June 19, 1938

Italy repeats as World Cup champions. On June 19 at the Colombes Stadium in Paris, France, the Azzurri beat Hungary 4-2.

The 1938 World Cup, perhaps more than any tournament, clearly demonstrated the powerful nature of soccer. Spain was being ripped apart by civil war, Hitler and the Nazis were occupying Austria, and a crisis-ridden Europe was teetering on the brink of World War II. And yet, for 15 days in June, the World Cup beamed a powerful light of hope and friendship through the ominous clouds hovering over the continent.

John F. Molinaro, "1938 World Cup: Italy repeats as champions". November 25, 2009, CBC Sports. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/fifaworldcup/features/story/2009/11/21/spf-1938-france.html

July 14, 1938

The Manifesto della Razza (Manifesto of Race) is enacted in Italy in July of 1938. The Manifesto is a series of anti-semitic laws that stripped Jews of their Italian citizenship and removed them from governmental positions and professions. It is published anonymously in Il Giornale d'Italia on July 14, 1938.