The following events occurred in February 1938:
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- The Shanghai Expeditionary Army was disbanded.
- Benito Mussolini had Italian soldiers adopt the goose step, or as he christened it, the "passo romano", or "Roman step". King Victor Emmanuel III had opposed the decision, but Mussolini could not be swayed, calling the goose a "Roman animal".[1][2]
- The Banda Sea earthquake occurred.
- Born: Jimmy Carl Black, drummer and vocalist for The Mothers of Invention, in El Paso, Texas (d. 2008); Sherman Hemsley, actor, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2012)
- Died: Charles D'Arcy, 79, Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)
- Patriarch Miron Cristea became the new Prime Minister of Romania.
- Steve Casey defeated Lou Thesz to win the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship.
- Born: Bevan Congdon, cricketer, in Motueka, New Zealand (d. 2018); Simone de Oliveira, singer and actress, in Lisbon, Portugal; Bobby Pickett, singer, in Somerville, Massachusetts (d. 2007)
- Died: Kazimierz Twardowski, 71, Polish philosopher and logician
- Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg went to see Hitler in Berchtesgaden. Schuschnigg tried to open the meeting with light conversation about the beauty of the view, but Hitler brushed such talk aside and began a tirade of shouting, threatening to invade unless his demands compromising Austria's sovereignty were met.[6]
- The British Empire Games closed in Sydney. Australia won the final medal count with 25 gold medals and 66 overall.
- Born: Judy Blume, novelist, in Elizabeth, New Jersey
- Hitler gave a three-hour internationally broadcast speech in the Reichstag vowing to protect German minorities outside of the Reich and reiterating demands for restoration of German colonies.[14][21]
- Died: Ciro Terranova, 49, Sicilian-born American gangster
- The Labour Party issued a manifesto demanding that Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain call a new general election to assess whether the public supported his appeasement policy. "This is not the time for concessions to dictators", the manifesto read. "The government holds no mandate from electors for the vital change it has made in foreign policy. We demand that a stand shall be taken with other peace loving nations against the violence and threats of Fascist powers."[23]
- Joe Louis knocked out Nathan Mann in the third round at Madison Square Garden to retain the world heavyweight boxing title.[24]
- Kurt Schuschnigg made a defiant speech to the Austrian Diet appealing to the country to fight to maintain its independence, declaring "Rotweissrot bis in den Tod" ("Red-white-red until we are dead.")[6]
- A constitutional referendum was held in Romania. 99.87% of voters approved the amendments, but the integrity of the voting process was highly questionable.
- The first nylon-based products went on sale in the United States: toothbrushes.[2]
- The 4th Central American and Caribbean Games ended. Mexico won the medal count with 24 gold medals and 72 total.
- Born: James Farentino, actor, in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2012); Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, Inc., in Portland, Oregon
- Died: Gustave Le Rouge, 70, French author
- The French Chamber of Deputies by a vote of 439-2 endorsed the government's policy of joining Britain in entering negotiations with Germany and Italy.[25]
- The Nazi prosecutor in Martin Niemöller's trial demanded that the pastor be sentenced to 20 months in prison.[26]
- Died: Ilyas Zhansugurov, 43, Kazakh poet and writer (killed in the Great Purge)
- Oberkommando der Wehrmacht chief Wilhelm Keitel ordered all retired military officers to be placed "at the disposal" of the military regardless of age. Officers discharged under dishonorable circumstances as well as Jews and those married to Jews were excluded.[28]
Corvaja, Santi (2008). Hitler & Mussolini: The Secret Meetings. Enigma Books. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-9824911-6-4.
Mercer, Derrik, ed. (1989). Chronicle of the 20th Century. London: Chronicle Communications Ltd. p. 493. ISBN 978-0-582-03919-3.
Small, Alex (February 3, 1938). "Egypt's Boy King Shuts Chamber; Calls Elections". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 6.
Mitter, Rana (2013). Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937–1945. Mariner Books. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-547-84056-7.
"1938". MusicAndHistory. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
Taylor, Edmond (February 16, 1938). "Hitler's Army on Border; Austria Yields". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1.
Brewer, Sam (February 24, 1938). "Laborites Begin Drive to Get Rid of Chamberlain". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 4.
"Nazis Ask 30 Month Term in Prison for Pastor Niemoeller". Chicago Daily Tribune. February 27, 1938. p. 1.