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Great Depression Begins
During two-month period, stocks on the New York Stock Exchange went from being worth a lot of money to being worth almost nothing. On October 29, the worst day of the crash, millions of ordinary America citizens lost so much money they could no longer afford goods and everyday products. -
Japan conquers Manchuria in northern China
This Japanese invasion began when Manchuria was invaded by the Kwantung Army of Japan shortly after the Mukden Incident. Their control lasted until the end of WW2, during which the Japanese created a puppet state. -
Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
Hitler was appointed by Von Hindenburg to head of a short-lived coalition government formed by the NSDAP and the DNVP. Hitler began using his current political position to gain control over Germany’s police forces. -
Roosevelt first elected president
March 4, 1933 – Roosevelt was elected for his first term as America’s 32nd president. He worked on boosting public confidence and communicating directly to the public. During this term, he created both the New Deal and his Second New Deal. -
Nuremberg Laws
These laws were designed to isolate the Jewish people in Germany politically and take away their rights. They took away Jewish citizens’ rights, both politically and socially. -
Hitler & Mussolini form the Rome-Berlin Axis
Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini formed the Rome-Berlin Axis. This was the first alliance to impact WW2. -
Japan invades China
Japan invaded Manchuria, China in hopes of gaining access to new supplies and resources. Over time, Japan would continue to launch attacks on China. -
Germany invades Austria
Germany invaded Austria after a Nazi Austrian gained power. As Hitler marched into Austria, he was surprised to find that huge crowds cheering and welcoming the Germans. -
The Nazis implement the “Final Solution
This plan was put into action a short time before World War 2 officially started. The Nazis believed that the Jewish and other minorities were “racially inferior”, and that they did not deserve to live. During this plan, many Jewish and other minorities were forced to concentration camps, where most were either gassed, burned, or worked to death. -
Kristallnacht
This was an attack on all Jewish businesses that damaged Jewish properties. It was designed to show the inferiority of the Jewish and ruin their lives. -
Germany & Soviet Union have a nonaggression pact
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Germany invades Poland
This was the first believed beginning of World War 2. Germany easily captured Poland, and began to think of another offensive attack. -
Britain's appeasement of Germany
Britain signed the Munich Agreement, granting Germany the ability to stock unchecked weapons and gain Sudetenland. Britain hoped this would avoid another world war, but was quickly proven wrong. -
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Germany invades Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and France (Vichy France)
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Japan joins the Axis powers
Japan joined the Axis by signing the Tripartite Treaty. This officially made Germany, Japan, and Italy allies -
German air force (Luftwaffe) bombs London and other civilian targets in the Battle of Britain
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Lend-Lease Act
Both houses of Congress signed the Lend-Lease Act in hopes of helping their British Allies rebuild their military forces. This bill allowed America to manufacture, sell, lease, transfer, exchange, and lend weapons and supplies to Britain. -
Tuskegee Airmen
This is a group of African-American pilots who fought during World War Two. During the war, the Tuskegee Airmen helped America capture many Italian islands, along with some Japanese and German areas. -
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter was a symbol of the American women who worked in factories during World War 2. Many women left their traditional jobs from inside the home and began to work in factories in hope of assisting the war effort. -
Germany invades the Soviet Union
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Pearl Harbor
On this day, Japanese air forces bombed Pearl Harbor, a Hawaiian island, in hopes of keeping America out of the war. However, this day that “shall live in infamy” was said to be the event that brought America into the war. -
Japanese-American incarceration
America began to force anybody with a Japanese background to move to internment camps. These camps safely contained the Japanese, since it was feared they would work against America -
British forces stop the German advance at El Alamein
British forces, along with Australian, Indian, South African, New Zealanders, and French soldiers, successfully held back German assaults at El Alamein. Rommel, one of Germany’s commanders, continuously led attacks on British forces on the Egyptian border, but failed to make any further progress. -
Manhattan Project
American scientists and physicists began a project team in hopes of beating Germany in creating an atomic bomb. It was a top-secret government project that was created to develop the atomic bomb. -
Bataan Death March
Once Japanese forces managed to capture the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines, they began to capture American and Filipino troops. Once captured, these 70,000 troops were forced to walk more than 65 miles to a prison camp. However, more than 10,000 died along the way due to starvation, beatings, or shootings. -
Battle of Midway
On this day, American forces attacked Japanese forces on the island of Midway. It was a major American victory over Japan that proved to be the turning point of the war. -
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Guadalcanal
U.S. Marines marched ashore this Japanese island and engaged in six months of bitter fighting. It was the first American land victory over the Japanese. -
German forces surrender at Stalingrad
German forces attacked the Russian city, but failed to capture it and were forced to surrender. It was a Soviet city where the German army was forced to surrender after they fought for months and suffered terrible winter conditions. -
Guadalcanal
U.S. Marines marched ashore this Japanese island and engaged in six months of bitter fighting. It was the first American land victory over the Japanese. Not Actual Date -
D-Day
On this day, more than 150,000 Allied soldiers entered Normandy in northern France. This was the largest seaborne invasion in history, and the Allies eventually secured the city. -
Battle of the Bulge
On this day, more than 150,000 Allied soldiers entered Normandy in northern France. This was the largest seaborne invasion in history, and the Allies eventually secured the city. -
Yalta Conference
On this day, Allied leaders met in the Soviet resort in Yalta to make plans for the end of the war and the future. The “Big Three”, Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt, attended the conference. -
Iwo Jima
U.S. forces landed on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. This was part of their “island hopping” scheme in hopes of reaching the Japanese mainland. -
Okinawa
U.S. forces landed on the Japanese island of Okinawa. They were slowly getting closer to the Japanese mainland, and started securing more land. -
Roosevelt dies, Truman becomes president
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Allied forces advance on Berlin, Germany surrenders
The Allied forces surrounded Hitler at Berlin, Germany. Hitler refused to surrender, and instead committed suicide on April 30. -
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Formation of the United Nations
50 nations met in San Francisco to discuss a new peacekeeping organization to replace the weak and ineffective League of Nations. -
Formation of the United Nations
All 50 nations ratified the charter, creating a new international peacekeeping body known as the United Nations
President Roosevelt had urged Americans not to turn their backs on the world again
Unlike the League of Nation, the United States is a member of the United Nations -
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Potsdam Conference
Allies held the Potsdam Conference to plan the war’s end. The decision was made to put Nazi war criminals on trial. -
Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki
American forces, after creating the atomic bomb, wish for Japan to surrender after it was surrounded. When they refused to do so, an atomic bomb was unleashed on the industrial city of Hiroshima. When they refused to surrender still, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. -
Japanese officials sign an official letter of surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri, ending World War II
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Nuremberg Trials
Included 24 defendants, including some of Hitler’s top officials. Hermann Goring was the creator and head of Gestapo (secret police). The defendants were charged with crimes against humanity. There were 19 found guilty, with 12 being sentenced to death. People are responsible for their actions, even in wartime. -
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Marshall Plan
Congress approved Secretary of State George Marshall’s plan to help boost European economies. The U.S. gave more than $13 billion to help the nations of Europe get back on their feet.
