1943★★★★★
Bengal famine of 1943
A wartime famine in British-ruled Bengal kills an estimated two to three million people.
Disaster· India, Bangladesh
← Previous year with events: 1942Next year with events: 1944 →View on map →View the whole 20th century
Events this year
July 5, 1943 – August 23, 1943★★★★★
Battle of Kursk
Germany's last major offensive on the Eastern Front fails against Soviet defences in one of the largest tank battles in history.
War· Russia, Germany
Ongoing
1858 – 1947★★★★★
Beginning of the British Raj
After the 1857 rebellion, the Government of India Act transfers rule from the East India Company to the British Crown; the Mughal Empire formally ends.
Politics· India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, United Kingdom
September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945★★★★★
World War II
Germany invades Poland, starting the deadliest conflict in human history, which ends with Japan's formal surrender on 2 September 1945.
War· Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, France, Russia, United States, Japan, China
1941 – 1945★★★★★
The Holocaust
Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murder some six million European Jews, along with millions of other victims.
WarDeath· Germany, Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Czechia, Netherlands, France
September 8, 1941 – January 27, 1944★★★★★
Siege of Leningrad
German and Finnish forces besiege Leningrad for nearly 900 days; around a million civilians die, mostly from starvation.
WarDisaster· Russia, Germany, Finland
August 23, 1942 – February 2, 1943★★★★★
Battle of Stalingrad
The Red Army encircles and forces the surrender of the German Sixth Army, a decisive turning point on the Eastern Front.
War· Russia, Germany