1943

World Events

• Benito Mussolini, leader of Italy, is deposed by a revolt within his own Fascist Grand Council.
• On September 3, Italy is invaded by the Allies. On September 9, Italy surrenders but German forces in the country continue to fight.
• The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, that kept Chinese from legally immigrating to the United States, is lifted.

• The Pentagon, headquarters for the United States Department of Defense, is completed. While this is one of the largest buildings in the world, it took only 16 months from design to finish. Although it has 17.5 miles of corridors, you can walk from any two points in only 7 minutes. Its design features were influenced by the war materials shortage. It features concrete ramps instead of elevators, no bronze doors or copper ornaments, and no extraneous decorations. As many as 33,000 people can work in the Pentagon at one time.
• Swiss chemist Albert Hofman accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic properties of LSD.

San Diego History

• The Military takes over Balboa Park. Museums, such as the San Diego Fine Art Society (San Diego Museum of Art) and the Natural History Museum are closed in order to serve as a hospital ward for the United States Navy. Artists are evicted from the Spanish Village and the public is banned from entering the park.
• Consolidated Aircraft merges with Vultee to become Convair.

Arts

• Painter Piet Mondrian finishes his best known work of art, the painting Broadway Boogie Woogie, now at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
• British sculptor Barbara Hepworth begins creating a series of hollow, wood pieces that combine painting, sculpture, and biomorphic shapes.
• Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre is published.
• Novelist Ayn Rand publishes The Fountainhead, the story of a self-involved architect.

American Life

• Shoe rationing begins in the U.S., followed by meat, butter, cheese, and canned foods. War time rationing forces families to create new recipes. Meat and butter are used sparingly, grains are used to extend their meal. Meatloaf becomes a popular dish. Try an authentic meatloaf recipe today.
• Following the murder of a Mexican-American teenager in Los Angeles, a racially divided riot breaks out. The "Zoot Suit" riots pit the white servicmen against the growing Mexican population.
• Doctors begin to use the Pap Test to screen for cervical cancer.