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Japan’s invasion of China
Also known as the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese invasion of China followed the First Sino-Japanese war in which Japanese forces sought to continue expansion and control over Chinese mainland. -
Germay Invades Poland
Germany using Blitzkreig, along with the Soviet Union and other Slavic countries invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. This invasion caused Great Britan to bomb raid Germany three days later. -
Battle of Britan
During WWII and after the fall of France, the Battle of Britan was the succcessful defense of Britan against the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) by the Royal Air Force. It help led to the eventual defeat of the German. -
Tripartite Pact
A pact signed between Japan, Germany, and Italy to protect each other militarily, politcally, and economically that created th Axis Powers. -
Lend Lease Act
A program by the US that lent wartime materials and aid to Great Britain, Soviet Union, France, China, and other Allied nations during World War II and nine monthes before the US joing the war. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
German forces invaded the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941 and wanted to use Blitzkrieg of lightning war to take over Moscow by October. This attack destroyed many Soviet cities and almost took over Moscow. -
Germany takes Leningrad
On September 19, 1941, German forces broke through Soviet antiaircraft defenses and sieged on the city of Leningrad which lasted 872 days. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japanese air attack on the U.S. navy base on Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, that caused the U.S. to join the Allied forces in World War II. -
Formation of the UN
The fomation of the UN was when 26 nations signed the Declaration of the United Nations and agreed to use their resources against the Axis powers and not make a separate peace. -
Wansee Conference
A conference held in Wannsee in which Nazi officials and administrative officials discussed the final solution to deport Jewish people to Poland and exterminate them. -
Battle of Midway
A US navy win over Japan and turning point in the war in the Pacific. -
D-Day
The carefully planned suprise Allied invasion by air and water on the beaches of Normandy (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword) during WWII that resulted in the liberation of western Europe from Nazi control. -
Potsdam Conference
Conference in Postsdam, near Berlin, between the Allied forces: U.S. President Harry S. Truman, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchhill. They discussed peace settlements in Europe including administration of Germany, war reparations, Japan, borders of Poland, occupation of Austria, and the role of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe. -
Yalta Conference
Major WWII meeting in Yalta, Crimea between the Allied forces: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, and Great Britan Prime Minister Winston Churchhill to discuss the final occupation and defeat of Germany. -
Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Iwo Jima or Operation Detachments was a major battle between the US and Japanese forces for control of the Iwo Jima Island. It was a major American defeat with large casualties for everyone. The Battle of Okinawa was a battle between the US and Japanese forces on the Ryukyu Islands. -
Hitler's Suicide
Hitler and his wife commited suicide by swallowing cyanide pills and shoting himself in the head after he heard news that Russian forces were about to take over the city and arrive at his bunker. -
VE Day
The day in which Hitler's army offically surrendered to the Allies and the war was over in Europe. -
Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
An atomic bomb on each city was dropped by B-29 planes on Japanese cities Hiroshima nad Nagasaki, thus killing thousands of civilans and wipping out the cities. Emperor Hirohito surrendered on August 15, 1945. -
VJ Day
The day in which Japan unconditionally surrendered to the Allies. -
Truman Doctrine
A foreign policy made by President Harry S. Truman that established that the US would provide political, military and economic help and assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal forces. -
Marshall Plan
A successful US sponsored program to help European countries recovery economically after WWII. It provided democratic instituitons and other aid. -
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Also called the Atlantic Alliance, the NATO or North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance created by the North Atlantic Treaty by the United States and some European countries. This alliance sought to create an alliance that could counterweight the Soviet Union militaries in central and eastern Europe. -
Mao Zedong and the People’s Republic of China
On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong offically proclaimed himself the head of state and pronounced the creation of the People's Republic of China. -
Korean War
The war that resulted after communist North Korea invaded South Korea past the 38th parallel in which the US helped South Korea fight against North Korea which was supported by China and the Soviet Union. -
Stalin’s death; Khrushchev
After Stalin's death on March 5, 1953, Nikita Khurshchev, a loyal supporter of Stalin, replaced Georgi Malenkov and eventually became premier of the Soviet Union. -
Vietnam War
War fought between Communist North Vietnam, which was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other pro-communist countries, and South Vietnam which was supported by the United States and other anti-communist countries. -
Warsaw Pact
A pact made between the Soviet Union and seven of its European satellites that assured mutual protection of each other in case of military attack. -
Sputnik
The 10 artifical space satellites lauched into space by the Soviet Union during the start of the space age. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
An invasion by U.S. CIA sponsored anti-Fidel soldiers on Cuba in which the attackers were either killed or captured. This event led up to the Cuba Missle Crisis between the US and Cuba/Soviet Union. -
Berlin Wall
A cold war divison wall that separated Soviet controlled East Germany and democratic West Germany, It prevented East Germans from crossing to West Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
An intense situation during the Cold War between the US and Cuba and Soviet Union. It led to the agreement in which the Soviet Union agreed to remove nuclear missiles in Cuba, and the US agreed not to invade Cuba. -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last General Secretary of the Soviet Union who implemented radical reforms but could not effectively revitalize the Soviet Union ecnomy. The fall of the Soviet Union followed his resignation from office. -
Soviet Union Falls
After 11 Soviet republics declared themselves independent from the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union fell and Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev resigned.
