Siam changed its name to Thailand.
In Atlanta, Georgia, legislation passed that made pinball machines illegal in the city.
France carried out its last public execution.
Queen Elizabeth I and George VI became the first king and queen of Great Britain to travel to the US.
The 'Pact of Steel' was signed, an agreement between Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.
Robert Menzies, Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister, was elected.
General Franco proclaims victory in the Spanish civil war.
The Heinkel He 100 fighter set a world airspeed record of 463 mph (745 km/h).
Chillán earthquake killed approximately 28,000 people.
Nazis launch Kristallnacht.
Germany expels Polish Jews.
China launches the 1938 Yellow River flood.
The Naval Act of 1938 passed in United States legislation.
Hitler invades Austria.
Adolf Hitler appointed himself as the head of the Armed Forces High Command.
Ireland established.
Balinese Tiger declared extinct.
Toyota Motor Corporation was founded after operating as a division of Toyoda Automatic Looms for six years.
Canon Inc. was established in Tokyo, Japan.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is founded.
A fire broke out in 20th Century Fox's New Jersey film storage facility.
American aviator Amelia Earhart disappeared.
The world's first emergency telephone calls were accepted in London, UK.
The German automobile manufacturer, Volkswagen, was founded.
The Golden Gate Bridge is opened.
The Hindenburg zeppelin caught fire and was destroyed while attempting to dock in New Jersey.
The Pedaliante, a human-powered aircraft, successfully flew 0.62 miles (1 km) in Milan, Italy.
Dr. Bernard Fantus and his team opened the very first 'blood bank' in Cook County Hospital, Chicago, US.
Seventeen people went on trial in the second Moscow Trials.
The first panda arrived in the US from China.
Edward VIII officially announced his abdication.
Edward VIII signed to abdicate the British throne.
Jack Fingleton, an Australian cricketer, became the first batsman to score 100 runs in four consecutive test matches.
The Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic was established as a republic of the Soviet Union.
The Crystal Palace in London caught fire and was destroyed.
Nazi Germany and Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation established.
End of the Long March in China.
Hoover Dam began producing electricity and transmitting it to Los Angeles, California.
The Tasmanian Tiger becomes extinct.
The XI Summer Olympics are opened in Berlin by Adolf Hitler.
American mobster Charles Luciano (also known as Lucky Luciano) was trialed and sentenced to 30-50 years in prison.
The world's first practical helicopter lifts off.
The Russian animation studio Soyuzmultfilm is established.
Adolf Hitler announced the construction of the Volkswagen Beetle.
Dr. John J. Livingood reported the first synthetic production of a natural form of radium.
Nuremberg laws instituted by the Nazi party are put into force.
Howard Hughes designed and built the world's fastest plane called the H-1 racer, then, on this day, flew it at a new world speed record at 352 miles per hour in Santa Fe, California.
Rowntree's introduced the famous Kit Kat featuring three layers of wafer cut into finger slices and surrounded by milk chocolate.
Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, creating a government pension system for the retired.