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American forces invade northern France on the beaches of Normandy. To this day the Normandy landing invasions are the largest seaborne invasion in history. 4,414 Allied troops were killed in the process. The result of this invasion was an allied victory, and this victory was one of the leading factors in defeating Germany, as it caused Germany to fight a war on two fronts. -
Democrat Harry S. Truman takes control of the presidency after the death of President Franklin Roosevelt. Truman led the country to the end of the Second World War, making the decision to use atomic weaponry against Japan to steer things to an end. He was a large component in helping rebuilt Europe after the war. He also worked to contain communism and keep it away from the United States especially. Truman led American troops into Korea to aide South Korea in the Korean War.
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The United States of America drop the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, then drop another on Nagasaki three days later. The explosions killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people. The bombings led to the end of World War II one month later. -
The Second World War came to an end when United States General Douglas MacArthur accepted a formal surrender from Japan while aboard the U.S. battleship Missouri. World War II went down as the bloodiest war in the history of history of mankind, as it resulted in the deaths of over 70 million people. -
The Marshall Plan, or the European Recovery Program, is enacted. It was proposed by George Marshall to provide aide to Western Europe following World War II. The United States gave more than 15 billion dollars to help with the rebuilding of the continent. -
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is established. This organization was originally a military alliance between 12 European and North American countries, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, and the Netherlands. NATO is still active today, and has increased to 30 members, adding countries like Spain, Turkey, Slovenia, and Poland. -
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when about 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army went across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the North and South Korea. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. The United Nations troops were unable to make any progress, and a cease fire was agreed to. Talk of peace took two years to actually come into action.
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Soviet premier Joseph Stalin unexpectedly dies of a stroke at 74 years old. Stalin was responsible for the death of 8 to 20 million of his own people, so his death was to the relief of many across the globe.