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The Japanese launched two aerial attack waves on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This attack was unexpected by the American people and ended U.S. isolationism.
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Adolf Hitler begins his reign in Germany. Millions of Jews and minority groups are killed within concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Dachau.
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Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto wanted to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet, so the Japanese planned to invade Midway Island. The U.S. Pacficic Fleet learned of the plan and launched a surprise attack, sinking four Japanese carriers.
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After Mussolini is freed, he declares himself the leader of a new government in German-occupied northern Italy. Italy then declares war on Germany.
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160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, and began "Operation Overlord". All of the beaches were conquered during this battle. The Allies lost 3,000 men.
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Four divisions of the U.S. Sixth Army attacked the Japanese at Leyte, an island of the Philippines. At the end of this battle, Japan's fleet was almost completely destroyed, giving Allied naval forces control of the Pacific.
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Just a day after their brief wedding, Adolf and Eva Hitler committed suicide. Hitler was found with a gunshot to the right temple, and Eva had died from ingesting poison. People then began celebrating and planning to escape the Soviets, which didn't quite work out.
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An American B-29 Superfortress dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This attack signaled the end of World War II.
