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Great Depression begins
The stock market crashed and people lost everything. On Black Tuesday the stocks dropped as much as 20%. Also many people lost their homes and lived in homeless houses named Hoovervilles. They blamed President Hoover for the depression. -
Japan conquers Manchuria in Northern China
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Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
Hitler is appointed chancellor of Germany after former Chancellor Papen refused to be reinstalled and Schleicher didn’t receive any support from the Reichstag. -
President Roosevelt Inaugurated
At the height of the Great Depression Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president. -
Nuremberg Laws
These laws legally neutralized Jewish citizenship in Germany and her territories. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
German Hitler & Italian Mussolini form the Rome-Berlin Axis. -
Japan Invades China
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Germany Invades Austria
Austria welcomed Hitler with enthusiasm. Germany annexed Austria which was forbidden according the Treaty of Versailles but it still happened. -
British Appeasment of Hitler
The British appeased Hitler to try to prevent a second World War. Britian granted Germany the Sudetenland and a fortified frontier region that contained a large German-speakign population. -
Kristallnacht
The Night of Broken Glass came from Hershel Grynszpan, a 17 year old jewish person living in Paris shot a member of the of the German Embassy. Germany responded by killing 91 Jewish people and destroying 267 synagogues. -
The "Final Solution"
Also known as the Holocaust, Nazis killed more than 14 million people including Jews, Homosexuals, soviets, polish, Yugoslavs, handicapped and gypsies. Nazis would put the people in concentration camps then to gas chambers where they were gassed to death. Then the people were burned. -
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
The Soviet Union and Germany meet 4 days after an economic agreement was signed. This public agreement was that the two countries would not attack each other. The pact was supposed to last for 10 years but it lasted for not even 2 years. -
Germany Invades Poland
Germany Invades Poland using Blitzkieg tactics. This is the start of World War 2. They invade on land and in air. Adolf Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and rule Poland. The Polish Forces were severly under-equipped and tried to take on the Germans. They were defeated with ease. -
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Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were first African-American pilots. They once shot down 3 German planes in 1 day. There was a lot of discrimination in America at the time so it was a miracle that they were able to fly planes in the war. -
Nazi's continue through Europe
Germany invades Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and France -
Battle of Britain
German air force (Luftwaffe) bombs London and other civilian targets in the Battle of Britain -
Japan joins Axis Powers
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Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease was signed in an attempt to stay neutral and not get fully involved in World War 2 in Europe. Roosevelt created the Office of Lend-Lease Administration under the former steel executive Edward R. Stettinius. The U.S. gave aid to China in their war against Japanese forces. -
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie was an inspiration to all women on the homefront. She was stronger than most men and used a riveter. Riveters were big and heavy machines. During World War II women took over mens jobs and did good. -
Germany invades Soviet Union
The Germans invaded the Soviet Union with the largest German military operation of World War II. The Germans invaded the U.S.S.R. just weeks after conquering France. Hitler saw the nonaggression pact signed on August 23, 1939 with the Soviets as a tactical maneuver. -
Japanese forces Attack Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941, the Japanese forces attack U.S. Naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. 2,402 people were killed in pearl harbor including 57 civilians. 250 bombs and 40 torpedoes were dropped during the 110 minute invasion. -
Japanese Internment Camps
Executive Order 9066 removed all Japanese-Americans from the west coast to internment camps. This was because of prejudice that surrounded the Japanese people after Pearl Harbor. -
Bataan Death March
After months of fighting the U.S. and Filipino troops gave up and raised white flags, white t-shirts and whatever other articels of white clothing they had. -
Battle of Midway
This was a decisive battle. The Japanese were on the offensive side of the battle in the pacific. This battle changed the tide of the war for the U.S. advantage -
British forces stop the German advance at El Alamein
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Guadalcanal
The Battle of Guadalcanal became a classic battle in WWII. Guadalcanal took 6 months for the Americans to win over from the Japanese. Japanese ace flyer Saburo Sakai and American Ace Pug Sutherland got into a dogfight where neither won, but Sakai shot down Pug Sutherland. Pug got through enemy teritory and to other Americans. -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan project was a project done by the U.S., U.K., and Canada. It was created to develop the atom bomb. It was created in the fear that Germany and the Axis powers were creating their own. This project cost $2 million USD at the time an estimated $24 billion USD today. It took the best team of scientist ever assembled and over 120,000 Americans. -
Battle of Stalingrad
At The Battle of Stalingrad the mighty German forces were brought down. The rein of victories had come to an end, the Russians had defeated the Nazis. This was a turning point in the war. The Allies had momentum from then on in the war. -
D-Day
The 3 Phase Attack was succesful. The Allies crossed the English channel to France and attacked 5 different beaches from several different angles. This was a huge day in the war because the Nazis were retreating across the board. -
Battle of the Bulge.
This was Htiler's last risk. The Allies were streaking towards Berlin with momentum. With the Battle of the Bulge he hoped to accomplish
A) Gain momentum for the Nazis
B) Split the Allies in half
C) A victory could break up the allies
D) If he could cut off the invasion, he could leave the invading Allies without supplies or food. -
Yalta Confrence
Dubbed the "Big 3" Franklin Delano Roosevelte, Chamberlain, and Stalin decided to meet at a neutral location and chose The Yalta Resort in southern Ukraine. They had this confrence to discuss post-war Europe. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This Battle was a turning point in the Pacific. The Japanese were retreating everywhere and were in a bad position becasue of the island hopping tactics used by U.S. forces. -
Battle of Okinawa
Over 250,000 people lost their lives in this battle. The Americans won but it took a very long time. -
Roosevelt Dies, Truman Becomes President
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Hitler Commits Suicide
Hitler knows he is fighting a losing battle and he will be screwed after the war so he commits suicide. -
Nazis Quit!
Germany surrenders as the allies race to Berlin. The Germans were retreating from all directions and had to give up. -
Formation of the United Nations
50 nations met in San Francisco to discuss a new peacekeeping organization to replace the weak and ineffective League of Nations. All 50 nations ratified the charter, creating a new international peacekeeping body known as the United Nations. President Roosevelt had urged Americans not to turn their backs on the world again before he passed away. Unlike the League of Nations, the United States is a member of the United Nations -
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Potsdam Confrence
Decision was made to put Nazi war criminals on trial, Allied nations held the Potsdam conference to plan the war’s end. -
Atomic Bombs Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The “Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima was the result of $2 million USD at the time of research and testing. The atomic bomb killed 150,000 people in Hiroshima
and 75,000 people in Nagasaki. The first was dropped on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 local time, The second, nicknamed "Fat Man" was dropped on August 9, 1945, at 11:02 AM. -
Over in the Pacific
Japanese officials sign an official letter of surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri, ending World War II -
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Nuremberg Trials
24 defendants, including some of Hitler’s top officials, Hermann Goring was the creator and head of Gestapo (secret police). He was charged with crimes of humanity, 19 found guilty, 12 sentenced to death. People are responsible for their actions even in wartime. -
Tuskegee Photo
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Marshall Plan
Congress approved Secratary of State George Marshall's plan to help build and boost European economies. The United States gave more than $13 billion to help the nations of Europe get back on their feet.
