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The 1940 census shows a United States population of 132,164,569. This would be the lowest growth rate of the 20th century. It represented an increase of 7.3% since 1930. -
FDR wins the presidential election against Wendell Wilkie, making him the first president to serve three terms. -
At 7:55 a.m., the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, begins. As a result of this attack, American troops were inserted into World War II. The United States of America declares war on Japan the next day, formally entering World War II. The United States declares war on Germany and Italy on December 11, 1941, in response to their declaration of war on America. -
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, confining 110,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast, including 75,000 civilians, in resettlement camps. -
The Normandy Invasion, also known as D-Day, happens when 150,000 Allied soldiers, including those from the United States and eleven other Allies, land in France. These troops come from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, and the United Kingdom. -
The G.I. Bill is signed into law, giving benefits to veterans. -
President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and Premier Josef Stalin hold the Yalta Conference in the Soviet Union from February 4-11. -
The unexpected death of president Roosevelt leads to the Presidency of Harry Truman. -
President Harry S. Truman authorizes the use of the atomic bomb. The first bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, and the second bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, three days later. -
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July 26, 1948 - Executive Order 9981, ending segregation in the United States military, is signed into effect by President Harry S. Truman. -
The North American Treaty Organization, is formed by the United States, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. The treaty stated that any attack against one nation would be considered an attack against them all. -
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The United Nations Command, including the United States, and the combatants North Korea and the Republic of China sign an armistice agreement.