-
In 1942 Women were finally allowed to serve in all branches of the armed services. Also, the United States Marines land at Guadalcanal.
-
In 1943 during World War II, 200 thousand German soldiers surrender at Stalingrad.
-
In 1944 Allied forces invade Normandy, known as "D-Day". Allied troops liberate Paris. A German surprise attack begins the Battle of the Bulge. Also, Allied forces push the German troops past the German border.
-
In 1945 Franklin Roosevelt is sworn in as President for a 4th term, and Harry Truman is sworn in as the 34th US Vice President.
-
In 1945 the United States drops the 1st atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Then the United States drops the 2nd atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. As a result Japan unconditionally surrenders to the United States, ending World War II.
-
In 1946 Winston Churchill proclaims "an iron curtain has swept across the continent," beginning the Cold War.
-
In 1949 Harry Truman is sworn in as President for a 2nd term, and Alben Barkley is sworn in as the 35th US Vice President.
-
in 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States.
-
In 1950 the Korean War officially starts as North Korea invades South Korea. North Korean forces take Seoul, and the United Nations declares war on North Korea.
-
In 1953 Dwight Eisenhower is sworn in as the 34th US President, and Richard Nixon is sworn in as the 36th US Vice President.
