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Period: to
The 1940s
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U.S. Congress reintroduces the draft
The U.S. Congress approves the first peacetime conscription draft in anticipaction of possible American involvement in World War 2. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt elected for third term
The election was fought in the shadow of World War 2 as the United States was emerging from the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the Democratic canidate, had broke the tradition and ran for a third term, which became a major issue. -
Lend-Lease Act is approved
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with material between 1941 and 1945. The Act effectively ended the United States' pretense of neutrality. -
RKO Pictures releases Citizen Kane
The story is a film a clef that examines the life and legacy of Charles Foster Kane.
Kane's career in the publishing world is born of idealistic social service, but gradually evolves into a ruthless pursuit of power. Narrated through flashbacks, the story is revealed through the research of a newsreel reporter seeking to solve the mystery of the newspaper magnate's dying word: "Rosebud". -
Mount Rushmore is completed
A sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota.
Mount Rushmore features the heads of four U.S. presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. -
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
*Event that brought the U.S. into World War 2 The attack was intended a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia overseas territories of the UK, the Netherlands and the U.S. -
Executive order 9066 is signed
The order authorized the Secretary of War and U.S. armed forces commandes to declare areas of the United States as military areas "from which any or all persons may be excluded" although it did not name any nationally or ethnic group. -
Battle of Midway
The most important battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War 2. Military historian John Keegan called it "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare". -
Manhattan Project begins
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program by the United States with the United Kingdom and Canada that produced the first atomic bomb during World War 2. -
Detroit, Michigan Race Riots
The rioting between blacks and whites began on Belle Isle on June 20, 1943, and continued until June 22, killing 34, wounding 433, and destroying property valued $2 million. -
D-Day (Operation Overlord)
*Code name for the Battle of Normandy The operation that launched the invasion of German - occupied Western Europe during World War 2 by Allied forces. -
G.I. Bill of Rights signed into law
On June 22, 1944, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 became a law, commonly know as the G.I. Bill of Rights. The law provided a range of benefits for returning World War 2 veterans. Which, were commonly known as G.I.s -
Americans land at Iwo Jima
A major battle in which the United States Armed Forces fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Empire. The American invasion had the goal of capturing the entire island, including its three airfields. -
Harry S. Truman becomes President
The final running mate of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, Truman to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when Roosevelt died after months of declining health. -
Germany surrenders
On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquartes in Reims, France, to take effect the following day, ending the European conflict of World War 2. -
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War 2 in 1945. These two events represent the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date. -
First meeting of the United Nations General Assembly
The first session was convened on January 10, 1946, in the Westminster Central Hall in London and included representatives of 51 nations. -
National Basketball Association of America is founded
(NBA) The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North American. With thirty franchised member clubs, the NBA is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. -
Jackie Robison debuts at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers
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Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War 2 in order to prevent the spread of Soviet Communism. -
President Truman is re-elected
The United States presidental election of 1948 was the 41st quadernnial presidental election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 1948. Incumbent President Harry S. Truman, the Democratic nominee, successfully ran for re-election against Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican nominee. -
NATO is formed
*North Atlantic Treaty Organization The organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by an external party.
