At A Glance

31 December 1943 at a glance

Day of the week
31 December 1943 was a Friday.
Top Film of 1943
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1943 was For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Star sign
The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1943 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 December 1943 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 31 December

  • 1942 USS Essex, first aircraft carrier of a 24-ship class, is commissioned.
  • 1942 World War II: The Royal Navy defeats the Kriegsmarine at the Battle of the Barents Sea. This leads to the resignation of Grand Admiral Erich Raeder a month later.
  • 1944 World War II: Operation Nordwind, the last major Wehrmacht offensive on the Western Front, begins.
  • 1946 President Harry S. Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.
  • 1951 Cold War: The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Western Europe.

Famous people born on 31 December

  • Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025)
  • Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer (born 2002)
  • Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1941)
  • Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (1720–1788)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1943 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1943 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 13 February – Nuffield Foundation established by William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield.
  • 5 March – the Gloster Meteor, the first operational military jet aircraft for the Allies, has its first test flight, at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
  • 13 April – release of the Ministry of Information film Desert Victory, which will win this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
More events of 1943 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1943

Prime Minister

Winston Churchill

Monarch

George VI

Pint of Beer

4p

Loaf of Bread

2p

Average House

£625

Weekly Wage

£4.40

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1940s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Tim Curry19 April 1946ActorView their day →Charles III14 November 1948King of the United KingdomView their day →Freddie Mercury5 September 1946Singer & songwriterView their day →Paul McCartney18 June 1942Musician & member of the BeatlesView their day →David Bowie8 January 1947Musician & actorView their day →John Lennon9 October 1940MusicianView their day →Jeffrey Archer15 April 1940Author & politicianView their day →George Harrison25 February 1943Musician & member of the BeatlesView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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