Bristol, England
  • May 23 John Miller, American politician (Rep-R-WA, 1985-93), born in New York City (d. 2017)
  • May 23 Peter Preston, editor (Guardian)
  • May 24 David Viscott, American psychiatrist and media personality, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1996)
  • May 24 Glen Hall, South African cricket leg-spinner (South African in one Test v England 1964), born in Pretoria, Transvaal (d. 1987)
  • May 24 Prince Buster [Cecil Bustamente Campbell], Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer ("Al Capone"; "Madness", "Whine and Grine"), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2016)
  • May 24 Tommy Chong, Canadian-American comedian (Cheech & Chong), actor (That '70s Show), and cannabis rights activist, born in Edmonton, Alberta
  • May 25 John Davies, New Zealand sports executive (President NZOC 2000-03) and athlete (Olympic bronze 1500m 1964), born in London, England (d. 2003)
  • May 25 Lyudmila Buldakova, Russian volleyball player (Olympic gold USSR 1968, 72), born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 2006)
  • May 25 Raymond Carver, American poet and short story writer (Furious Season), born in Clatskanie, Oregon (d. 1988)
  • May 26 Jaki Liebesit, German drummer (Can), born in Dresden, Germany (d. 2017)
  • May 26 Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian playwright and novelist
  • May 26 Pauline Parker, New Zealand murderess (Parker–Hulme murder case), born in Christchurch, New Zealand
  • May 26 Teresa Stratas [Anastasia Stratakis], Canadian operatic soprano (Salome), born in Toronto, Ontario
  • May 26 William Bolcom, American pianist and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (Oracles), born in Seattle, Washington

Jerry West (85 years old)

May 28 American Basketball Hall of Fame guard, executive (LA Lakers, 14-time NBA All Star), born in Chelyan, West Virginia

  • May 28 Prince Buster [Cecil Bustamente Campbell], Jamaican-born reggae musician and producer (Madness), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2016)
  • May 29 Fay Vincent, American lawyer and sports executive (MLB Commissioner 1989-92), born in Waterbury, Connecticut
  • May 30 Lone Koppel, Danish operatic soprano (Danish Royal Theatre, 1962-93) and avant garde rock singer (Savage Garden), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • May 30 Wilfried de Pree, Dutch politician and theologian (PvdA)/theologist, born in Amstelveen, North Holland, Netherlands
  • May 31 John Prescott, British Labour MP (Deputy PM 1997-2007), born in Prestatyn, Wales
  • May 31 Johnny Paycheck [Donald Lytle], American country singer ("Take This Job and Shove It"), born in Greenfield, Ohio (d. 2003)
  • May 31 Peter Yarrow, American folk singer-songwriter (Peter, Paul & Mary - "Puff (The Magic Dragon)"), born in New York City
Born in 1938

Famous Deaths

  • May 4 Carl von Ossietzky, German pacifist and writer (Nobel Peace Prize 1935), dies at 48
  • May 4 Kanō Jigorō, Japanese educator and the founder of Judo, dies at 77
  • May 9 Thomas B. Thrige, Danish industrialist, dies at 72
  • May 10 Percy McAlister, Australian cricket batsman (8 Tests; Big Six cricket dispute 1912), dies at 68
  • May 11 Arnold Sauwen, Belgium poet (Hours of Solitude), dies at 81
  • May 13 Charles Edouard Guillaume, French physicist (1920 Nobel Prize for Physics), dies at 77
  • May 14 Jacobus C J "Jacques" Hermans, actor (Ghetto), dies at 81
  • May 16 Joseph Strauss, American civil engineer (chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge), dies at 68
  • May 16 Steve Fairbairn, British rower and coach (Jesus College Boat Club, Cambridge University), dies at 75
  • May 17 Jakob Ehrlich, Austrian politician and Zionist, dies at 60
  • May 26 John Jacob Abel, American pharmacologist (endocrine glands), dies at 81
  • May 30 Raden Soetomo, Indonesian freedom fighter, dies at 49