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Treaty of versailles
The Peace Treaty of Versailles ended the First World War, which was fought between Germany and the Allied Powers -
Benito Mussolini
Fascist Mussolini came to power in Italy. -
Treaty of Mutual Guarantee
Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, France, and Italy signed the Treaty of Mutual Guarantee in Locarno. -
Treaty of Berlin
The Soviet Union and Germany signed the Treaty of Berlin. Germany became a member of the League of Nations. -
The Pact of Paris
The USA, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Japan, Czechoslovakia, and Poland signed the Pact of Paris. -
Japan invades Manchuria
In 1931, the Japanese Kwangtung Army attacked Chinese troops in Manchuria in an event commonly known as the Manchurian Incident. Essentially, this was an attempt by the Japanese Empire to gain control over the whole province, in order to eventually encompass all of East Asia. This proved to be one of the causes of World War 2 -
Hitler came to power
Hitler came to power and formed the Third Reich in Germany. Nazis banned all other parties and burnt books by Einstein, Freud, Thomas Mann, Jack London, Herbert G. Wells, and many others. Germany withdrew from the League of Nations. -
Italy invasion
Italy invaded Ethiopia, and started the Second Italo–Abyssinian War. The Nuremberg Race Laws were issued. -
Germany invasion
In March, Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. In April, Italy invaded Albania. In August, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a secret non-aggression pact. On September 1, Germany invaded Poland. On September 3, Britain, France, New Zealand, and Australia declared war on Germany. That was the beginning of the Second World War. -
Finland surrendered
In March, Finland surrendered to the Soviet Union. Over the next 3 months, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway surrendered to Germany. Italy declared war on France and Britain. In June, France surrendered to Germany. In July, the Battle of Britain began. Italy invaded Egypt and Greece. Hungary and Romania joined the Axis Powers. -
The Pearl Harbor Attack
On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese warplanes attacked the home base of the American Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, drawing the United States into World War II. More than 2,300 Americans were killed. -
Germany declares war on the United States
On this day, Adolf Hitler declares war on the United States, bringing America, which had been neutral, into the European conflict. -
D-Day
June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. -
Battle of the Bulge
In December of 1944, the U.S. turned its attacks to Japanese forces in China. -
Victory in Europe Day
On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Reims, France, to take effect the following day, ending the European conflict of World War II. -
Japan Surrenders
Allied forces solidified their hold in Europe and continued to make gains in Asia as summer began in 1945. -
U.S. Drops Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki, Japan
On Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki. -
Victory over Japan Day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as "Victory over Japan Day," or simply "V-J Day. -
Japan Formally Surrenders
On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in a formal ceremony aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, ending World War II.
