-
Germany Invades Poland
On September 1st, 1939, Germany invades Poland. This attack takes less than a month. Because Hitler signed an agreement not to take over anymore land and did, France and Britain declared war on Germany. -
Period: to
World War II
-
Peace Demonstraion
On September 3rd, 1939, people of all faiths joined together on a peace demonstration as Britain declared war on Germany. This dempnstration was held at local county fair. Many people attended this event. -
France Surrenders to Germany
France surrendered to Germany on June 22nd, 1940. They surrendered by signing an armistice with Germany. -
Highland Park Zoo
On June 28th, 1940, the Highland Park Zoo was reopened. The zoo had been completly redone. -
Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor
On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. This was on of the major naval bases for the U,S. It is suppose to be a surprise attack but how can it be when Japan is so far from America? -
Men Enlist
On December 8th, 1941, 12,000 young men enlisted in the army. Many did this becuase of the attack at Pearl Harbor. This is the highest number of men who enlisted in one day in Pittsbrugh history. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway took place on June 4th, 1942. This battle was the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign. The U.S. navy defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy at Midway Atoll. It is know as the "biggest blow in naval history." -
Blackout
On June 8th, 1942, Pittsburgh held its first blackout practice. The reason for this was that if we were to be bombed, there would be no electricity. This was a good thing for the city to practice. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
At the Battle of Stalingrad took place between July 17th, 1942 and February 2nd, 1943. This is the battle that Germany fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad. -
United Steel Workers
On July 17th, 1942, the United Steel Workers' wage committee meeting was held at the William Penn Hotel. They accepted a 44-cents-a-day wage increase. This was granted by the War Labor Board to employees of "Little Steel" firms. -
D Day
D Day was on June 6th, 1944. On this day, Allied troops arrived on a French coastline heavily guarded by Nazi forces. There was more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 airplanes helped in D Day. Gerneral Dwight D, Eisenhower said that "they would accept nothing less than a victory." -
Westinghouse Rally
On June 8th, 1944, there was a mass rally outside Westinghouse. This rally went agianst the no stirke law. There was over 20,000 employees at the strike. -
Pittsburgh Gives Money
On August 7th, 1944, a survey showed that war contracts in Pittsbrugh district plants were completed to date or underway. This totaled to $9,398,644, with $322,000,000 going to the front lines. This is means they were doing very well. -
Allies Liberate Paris
On August 19th, 1944, the allies liberated, or freed, Paris. This liberation lasted until August 25th, 1944, when Germany surrendered. -
Snow
On December 11th, 1944, many downtown, Christmas shoppers were stuck in a 15-inch snowfall. All hotels were full forcing the lobbies to act as shelter. Schools, mills, and other activities were closed for 2 days. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was fought between December 16th, 1944 and January 25th, 1945. This was a major offensive battle for Germany that they launched towards the end of the war. It also was the largest battle America faught in World War II. -
Highest Paid Educator
On February 16th, 1945, the nation's highest paid educator Dr. John G. Bowman resigned. He was the chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh for 15 years and was paid $31,500 a year. Dr. Rufus H. Fitzgerld was designated his successor. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima took place from February 19th to March 26th, 1945. This is the battle where the U.S. fought for Iwo Jima. The U.S. won this battle with on of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Campaign. -
FDR Dies, Truman Becomes President
Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12th, 1945. He died of a stroke at the age of 63. Harry Truman becomes the President of the United States on the exact day. -
Everything Closed
On April 12th, 1945, schools, city and county governments, business, and other ativities were suspended. All churches scheduled special prayer services for FDR's death. Mayor Scully asked all amusement places to close for mourning. -
War Artifacts
On April 24th, 1945, State Museum and State Archives were given artifacts used in WWI. Some of these were also used in WWII. These artifacts included flamethrowers and pictures/modles of U-Boats. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
On April 30th, 1945, Hitler commits suicide by gunshoot and cyanide poisoning. No one is really sure if this is exactly sure if this is exactly sure how he killed himself. There is also no idea to where the corpse of his corpse is located or if he possibly lived through WWII. -
VE Day
VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, was on May 8th, 1945. This was the day the allies accepted the "unoffcial" surrender of the Nazi forces. The formal surrender was not until May 9th, 1945. -
Carefully Listening
On May 8th, 1945, Pittsburgh and the rest of the counrty listened to President Truman announce over the radio that the war was over in Europe. Everyone was excited knowing that the war was coming to a complete end. -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima
On August 6th, 1945, the U.S. dropped a bomb named "Little Boy" on Hiroshima. This was one of the two active deployments of nuclear weapons in the war. -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki
On August 9th, 1945, the U.S. bombed Nagasaki with a bomb named "Fat Man". Commander Major Charles W. Sweeny led the attack. Over 80,000 people dies from the bombing either immediatly or after time. -
Russia Visits
On August 9th, 1945, Russian leades cam to visit the districts steel mills. This was an important day for Pittsburgh as the leaders toured the mills to see what we do with it. -
VJ Day
VJ Day, or Vicotry over Japan Day, was on August 15th, 1945. This is the day Japan surrendered and officially ended WWII. The formal surrender ceremony was on September 2nd, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan. -
Huge Layoffs
On August 17th, 1945, there was big layoffs in Pittsurgh. Over 7,000 people were layoff becuase of the cancellation of war contracts.