-
The stock market crashed on this day. It is also referred to as Black Tuesday. It is a very significant event because it was the start of the Great Depression.
-
Hitler is put into power. This event is very important because it leads to him attempting to create an empire and causing the Holocaust.
-
Japanese forces enter Nanjing, the then-capital of China. They savagely kill and rape the people. It finally ends in January 1938.
-
Britain and France declare war on the Axis Powers. This marks the beginning of WWII.
-
Congress enacts the first peacetime military draft. This shows the U.S. preparing to enter the war.
-
Japan joins Italy and Germany in the Axis Powers. This marks its start in the war.
-
FDR is reelected for his third time in office. This went against the two-term tradition that had been set by all of the presidents before him.
-
FDR proposes a lend-lease program to Congress. It is about helping Britain by giving it weapons and resources for the war. Congress approves the program.
-
Germany invades the Soviet Union. This violates the Nonaggression Pact that Hitler had signed. It increases tensions between the Allied Powers and Axis Powers.
-
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, a naval base in Hawaii. This was a major point in the war because it caused the U.S. to join the war to go after Japan, and also encouraged them to use the nuclear bomb later on.
-
The U.S. declares war on Germany, Italy, and Japan. They had become very enthusiastic to enter the war after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
-
The U.S. and Japanese forces take part in the Battle of Midway. The idea of island hopping is first used - the idea of going from island to island, conquering each one and then using it as a naval base to conquer the next.
-
The leaders of the Allied nations meet in Tehran to discuss the future of the war. They all agreed to a partition of Germany until "denazification" tookk place.
-
The Allied Powers storm the beach of Normandy, a turning point in the war. This event sets the stage for the Allied Powers winning the war.
-
The Battle of the Bulge was against Germany. The British and American forces moved from the East, while the Russian forces moved from the West. Germany now had two war fronts and the Allies were closing in.
-
The "Big Three" or Stalin, FDR, and Churchill meet to discuss the plans for the end of the war. Germany was surely going to lose the war and so they made plans for the reparations and the U.S. asked for military assistance against Japan.
-
FDR dies from a brain hemmorhage in Warm Springs, Georgia. Truman becomes president in result.
-
Adolf Hitler commits suicide to escape punishment for the war crimes he committed. This leads Germany to its surrender and the eventual Allied Powers victory.
-
Germany surrenders to the Allies after its leader dies. This leaves only Japan on the Axis Powers, helping the Allied Powers become closer to winning the war.
-
The atomic bomb is tested in the New Mexico desert. This allows for the U.S. to see how the atomic bomb works and allows them to use it on Japan later on.
-
The leaders of Russia, Great Britain, and the U.S. meet at the Potsdam conference to talk about policies they want after the war. Truman demanded free elections in Europe, while Stalin disagreed with this. This event shows the rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia.
-
The atomic bomb is used by the U.S. on Japan. It instantly killed about 70,000 people and injured 100,000. This display of force showed the strength of the U.S. and helped recognize the U.S. as one of the leading powers. It also led to Japan surrendering and the end of the war.
-
The U.S. drops a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. This causes Japan to surrender the to Allies and the war to come to a close.
-
Japan surrenders after the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on them. This marks the end of WWII.
-
The Nuremberg Trials begin. These trials were for the Nazi officals who were responsible for horrible war crimes against the Jews and other groups.