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Invasion of Poland
The German Nazis invaded Poland, marking the beginning of World War II. This invasion also resulted in France and the United Kingdom declaring war on Germany because the two nations had pacts with Poland. This ended on October 6, 1939. -
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World War II
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Battle of the Atlantic
This battle was the longest one during WWII as it ended until May 8, 1945. In this battle, the German U-boats and warships were in conflict with the Allied powers. Germany was also trying to prevent the build-up of food and materials in the United Kingdom. -
Moscow Peace Treaty
Finland signed a peace treaty with the Soviet Union. This treaty marked the end of the Winter War and also, Finland gave up some of its territory, but kept its independence. -
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite (Axis) Pact was signed by Italy, Germany, and Japan to ensure that they would cooperate with eachother for the next ten years. -
Lend-Lease Act
President Roosevelt signed this act to help countries such as China, United Kingdom, and other allied nations. The purpose of this act was to aid other nations with war materials. $50.1 billion (at the time) was the total of worth of supplies sent to the countries receiving American aid. -
First Use of Gas Chambers
Gas chambers were used by the Nazis to kill large amounts of Jews and others. Gases, such as carbon monoxide, were put into the chambers to asphyxiate anyone in the chambers. Many of the chambers were destroyed, but some are still standing. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan attacked the American naval base, Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. This event was the cause for America to declare war on Japan. A famous slogan was created after this attack, "Remember Pearl Harbor," which motivated the U.S. during this time of war. -
Treblinka
Treblinka, an extermination camp, was opened. Also, the first deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto to concentration camps occured on this day. Around 850,000 people were killed on this in this camp, more than 800,000 being Jews. -
D-Day
160,000 allied troops landed on a heavily-protected coastline in Normandy, France, to fight Nazi Germany. This is the largest single-day amphibious invasion ever because 130,000 troops landed on the coastline. Because the Germans failed to defend and control Normandy, this event marked the beginning of the end of Germany. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
This was the first of two bombings on Japan by the United States during WWII. At around 8 in the morning, the Enola Gay was flying over Hiroshima and dropped the bomb, instantly killing around 30% of the population. This bombinig also destroyed around 69% of the buildings and damaged less than 10%. Also, this and the bombing on Nagasaki forced Japan to surrender on August 15, 1945.
