Date in year · 1943 · The 1940s

June 1, 1943

On June 1, 1943, bOAC Flight 777 is shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s, killing British actor Leslie Howard and leading to speculation that it was actually an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Margo MacDonald, Richard Smalley, Nikki Giovanni would arrive in the same year.

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1943

1940s

Around 1943

The year in brief

1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1943rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 943rd year of the 2nd millennium, the 43rd year of the 20th century, and the 4th year of the 1940s decade.

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What happened

On June 1, 1943

  1. 1943 BOAC Flight 777 is shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s, killing British actor Leslie Howard and leading to speculation that it was actually an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

    1943 airliner shootdown incident

    BOAC Flight 777 was a KLM flight scheduled as a British Overseas Airways Corporation civilian airline flight from Portela Airport in Lisbon, Portugal to Whitchurch Airport near Bristol, England. On 1 June 1943, the Douglas DC-3 serving the flight was attacked by eight German Junkers Ju 88 bombers and crashed into the Bay of Biscay, killing all 17 on board. There were several notable passengers, among them actor Leslie Howard.

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1943

The class of 1943

Others born in 1943

Margo MacDonald 1943– Scottish journalist and politician (died 2014)
Richard Smalley 1943– American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate in 1996 for chemistry (died 2005)
Nikki Giovanni 1943– American poet, writer and activist (died 2024)
"Superstar" Billy Graham 1943– American wrestler (died 2023)
Colin Baker 1943– English actor
William Calley 1943– American military officer

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