Born in 1943
Turns 83 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1943
1943 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $30.00Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $30.00
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $30.00
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $30.00
Front Page: United States edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1943 · United States
A little history to go with their gift.
The Gloster Meteor prototype made its first flight, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince appeared in New York, and Betty Smith published A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. These records place an engineering milestone beside two books that brought distinct worlds to readers.
What happened in 1943?
New York Won The 1943 World Series
New York won four games to one and clinched the title with a 2–0 shutout in Game 5 on October 11. St. Louis took Game 2.
Major League Baseball · Sports Reference, Baseball-Reference.com
The American League Won The First Night All-Star Game
The 1943 All-Star Game was baseball’s first played at night at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.
Major League Baseball · Society for American Baseball Research
Penicillin Production Reached A New Scale
U.S. penicillin supplies grew enough to meet Allied military needs by September 1943.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emerging Infectious Diseases · U.S. Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage
Students could not be forced to salute the flag
The Supreme Court ruled that public schools could not compel students to salute the flag or recite the pledge.
United States Reports, U.S. Supreme Court; digitized by the U.S. Government Publishing Office · National Constitution Center
Firsts and new ideas
The Gloster Meteor Prototype Flies
Gloster Meteor prototype DG206 made its first flight at RAF Cranwell on March 5, 1943.
A spring’s walk inspired the Slinky
Richard T. James discovered in 1943 that a spring for stabilizing ship equipment could walk down a shelf, prompting the idea for the Slinky toy.
Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, Rutgers University · Lemelson-MIT Program
Number ones and music in 1943
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Paper Doll topped Billboard’s 1943 sales list
The Mills Brothers’ “Paper Doll” ranked No. 1 on Billboard’s 1943 year-end Best Selling Retail Records list.
Mick Jagger Was Born In 1943
Mick Jagger was born in Dartford, England, on July 26, 1943, decades before the Rolling Stones toured the United States.
Prices and everyday money in 1943
United States figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic first-class letter postage | 3¢ | one ounce letter United States Postal Service Historian; Postal Regulatory Commission |
| Federal hourly minimum (1938 coverage) | 30¢ | per hour, covered workers U.S. Department of Labor; Congressional Research Service |
| Average retail white bread | 8.9¢ per pound | one pound U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Retail Price Division |
| Average retail fresh delivered milk | 15.5¢ per quart | one quart U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Retail Price Division |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1943 turns 83 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
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