What Happened in November 1938

Historical Events

  • Nov 1 German colonel-general Gerd von Runstedt retires

Sports History

Nov 1 NL batting champion Ernie Lombardi of the Cincinnati Reds is named National League MVP; first catcher to win award; Boston Red Sox 1st baseman Jimmie Foxx takes AL award

  • Nov 1 Seabiscuit, with George Woolf aboard, beats 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral by 3 lengths in Pimlico track record time to win $15,000 in what is regarded as one of the greatest match races in horse racing history
  • Nov 2 Boston Red Sox first baseman Jimmie Foxx is voted Most Valuable Player of the American League for the third time
  • Nov 5 Ottawa Roughriders score on 5-man, 4-lateral, 65-yard punt return
  • Nov 5 Rugers beats Princeton 1st time in 60 yrs as Rutgers Stad dedicated
  • Nov 6 3 DiMaggio brothers play together for 1st time, in a charity all-star game
  • Nov 8 1st African American woman legislator, Crystal Bird Fauset of Philadelphia
  • Nov 9 Al Capp, cartoonist of Li'l Abner, creates Sadie Hawkins Day
  • Nov 9 Kristallnacht begins: pogrom against Jews in Germany and Austria - first large-scale physical act of anti-Jewish violence, begins
  • Nov 10 8.3 earthquake shakes East of Shumagin Islands, Alaska
  • Nov 10 Nobel for literature awarded to Pearl Buck (Good Earth)
  • Nov 10 Second day of Kristallnacht: pogrom against the Jews in Germany and Austria after assassination of a German diplomat in Paris
  • Nov 11 German & Austrian Jewish suffer 1 billion Mark damage in nazi

Madagascar A Jewish Homeland

Nov 12 Hermann Goering announces he wants Madagascar as a Jewish homeland

  • Nov 13 America's first saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, beatified
  • Nov 14 Dutch DC3 crashes at Schiphol, 6 die
  • Nov 15 Farewell Parade of International Brigades in Barcelona
  • Nov 15 First telecast of an unscheduled event (fire), W2XBT, NY
  • Nov 16 K B Regiment refuses round-table conference in East-India

LSD

Nov 16 LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) is first synthesized by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland

  • Nov 17 Italy passes its own version of anti-Jewish Nuremberg laws
  • Nov 18 Trade union members elect John L. Lewis as the first president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations.
  • Nov 20 1st documented anti-semitic remarks over US radio (by Father Coughlin)
  • Nov 21 Belgian king Leopold III, King of the Belgians begins 3-day visit to Netherlands
  • Nov 21 Nazi forces occupy western Czechoslovakia and declare inhabitants to be German citizens
  • Nov 24 Clifford Odets' "Rocket to the Moon" premieres in NYC
  • Nov 24 National Semi-Pro Basketball Congress authorizes yellow basketball

Police Head Yezhov Executed

Nov 25 Lavrentiy Beria succeeds Nikolai Yezhov as the head of the Soviet secret police, NKVD, after Yezhov was executed on Joseph Stalin's orders

Frank Sinatra Arrested

Nov 27 Bergen County (New Jersey) sheriff's department arrests American singer Frank Sinatra (23) on charge of "seduction", later withdrawn and amended to adultery, and shortly thereafter case dismissed

  • Nov 28 4th Heisman Trophy Award: Davey O'Brien, Texas Christian (QB)

Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2

Nov 28 Dmitri Shostakovich's Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2 premieres in Moscow, USSR

