January 27, 1938: German War MinisterWerner von Blomberg forced to resign by Adolf Hitler after scandal.January 3, 1938: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt co-founds the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and launches theMarch of Dimes campaign to find a cure forpolio.
According toJapanese government an official confirmed report, 69 persons died, 92 persons were hurt when a roof and wooden structure of Kugaiza Cinema collapsed, due to heavy snowfall inTokamachi,Niigata Prefecture, Japan.[2]
TheBBC made its first non-English broadcast, inArabic. Listeners throughout the Middle East tuned in to a one-hour broadcast mostly consisting of a news bulletin on regional events. The audience reportedly expressed disappointment that the broadcast was not interspersed with love songs like Italy's programming was.[5][6]
Egyptian Prime MinisterMuhammad Mahmoud Pasha prorogued the fractious parliament for one month.[7] As the President of the Chamber readKing Farouk's message of prorogation, the parliamentary deputies held a closed-door session in which they passed amotion of no-confidence against the government, 180-17. However, the government considered the motion illegal and ignored it.[5]
The March of Dimes
U.S. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt delivered the annualState of the Union address to Congress. Acknowledging that the world was in a state of "high tension and disorder," the president stated that "we must keep ourselves adequately strong in self-defense." Roosevelt also called for legislation to "end starvation wages and intolerable hours" as "an essential part of economic recovery."[8]
The Dutch freighterHannah was torpedoed and sunk by an unidentified submarine seven miles offCape San Antonio, Spain. All crew were saved.[19]
Japan held a conference in Tokyo in the presence of EmperorHirohito. A harsh ultimatum was prepared for China, including payment of reparations and formalization of the separation of northern Chinese territory under Japanese control.[20]
German War MinisterWerner von Blomberg married his secretary Erna Gruhn at the War Ministry building in Berlin. Adolf Hitler andHermann Göring served as witnesses.[22]
Born:Teresa del Conde, art critic, in Mexico City, Mexico (d. 2017);Lewis Fiander, actor, inMelbourne, Australia (d. 2016); Noel McNamara, justice campaigner, in Australia
Asnap election was called inNorthern Ireland to be held February 9. Prime MinisterLord Craigavon called the election so his government would be in a strong position to contend an expected attempt byÉamon de Valera to apply the new Irish Constitution to Ulster.[23]
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union announced an expanded naval program and passed a war emergency measure allowing thePresidium to proclaim martial law or a state of war.[26]
While the Chinese government was still considering how to respond to the Japanese ultimatum, Japan announced it was ending diplomatic relations with China. In Japanese, this was known as theaite ni sezu ("absolutely no dealing") declaration.[20]
In the U.S., theBenny Goodman Orchestra becamethe first jazz music band to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City, which had hitherto been reserved for classical music concerts from symphony orchestras.[27] The live recording of the session would be released in 1950 under the titleThe Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert.
Austrian police raided Nazi headquarters inVienna and uncovered plans of a Nazi coup. ChancellorKurt Schuschnigg refused to publish the documents because he feared they could antagonize Hitler.[36]
Hermann Göring presented Hitler with a file onWerner von Blomberg's new wife, revealing her police record as a former prostitute who had also posed for pornographic photos. Hitler confronted Blomberg the same day and informed him that he could not continue as War Minister.[22][37]
An intense display of theAurora Borealis or Northern Lights was witnessed across Europe, as far south as Gibraltar and parts of the United States.
Werner von Blomberg resigned his post "for reasons of health" and returned to his honeymoon inCapri, Italy. Hitler had promised to return von Blomberg to his post once the controversy passed, but he was never recalled for duty.[22][39][40]
15 people, including three army officers, were arrested in Greece for plotting to assassinateIoannis Metaxas.[41]
Experiencing great personal duress from theBlomberg–Fritsch Affair, Hitler cancelled plans to hold a special session of theReichstag on Sunday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of coming to power. The official reason given was that the international situation made it an inopportune time to make any foreign policy statements.[37][42]
British police made two more arrests in the Woolwich Arsenal spy case. Both suspects worked in the Arsenal and had connections to theCommunist Party of Great Britain. One of them was found to be in possession of a suitcase with a double bottom used for smuggling blueprints.[34][43]
With the German public mostly oblivious to theBlomberg–Fritsch Affair except for rumors, celebrations were held around the country marking the fifth anniversary of the Nazi regime.[37]
Hermann Göring ordered the creation of a "council of war economics" with its members appointed by the Minister of War and commanders-in-chief of the military.[45]
^Small, Alex (January 21, 1938). "Cairo Whoops it Up; 500,000 Hail New Queen".Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1.
^Garbarini, Alexandra (2011).Jewish Responses to Persecution: 1938–1940. AltaMira Press. p. 229.ISBN978-0-7591-2041-9.
^abWest, Nigel; Tsarev, Oleg (1999).The Crown Jewels: The British Secrets at the Heart of the KGB Archives. Yale University Press. pp. 124–126.ISBN978-0-300-07806-0.
^Robinson, Curtis B. (2011).Caught Red Starred: The Woolwich Spy Ring and Stalin's Naval Rearmament on the Eve of War. Xlibris Corporation. p. 18.ISBN978-1-4653-4042-9.
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