The year 1938 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.
Births and deaths
Births Jean Giraud, Moebius (d. 2012) Michael Kurland Justin Leiber (d. 2016) Larry Niven. His best-known work is Ringworld (1970) Paul van Herck (d. 1989) Ted White M. K. Wren (d. 2016) Janusz A. Zajdel (d. 1985)
Deaths Karel Čapek (b. 1890) Frigyes Karinthy (b. 1887)
Events October 30 - The War of the Worlds, radio drama directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker Orson Welles as an adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds (1898). The episode became famous for allegedly causing panic among its listening audience, though the scale of that panic is disputed, as the program had relatively few listeners.
Literary releases
Novels For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs by Robert A. Heinlein Galactic Patrol by E. E. Smith Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis
Short stories "Azathoth" by H. P. Lovecraft "The Command" by L. Sprague de Camp "Helen O'Loy" by Lester del Rey "Hollerbochen's Dilemma" by Ray Bradbury "How We Went to Mars" by Arthur C. Clarke "Hyperpilosity" by L. Sprague de Camp "The Men and the Mirror" by Ross Rocklynne "The Merman" by L. Sprague de Camp "Rule 18" by Clifford D. Simak "Tidal Moon" by Stanley G. Weinbaum and Helen Weinbaum Who Goes There?, novella by John W. Campbell, Jr.
Movies
Title Director Release Primary cast Production country NotesFlash Gordon's Trip to Mars, Robert F. HillLarry "Buster" Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles B. MiddletonUnited StatesFilm serial with 15 chapters Flight to FameCharles Farrell, Jacqueline Wells, Hugh SothernUnited States
Awards The main science-fiction awards known at the present time did not exist at this time.
See also 1938 in science
References
Sources