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World War II
A global economic crisis gave way to a war that became the deadliest and most destructive in human history--World War II. The war saw industrialized genocide and nearly threatened the eradication of an entire people. Additionally, it also unleashed the most fearsome technology ever used in war. The United States emerged as the world’s greatest superpower. Nazi Germany's attack on Poland and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are seen as the main two event causing the second great war. -
Executive Order 9066
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed his executive order 9066 on February 19, 1942, allowing the United States military to define areas as exclusionary zones. These zones targeted the Japanese, Germans, and Italians. -
The Order for the Withdrawal in the Philippines
On February 22, 1942, President Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines, because U.S. defense was falling. Instead, MacArthur stayed, thinking he could fight the Japanese. This was an inaccurate assumption. On the day of the Pearl Harbor bombing, the Japanese also destroyed almost half of the American aircraft forces based in the Philippines. -
First Nuclear Power During the Manhattan Project
On December 2, 1942, the first nuclear chain reaction is produced at the University of Chicago in the Manhattan Project under the direction of physicists Arthur Compton and Enrico Fermi. -
The G.I. Bill of Rights
G.I. Bill of Rights was established to provide services and benefits to the veterans of World War II. The act put higher education, job training, and home ownership available to many who fought for the liberty of America. -
The Death of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. He died of a hemorrhagic stroke on the twelfth of April that year. . -
The Holocaust Ends
The Holocaust was the World War II genocide of Jews in Europe. Between 1941 and 1945 Nazi Germany murdered, experimented on, and tortured some six million Jews, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. This horrible genocide ended on May 8, 1945, on a day called, "V-Day." -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day, generally known as VE Day, is the day when Nazi Germany surrendered its armed forces to the Allies, marking the end of World War II on May 8, 1945. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, the United States Bombed Hiroshima, a Japanese Island, to bring the war against Japan to an end without mass death from invasion. -
The Bombing of Nagasaki
On August 9, 1945, the United States Bombed Nagasaki, an alternate Japanese Island, to bring the war against Japan to an end without mass death from invasion. Although it was the second of two horrific atomic bombs against Japan, the actions are seen to bring the conflict between the two nations to an end. -
Manhattan Project Completed
The Manhattan Project was the code name for the American-led effort to develop an atomic weapon during World War II. This project was started, because of fears of Nazi Germany producing nuclear power and deploying it on the U.S. It was completed on December 31, 1946. -
The Cold War Begins
The Cold War began in 1947 (the specific date is unknown), after the United States began to see how much of a threat was posed by the Soviet Union. It would last until the fall of the USSR in 1991. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, was a U.S. program that provided aid to Western Europe after WWII. Signed in 1948, this plan provided more than $15 billion to help finance rebuilding efforts on the continent. -
Truman's Upset Election
The presidential election of Harry Truman is considered the greatest election upset in U.S. history. Truman won against Republican Governor Thomas E. Dewey by fighting off counter efforts to thwart his election, winning the presidential nomination at the 1948 Democratic National Convention. -
The Twenty Second Amendment Ratification
The twenty second amendment to the U.S. Constitution ensures that no person can be elected president for more than two, four year terms. It was passed as a reaction to FDR's four-term presidency.
