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FDR signs the 1937 Neutrality Acts, banning travel on foreign ships, the sale of arms with foreign powers, and issuing an embargo with warring nation.
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Kristallnacht ("the night of broken glass") is started. Thousands of Jewish establishments are damaged and 26,000 are sent to concentration camps.
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No official start date
The United States begins work on nuclear bombs. Top scientists are gathered in South-West United States to begin research. -
Germany invades Poland and officially starts WWII.
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The US merchant ship, the Robin Moor, is sunk by German torpedos. President FDR declares it a national emergency.
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The Japanese invade and attack the Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i. This is when America was drawn into WWII. This killed 2500+ people, wounded 1000+, and destroyed 18 battleships and nearly 300 aircraft.
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The United States offiically enters WWII shortly after the Pearl Habor attack. The US declares war on Germany, Italy, and Japan, making them an Allied Power.
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The Axis Powers declare war on the United States, the US responds by declaring war on Germany and Italy.
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The United States invades Tokyo and other important Japanese cities. 3 were killed and 8 were captured and later executed.
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No official date
We Can Do It! or Rosie The Riviter posters, created by J. Howard Miller, are released to increase female involvement in WWII. -
Combined US and British forces land on the beaches of Sicily. By mid-August, Allied Powers control the island.
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The Allied Powers land on 5 beaches at Normandy, France in a battle against Nazi Germany.
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US troops, along with other Allied troops, land on the beaches of Normandy, France. This was part of Operation: Overlord. 63,360 were either killed or injured in this attack. My Great-Grandpa Manenti fought in this battle.
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The US lands on Iwo Jima, a volcanic island south of Tokyo. US troops take the island and raise an American flag on top of Mount Surbachi.
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The United State and Japan fight at Okinawa, Japan. 12,513 Americans were killed and 38,916 were injured. This was one of the last battles between the United States and Japan during WWII.
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President FDR suffers from a cerebral hemorrage and dies. Harry Truman is sworn in as President.
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Germans surrender in several main battle points in Europe. The end of WWII is celebrated in the USA and Great Britain.
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The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by Japanese and sunk in 12 minutes. Survivors were spotted by aircraft several days later on August 2nd.
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The Enola Gay (piloted by Paul Tibbets) drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Eighty-thousand citizens were killed.
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The United States drops a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Over forty-thousand citizens were killed.
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The Japanese government formally surrenders on the USS Missouri. Victory over Japan was celebrated in the United States.
