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Battle of Midway
The United States won a decisive victory against the Imperial Japanese Navy in early June 1942, at Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean. The US cracked the Japanese code and discovered the incoming surprise attack, destroying several Japanese aircraft carriers and crippling Japan for the rest of the war. -
D-Day
Following months of preparation, a coalition of American and British troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, to begin the invasion and liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe. The operation was successful in establishing an Allied foothold, forcing Germany to fight a two-front war once again. -
Death of Franklin D. Roosevelt
After the longest presidential tenure in American history, Franklin D. Roosevelt died suddenly from a stroke on April 12, 1945. He death was greatly mourned, and Vice President Harry S. Truman assumed the presidency. -
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Presidency of Harry S. Truman
Harry Truman, who was selected as vice president for Franklin D. Roosevelt's fourth term, assumed the presidency upon Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945. He managed the end of World War II, was re-elected in 1948 in a shocking upset, and then oversaw the Korean War in the early 1950s. He left office as an unpopular president and was succeeded by Republican Dwight Eisenhower. -
Surrender of Germany
Nazi Germany, surrounded on all sides and now without its leader or capital city, surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945, ending the War in Europe and Nazi rule in Germany. Germany was subsequently divided into four zones, among the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The Soviet zone later became East Germany, while the other zones became West Germany. -
Surrender of Japan
Devasted by two atomic bombs and facing a new invasion by the Soviet Union, the Empire of Japan finally surrendered to the United States and formally signed the terms aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. Japan was occupied for American forces for several years, and transformed into a liberal democracy. -
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Korean War
After World War II, Korea was divided into North Korea and South Korea. North Korea was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Korea was supported by the United States and its Western Allies. North Korea, claiming to seek reunification, invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. The momentum in the war shifted back and forth, with each side cornering the other at different points, but eventually settled into a statement and ended with a ceasefire on July 27, 1953. -
Presidential Election of 1952
Following 20 consecutive years of Democratic presidents, voters were finally ready for change amid Harry Truman's unpopularity late in his term. Republican candidate World War II General Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson in a landslide, becoming the first Republican president elected since 1928.