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What happened in 1938?

30 events across 8 world regions, each with its sources.

See 1938 on the map

Europe

East Asia

  • Second Sino-Japanese War begins

    1937–1945China

    In 1937, full-scale war broke out between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan, known as the Second Sino-Japanese War. The war was primarily fought in China, also extending into neighboring areas such as northern Burma. It was the largest Asian war in the 20th century and is often regarded as the beginning of World War II in Asia.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗

  • Nanjing Massacre

    1937–1938

    From December 1937 to March 1938, after capturing Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, the Imperial Japanese Army perpetrated mass killings, rape, looting, and arson against civilians, noncombatants, and prisoners of war. The atrocities lasted about six weeks, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and the rape of tens of thousands of women, marking one of the worst war crimes of World War II.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Originally Moriyasu Murase, 村瀬守保 / Public domain ↗

  • Battle of Lake Khasan

    1938

    In late July to early August 1938, a brief but intense border clash erupted between Japanese and Soviet forces near Lake Khasan, at the junction of Manchukuo, the Soviet Union, and Korea. Citing disputed boundary markers, Japanese troops occupied the heights; the Soviets counterattacked. After about ten days of fighting, the Japanese withdrew under heavy casualties, and the pre-war status quo was restored diplomatically.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Viktor Antonovich Tyomin / Public domain ↗

  • 1938 Yellow River flood dike breach

    1938Central China

    On 9 June 1938, Chinese forces breached the Yellow River dikes at Huayuankou, Henan, to flood the advancing Japanese army. The resulting inundation devastated Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu, causing hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties. The breach was not sealed until 1947, making it one of the worst man-made disasters of the war.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Public domain ↗

  • Battle of Wuhan

    1938

    From June to October 1938, Chinese forces fought a large-scale defensive battle against the Japanese in the vast areas around Wuhan. Lasting over four months, it was the largest and longest campaign of the early Second Sino-Japanese War. Despite the eventual loss of Wuhan, Chinese resistance persisted, shifting the war into a protracted stalemate.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Imperial Japanese Navy / Public domain ↗

  • Battle of Taierzhuang

    1938

    In March-April 1938, Chinese forces engaged Japanese troops at Taierzhuang, Shandong, achieving the first major Chinese victory of the Second Sino-Japanese War. As part of the Xuzhou Campaign, Japanese divisions attacked Linyi, Tengxian, and Taierzhuang but were repelled. The victory shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility and boosted Chinese morale significantly.

    SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Unknown author Unknown author / Public domain ↗

North America

North Africa

Central Asian steppe

West Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Asia

Around 1938

These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.

  • Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque

    c. 1901–2000

  • Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide

    c. 1893–1979Wellington, New Zealand

  • Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins

    c. 1901–2000

  • Construction of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in 'The Centre of Heaven and Earth'

    c. 1901–2000

  • Establishment of the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains

    c. 1901–2000