What Happened on December 17, 1938

Historical Events

  • Discovery of nuclear fission using uranium by Otto Hahn and his assistant Fritz Strassmann
  • Utrecht Central Station destroyed by fire

Famous Birthdays

  • Carlo Little, English rock drummer (Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages), born in Shepherd's Bush, London, England (d. 2005)
  • Gilles Tremblay, Canadian NHL hockey left winger, 1961-69, 4X Stanley Cup champ (Montreal Canadiens), and French-language broadcaster, 1971-97, born in Montmorency, Quebec (d. 2014)
  • Peter Snell, New Zealand athlete (Olympic gold 800m 1960, 64; 1,500m 1964), born in Opunake, New Zealand (d. 2019)

About December 17, 1938

Day of the Week: Saturday
How Long Ago? 85 years, 4 months and 3 days
Leap Year: No

Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Tiger
Star Sign: Sagittarius