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Period: to
January 1, 1940 - December 31, 1949
Timeline of the 1940s -
U.S. Congress reintroduces the draft.
The U.S. Congress approves the first peacetime conscription draft in anticipation of possible American involvement in WWII. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected to his third term as President of the United States.
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Mount Rushmore is completed.
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Lend-Lease Act is approved.
$50 billion given to Britain, Soviet Union, France, and China. -
RKO Pictures releases Citizen Kane.
RKO was famous for musicals. Citizen Kane was the 2nd most famous. -
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Preventive action in order to keep he U.S. Pacific fleet from interfering. -
Executive order 9066 is signed.
Allowed local military commanders to designate military areas from which everyone was excluded. -
Battle of Midway.
Destroyed Japan's naval strength. -
Manhattan Project begins.
Used to explore the isolation of radioactive isotopes and the production of the atomic bomb. -
Detroit, Michigan Race Riots.
Riots in Detroit that took three days for officials to restore order. -
D-Day.
The first invasion of Normandy, France. -
G.I. Bill of Rights signed into law.
Signed in by President FDR; gave returning veterans benefits. -
Americans land at Iwo Jima.
The fighting on Japan's Iwo Jima lasted from February 19 to March 26, 1945. -
Harry S. Truman becomes President.
Vice President Truman becomes President when Roosevelt died. -
Germany surrenders.
After Hitler's suicide, Germany had no options other than to surrender. -
Bombing of Hiroshima.
America drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. -
Bombing of Nagasaki.
America drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. -
First meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
The first meeting of the U.N. was held in London's Central Hall. -
National Basketball Association of America is founded.
Later named the NBA, this association was founded by the owners of the major ice hockey arenas. -
Jackie Robinson debuts at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Showed his speed was a force to be reckoned with. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall plan was created in the summer of 1947 for America to assist Europe financially after WWII. -
President Truman is re-elected.
Defeated Thomas Dewey in the 1948 elections and created "The Fair Deal." -
NATO is formed.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; formed for the defense of Europe and the North Atlantic against Soviet aggression.
