What Happened In 1938?
38 Trivia Questions and Answers for 1938 History
1. What was the Biggest Number One Song of 1938?
A-Tisket, A Tasket by Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb
2. Who directed and narrated a radio drama performance of The War of the Worlds on the CBS radio network, on October 30, 1938?
Orson Wells
3. What comedy duo made their radio debut on The Kate Smith Hour?
Abbott and Costello
4. What was the Bestselling Fiction Book in 1938?
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
5. In 1938, what was the average life expectancy in the United States?
Men – 61.9 years, Women – 65.3 years.
6. What was the highest-grossing film of 1938?
Boys Town
7. Which celebrity was NOT born in 1938: Dawn Wells, Evel Knievel, Christoper Lloyd or Betty White?
Betty White (born January 17, 1922)
8. Californian Jonathon DeLonge is credited with inventing this surfside toy in 1938…
The Beach Ball
9. Who was President of the United States in 1938?
Franklin D. Roosevelt (March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945)
10. American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Robert Johnson died from poisoning at the age of 27, which makes him an early member of what cultural phenomenon group?
The ’27 Club’
11. Who won the Stanley Cup in 1938?
In 1938, The Chicago Black Hawks won over the Toronto Maple Leafs (3 games to 1)
12. Meaning “dry writing” in Greek, this is a process of making copies without ink. What is the name of the company that offered this device?
Xerox (the process is called Xerography)
13. How much did a Loaf of Bread cost in 1938?
9 cents
14. How many people lived in the United States in 1938?
The population was an estimated 129,824,939 people.
15. John McCullough, his son Alex invented a summer treat. What tasty treat did they create?
Soft-serve ice cream
16. John and Alex McCullough, along with Sherb Noble created what snack food chain?
Dairy Queen
17. On November 1, 1938, the horse race “Match of the Century” took place between Seabiscuit and War Admiral at Pimlico Race Course. Who won?
Seabiscuit
18. What was the first commercial product to be made with nylon?
The nylon-bristle toothbrush
19. Who did Jack Haley replace as the Tin Man while filming The Wizard of Oz, due to a makeup allergy?
Buddy Ebsen
20. What did child star (23-year-old) old Jackie Coogan sue his mother and stepfather?
They stole and spent his childhood earnings. (over $3,000,000)
21. Called the “largest act of environmental warfare in history” this river’s flood killed 400,000 people in China. What is the name of the river?
The Yellow River
22. This non-profit organization was founded by Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat childhood polio.
The March of Dimes (aka National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis)
23. On September 15, 1938, brothers Lloyd and Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates did what while playing against the New York Giants?
They hit back to back home runs. ( B.J. and Justin Upton did it again in 2013, playing for the Atlanta Braves)
24. They first appeared in the 1938 cartoon Donald’s Nephews. Name them.
Huey, Dewey and Louie.
25. This world-famous psychoanalyst fled Nazi Germany and lived exile in the United Kingdom until his death in 1939.
Sigmund Freud
26. Who won the 1938 World Series?
In 1938, The New York Yankees won, beating the Chicago Cubs (4 games to 0)
27. Completing a round-the-world trip in a record 91 hours (three days, 19 hours, 17 minutes), to and from New York City. It was one of several records this millionaire set in the 1930s. Name that millionaire.
Howard Hughes
28. This pilot took off from New York, with a planned landing in California. He landed in Ireland instead. Name that aviator.
Douglas ‘Wrong Way’ Corrigan.
29. Who was the Time Magazine Man of the Year in 1938?
Adolf Hitler
30. Debuting on NBC radio, what was special about Information Please?
Information Please was the first radio quiz show. (running May 17, 1938 – April 22, 1951)
31. While working for E.I. du Pont de Nemours in New Jersey, Roy J. Plunkett, discovered what household and industrial coating?
Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene)
32. Her role in this film, the story of a headstrong young Southern woman, earned Bette Davis an Acadamy Award for Best Actress…
Jezebel
33. How much did a gallon of gas cost in 1938?
$0.20 per gallon
34. What was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in Basel, Switzerland?
LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide)
35. What was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938?
Oil (petroleum)
36. What was the federal minimum wage in 1938?
25 cents per hour
37. This Pulitzer-winning play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover’s Corners. Please name the title and author.
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
38. Where did Superman make his first appearance?
Action Comics #1 (cover date April 18, 1938)
Trivia Team Bonus Questions:
1. Who created Superman?
He was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster
2. Who was the American Vice-President in 1938?
John Garner (March 4, 1933 – January 20, 1941)
3. Who starred as Ebeneezer Scrooge in the 1938 adapataion of A Christmas Carol?
Reginald Owen
4. Called “the father of nuclear chemistry,” who discovered the nuclear fission of uranium?
Otto Hahn
5. What Horse won the Kentucky Derby in 1938?
Lawrin
6. Calling itself “the world’s first oceanarium” – it opened in Florida on June 23, 1938. Name that park.
Marine Studios (aka Marineland of Florida)
7. Who were the 1938 NFL Champions?
New York Giants
8. Who was the Pope in 1938?
Pope Pius XI, February 6, 1922 – February 10, 1939
9. What team won the FIFA World Cup in 1938?
Italy
10. Can you name the passenger ship that cossed eastbound in the Atlantic, between Southampton, Cherbourg, UK and New York, in the (then) record time of 3 days 20 hours 42 minutes? HINT: She retired in 1967.
RMS Queen Mary.
