Date in year · 1938 · The 1930s

January 28, 1938

On January 28, 1938, the World Land Speed Record on a public road is broken by Rudolf Caracciola in the Mercedes-Benz W125 Rekordwagen at a speed of 432.7 kilometres per hour (268.9 mph). Jerry Rubin, Tommy Vig, Ian St John would arrive in the same year.

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1938

1930s

Around 1938

The year in brief

1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1938th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 938th year of the 2nd millennium, the 38th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1930s decade.

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What happened

On January 28, 1938

  1. 1938 The World Land Speed Record on a public road is broken by Rudolf Caracciola in the Mercedes-Benz W125 Rekordwagen at a speed of 432.7 kilometres per hour (268.9 mph).

    The land speed record (LSR) or absolute land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. By a 1964 agreement between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), respective governing bodies for racing in automobiles and motorcycles, both bodies recognise as the absolute LSR whatever is the highest speed record achieved across any of their various categories. While the three-wheeled Spirit of America set an FIM-validated LSR in 1963, all subsequent LSRs are by vehicles in FIA Category C in either class JE or class RT.

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1938

The class of 1938

Others born in 1938

Jerry Rubin 1938– American activist, author, and businessman (died 1994)
Tommy Vig 1938– Hungarian vibraphone player, drummer, and composer
Ian St John 1938– Scottish international footballer and manager (died 2021)
Carroll Cole 1938– American serial killer (died 1985)
Charles Simić 1938– Serbian-American poet and editor (died 2023)
Jerry Rubin 1938– American activist, author, and businessman (died 1994)

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