About the day » Tuesday May 17, 1938Calender converter

• Anna Ludovica Clementina Maria Sieben, Mortsel († 1943)
• Fay Elizabeth ? († 2015)
• Glen Allen Shaw, Utah, United States († 1990)
• Geertsema, Onstwedde († 1938)
• Adriaan DE BOEF, Poederoijen († 2003)
• Gerrit Jan Hakkert, Nijverdal, Nederland († 1997)
• Bernard Medema († 1995)
• Antonius Joosen, Dordrecht († 2004)
• Dr. Kenton Drake "Kent" Bealmear, Floyd County, Texas, Verenigde Staten († 1995)
• ELISABETH JOSEPHA FRANCISCA VROEMEN, Geleen († 2008)

• Aaltje Berends Houwer (63), Eesveen, Steenwijkerwold, Overijssel, Netherlands
• Adriana Hoedjes (75), Breda
• Aaltje Berends Houwer (63), Eesveen, Steenwijkerwold
• Cornelis Slabbekoorn (40), Goes Zld. NL
• Adriana Hoedjes (75), Breda, Nederland
• Anton van Emmerloot (66), Elten, NW, Duitsland
• Cornelis van de Pol (83), Kesteren
• Beatrix van Hulle (91), Westdorpe, Zeeland, Nederland
• Antoon (Anton) van Emmerloot (66), Elten, NW, Duitsland
• * Nijs Jansz Boele (80), Losser

• 1935 » Dennis Potter, English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter († 1994)
• 1936 » Dennis Hopper, American actor and director († 2010)
• 1937 » Hazel R. O'Leary, American lawyer and politician, 7th United States Secretary of Energy
• 1938 » Jason Bernard, American actor († 1996)
• 1938 » Marcia Freedman, Israeli activist
• 1938 » Pervis Jackson, American R&B bass singer († 2008)
• 1939 » Gary Paulsen, American author
• 1939 » Hugh Dykes, Baron Dykes, English politician
• 1940 » Alan Kay, American computer scientist and academic
• 1940 » Reynato Puno, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 22nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines

• 1921 » Karl Mantzius, Danish actor and director (b. 1860)
• 1922 » Dorothy Levitt, English racing driver and journalist (b. 1882)
• 1927 » Harold Geiger, American pilot and lieutenant (b. 1884)
• 1934 » Cass Gilbert, American architect (b. 1859)
• 1935 » Paul Dukas, French composer, critic, and educator (b. 1865)
• 1936 » Panagis Tsaldaris, Greek lawyer and politician, 124th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1868)
• 1938 » Jakob Ehrlich, Czech-Austrian academic and politician (b. 1877)
• 1943 » Johanna Elberskirchen, German author and activist (b. 1864)
• 1947 » George Forbes, New Zealand farmer and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
• 1951 » William Birdwood, Anglo-Indian field marshal (b. 1865)

• Koningin Wilhelmina (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1890 till 1948 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from June 24, 1937 to July 25, 1939 the cabinet Colijn IV, with Dr. H. Colijn (ARP) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 8.6 million citizens.
• February 18 » Second Sino-Japanese War: During the Nanking Massacre, the Nanking Safety Zone International Committee is renamed "Nanking International Rescue Committee", and the safety zone in place for refugees falls apart.
• July 10 » Howard Hughes begins a 91-hour airplane flight around the world that will set a new record.
• August 20 » Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd career grand slam, a record that stood for 75 years until it was broken by Alex Rodriguez.
• September 30 » Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich Agreement, whereby Germany annexes the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.
• September 30 » The League of Nations unanimously outlaws "intentional bombings of civilian populations".
• December 17 » Otto Hahn discovers the nuclear fission of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and technological basis of nuclear energy.

The temperature on May 17, 1938 was between 10.9 °C and 18.5 °C and averaged 14.3 °C. There was 11.2 mm of rain during 8.8 hours. There was 0.2 hours of sunshine (1%). The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the east.