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Following Pearl Harbor, American sentiment towards Japanese American and Japanese immigrant turns sour. President Roosevelt signs EO9066 on February 19, 1942, to move these ethnic groups to internment camps for their well being and for the nation's safety. The camps last three years.
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Lasting three days, from June 4 to June 7, 1942, the American Navy defeats Japanese forces near the Midway Islands in the Pacific. Japan responds by invading the American territory of the Aleutian Islands.
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North Africa is a strategic launch point for attacking Axis powers, especially Italy, but is under the control of Vichy France, a nation that is loyal in word the Nazis but secretly has sympathy for the Allies. Within a week, several major ports are under Allied control
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Nazi forces exploit their control of the territory to overrun American troops. Some US soldiers are captured. Military strategy on the American side goes through tactic and equipment changes to better navigate the North African battlefield.
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Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin plan the final attack on Axis forces. The mission is codenamed Operation Overlord and set for June 1944.
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Allied forces invade the beaches of Normandy to regain control of France. Within a couple months, on August 24, the Allies control Paris.
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The G.I. Bill gives veterans benefits including healthcare coverage and paid education.
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Roosevelt defeats Republican Thomas E. Dewey with 432 electoral votes. Roosevelt dies from a heart attack within six months of this election, leaving his Vice President Harry Truman as a successor.
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The winter battle, starting on December 16, 1944, fails to stop the Allied forces pushing towards Berlin.
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Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet again to discuss how to deal with post-war Germany and Europe. A significant issue is Poland's independence, something Stalin is not willing to give. The meeting lasts from February 4-11, 1945.
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Roosevelt dies from a heart attack and leaves his Vice President Truman to finish WWII and post-war negotiations.
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In Reims, France, the unconditional surrender of Germany to the Allies brings an end to the five-year war that claimed more than 80 million lives. The American General and future President Dwight D. Eisenhower accepts the surrender on behalf of the Allies.
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Beginning April 1, 1945, American troops invade Okinawa, a major Japanese stronghold. The victory of the battle on June 21, 1945, opens the way for an attack on Japanse home islands.
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Fifty-one nations ratify the creation of the UN, a multi-country congress focused on keeping world peace and repairing war-torn Europe.
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After 425 of Western-dominance, the Philippines begins a new chapter as a sovereign nation.
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The Commission focuses on developing peaceful uses of atomic energy.
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President Truman asks for $400 million to be poured into Greece and Turkey for support against Communist terrorism and influence.
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The Act places restrictions on certain union practices, like forcing its members to participate in all activities.
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Stalin attempts to curtail the Allied development of West Berlin. Allies responded by airlifting food and supplies to Berliners for over a year.
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Segregation in the United States military becomes illegal.
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With 303 electoral votes, Truman defeats his three opponents: Thomas Dewey, Strom Thurmond, and Henry Wallace.
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Thirteen countries, including the United States and Canada, form an alliance, hoping to deter attacks on any one of the countries by agreeing to retaliate as a group.
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The 11 leaders are charged with planning to overthrow the American government. The Supreme Court affirms the guilt of the eleven on June 4, 1951.
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There are now more than 150 million people in the United States.
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The United States sends troops a few days later to push back the Soviet-supported North Korean army. The war lasts three years.
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The couple is charged with leaking American nuclear research to the Soviet Union. Both are executed on Jun 19, 1951.
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The United States successfully develops then detonates the H-bomb at Eniwetok Atoll, releasing more than 1,000 times the energy than an atomic bomb.
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Eisenhower, a Republican, defeats Democrat Adlai E. Stevenson with 442 electoral votes.
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The American James Watson and British Francis Crick reveal the structure of the genetic code, a major breakthrough in medical science.
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Millions of Americans purchase the late Christmas gift of colored televisions.