  • Nov 29 Mayor Oud of Rotterdam forbids soccer match between Netherlands and Germany
  • Nov 30 Fascist coup in Romania fails
  • Nov 30 Germany bans Jews being lawyers
1938 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Nov 2 Jay Black [David Blatt], American pop singer (Jay and the Americans - “Come A Little Bit Closer”; “This Magic Moment”), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2021)
  • Nov 2 Patrick Buchanan, American conservative political commentator and politician, born in Washington, D.C.
  • Nov 2 Queen Sofía [Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark], Queen consort of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, born in Athens, Greece
  • Nov 2 Ria Beckers, Dutch politician and leader of the progressive Christian party PPR, born in Driebergen, Netherlands (d. 2006)
  • Nov 3 Frank McKinney, American swimmer (Olympic gold 4x100m medley), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1992)
  • Nov 3 Jean Rollin, French director and screenwriter
  • Nov 3 Martin Dunwoody, British mathematician
  • Nov 3 Pupi Avati, Italian director (Festival, Bix: Impiegati; The House WIth Laughing Windows), born in Bologna, Kingdom of Italy
  • Nov 4 Harry Elston, American R&B singer (Friends of Distinction), born in Dallas, Texas
  • Nov 5 César Luis Menotti, Argentine football player (1978 FIFA World Cup) and coach, born in Rosario, Argentina
  • Nov 5 Chris Robinson, America actor (Stanley, General Hospital, Another World), born in West Palm Beach, Florida
  • Nov 5 Joe Dassin, French-American singer (Les Champs-Élysées), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1980)
  • Nov 6 Dumitru Rusu, Romanian painter, born in Ilişeşti, Suceava
  • Nov 6 Jim Pike, American singer (The Lettermen), born in Missouri (d. 2019)
  • Nov 6 P. J. Proby [James Marcus Smith], American singer, songwriter and actor (Hold Me, Three Week Hero), born in Houston, Texas
  • Nov 7 Dee Clark, American singer ("Raindrops"), born in Blytheville, Arkansas (d. 1990)
  • Nov 7 Jim Kaat, American Baseball HOF pitcher (16 x Gold Glove; 3 x MLB All-Star; Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies) and broadcaster, (NY Yankees, Minnesota Twins, MLB Network), born in Zeeland, Michigan
  • Nov 8 Dick Ritger, American ten-pin bowler (Tournament of Champions 1970, 79 runner-up; 20 career PBA Tour titles), born in River Falls, Wisconsin (d. 2020)
  • Nov 8 Driss Basri, Moroccan politician (Interior Minister 1979-99), born in Settat, Morocco (d. 2007)
  • Nov 8 John Asprey, British jeweller and multi-millionaire
  • Nov 8 Murtala Mohammed, Nigerian military ruler, born in Bendel State, Colonial Nigeria (d. 1976)
  • Nov 8 Pleuni Touw, Dutch actress (Bride Flight, Dokter Deen), born in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
  • Nov 8 Richard Stoker, British composer, born in Castleford, Yorkshire
  • Nov 9 Ti-Grace Atkinson, American feminist author, born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • Nov 9 Yvon Chouinard, American rock climber, environmentalist and philanthropist (Patagonia), born in Lewiston, Maine
  • Nov 10 Hein van Royen, Dutch director of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (1974-91), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1991)
  • Nov 11 Haruhiro Yamashita, Japanese gymnast (2 golds 1964 Olympics), born in Uwajima, Japan
  • Nov 11 John Reilly, American actor (Sean-General Hospital, Dallas, Hamptons), born in Chicago, Illinois
  • Nov 11 Narvel Felts, American country singer (Reconsider Me), born in Keiser, Arkansas
  • Nov 11 Roger Lavern [Jackson], English rock keyboardist (Tornados - "Telstar"), born in Kidderminster, England (d. 2013)
  • Nov 12 Benjamin Mkapa, Tanzanian politician, President of Tanzania (1995-2005), born in Ndanda, Tanganyika (d. 2020)
  • Nov 12 Mort Shuman, American singer, and songwriter, with Doc Pomus ("Viva Las Vegas"; "Save The Last Dance For Me"), born in New York City (d. 1991)
  • Nov 13 Adrian Barber, British musician and producer, born in Ilkley, United Kingdom
  • Nov 13 Gérald Godin, French Canadian poet and politician, born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec (d. 1994)
  • Nov 13 Jean Seberg, American actress (Breathless, Paint Your Wagon), born in Marshaltown, Iowa (d. 1979)
  • Nov 13 Julio Canani, Peruvian thoroughbred horse racing trainer (Breeders' Cup Mile 1999, 2001; Juvenile Fillies 2004), born in Oxampampa, Peru (d. 2021)
  • Nov 13 Rolando Serrano, Colombian soccer midfielder (7 caps; AD Union Magdalena; Millonarios FC; Independiente Santa Fe), born in Pamplona, Colombia (d. 2022)
  • Nov 13 Warren Bernhardt, American pianist in jazz, pop and classical pianist (L'Image; Steps Ahead; Steely Dan, 1993-94) and composer, born in Wausau, Wisconsin (d. 2022)
  • Nov 16 Richard "Dickie" Landry, American saxophonist (Philip Glass Ensemble), composer, photographer, and visual artist, born in Cecilia, Louisiana
  • Nov 16 Robert Nozick, American philosopher (Anarchy, State, and Utopia), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
  • Nov 16 Toni Brown, American piano player, singer-songwriter (Joy of Cooking), magazine editor (Relix, 1980-2002), and guitarist, born in California
  • Nov 17 Álvaro Cassuto, Portuguese composer and conductor, born in Porto, Portugal

Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)

Nov 17 Canadian folk singer ("Sundown"; "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"), born in Orillia, Ontario

  • Nov 17 Thomas Black, English industrial/auto collector
  • Nov 18 Karl Schranz, Austrian slalom (Olympic-1968)
  • Nov 19 Frank Misson, Australian cricket fast bowler (5 Tests, 16 wickets; NSW), born in Sydney, Australia
  • Nov 19 Henry "Hank" Medress, American doo-wop singer (The Tokens - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), and record producer (The Chiffons; Tony Orlando & Dawn), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2007)
  • Nov 19 Richard Dumbrill, South African cricketer (South African all-rounder in 5 Tests 1965-67)

Ted Turner (85 years old)

Nov 19 American businessman who founded CNN, owner of the Atlanta Braves and winner of the America's Cup in 1977, born in Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Nov 20 Tony White, West Indian cricketer (2 Tests WI v Australia 1965), born in Brighton, Saint Michael, Barbados
  • Nov 22 Henry C. Lee, Chinese-born American criminologist
  • Nov 22 John Gregory, American football coach (CFL Grey Cup 1989 Saskatchewan Roughriders; South Dakota State Uni), born in Webster City, Iowa (d. 2022)
  • Nov 23 Esko Nikkari, Finnish actor (Aapo), born in Lapua, Finland (d. 2006)
  • Nov 23 Herbert Achternbusch, German actor (Hedes; Mix Wix; Wohin), born in Munich, Germany
  • Nov 24 Charles Starkweather, American Spree Killer (d. 1959)
  • Nov 24 David Newell, American (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood - "Mr. McFeely"), born in O'Hara Township, Pennsylvania

Oscar Robertson (85 years old)

Nov 24 American NBA guard (Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Olympic gold 1960), born in Charlotte, Tennessee

  • Nov 24 Spencer Johnson, American author (Who Moved My Cheese?), born in Watertown, South Dakota (d. 2017)
  • Nov 24 Willy Claes, Belgian politician
  • Nov 24 Wynne Bradburn, cricketer (father of Grant NZ batsman v South Africa 1964)
  • Nov 25 John "Jack" Baines, mountaineering publisher
  • Nov 26 Porter Goss, American politician (Rep-R-Florida) and 1st Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, born in Waterbury, Connecticut
  • Nov 26 Rich Little, Canadian-American impressionist and actor (Love on a Rooftop), born in Ottawa, Ontario
  • Nov 26 Rodney Jory, Australian physicist, born in Adelaide, Australia
  • Nov 27 Jose Tartabull, Cuban NLB player, born in Cienfuegos, Cuba
  • Nov 30 Jean Eustache, French filmmaker
Born in 1938

Famous Weddings

Jiang Qing & Mao Zedong

Nov 28 Chinese politician Mao Zedong (44) weds Jiang Qing (24) in a small private ceremony

Famous Deaths

  • Nov 1 Francis Jammes, French poet and writer (Jammisme), dies at 69
  • Nov 7 Ernst vom Rath, German diplomat, assassinated at 29, providing the pretext for Kristallnacht
  • Nov 9 Edward Murray East, American botanist and geneticist who developed hybrid corn, dies at 59
  • Nov 9 Vasily Blyukher, Soviet military commander (b.1889)

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938)

Nov 10 1st President of Turkey (1923-38) and founder of the Republic of Turkey, dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 57

Typhoid Mary (1869-1938)

Nov 11 Irish-American patient best known as 'Typhoid Mary' and the first person in the United States known to be immune to typhoid, dies at 69

  • Nov 15 George Glover, cricketer (Test for South Africa 1895-96), dies
  • Nov 17 Ante Trumbić, Croatian politician (23rd Mayor of Split), dies at 74
  • Nov 19 Lev Shestov, Russian existentialist philosopher, dies at 72
  • Nov 20 Edwin Hall, American physicist (discovered Hall effect), dies at 83
  • Nov 20 Enzo Matsunaga, Japanese writer (b. 1895)
  • Nov 20 Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway, spouse of King Haakon VII, dies at 68
  • Nov 21 Leopold Godowsky, Polish-American pianist, composer (Java Suite; Triakontameron; 53 Studies on Chopin's Études), and pedagogue, dies of stomach cancer at 68
  • Nov 23 August Kiehl, Dutch actor (Op hoop van zegen, De kribbebijter), dies at 84
  • Nov 26 Henry Schultz, American economist (econometrics), dies at 45
  • Nov 30 Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, Romanian politician (founder and leader of the Iron Guard), dies at 39