At A Glance

14 October 1943 at a glance

Day of the week
14 October 1943 was a Thursday.
Top Film of 1943
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1943 was For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Bestselling Novel of 1943
“The Robe” by Lloyd C. Douglas was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1943.
Star sign
The star sign for 14 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 14 October 1943 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 14 October 1943 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 14 October

  • 1939 World War II: The German submarine U-47 sinks the British battleship HMS Royal Oak within her harbour at Scapa Flow, Scotland.
  • 1942 World War II: The German submarine U-69 (1940) sinks the Canadian passenger ferry SS Caribou approximately 20 nautical miles southwest of Port aux Basques, Newfoundland.
  • 1943 World War II: The United States Eighth Air Force loses 60 of 291 B-17 Flying Fortresses during the Second Raid on Schweinfurt.
  • 1943 World War II: The Second Philippine Republic, a puppet state of Japan, is inaugurated with José P. Laurel as its president.
  • 1947 Flying the Bell X-1 over Muroc Army Air Field in California, Captain Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in level flight, reaching Mach 1.05.

Famous people born on October 14

  • Charlie Kirk, American media personality and political activist (1993–2025)
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower, American general and politician, 34th President of the United States (1890–1969)
  • James II of England (1633–1701)
  • Roger Moore, English actor and producer (1927–2017)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1943 in the United States

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

  • January 15 – The world's largest office building, The Pentagon, headquarters of the Department of War, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
  • February 14 – WWII: Battle of the Kasserine Pass – German General Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps launch an offensive against Allied defenses in Tunisia; it is the United States' first major battle defeat of the war.
  • March 31 – Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! opens on Broadway, heralds a new era in "integrated" stage musicals, becomes an instantaneous stage classic, and goes on to be Broadway's longest-running musical up to that time (1948).

Life in the US in 1943

President

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Gas (per gallon)

$0.21

Loaf of Bread

$0.09

Average House

$3,300

Weekly Wage

$36

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1940s

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

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

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →