-
FDR puts an embargo on Japan
In the fall of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt placed an embargo on all scrap iron and steel to all nations except Britain, and western hemisphere countries. Then, on July 26, 1941 FDR put Japan over the edge when he issued an embargo on fuel. The British and the Dutch did the same. This made Japan furious. These acts led to the first homeland attack of any size, ever. -
Pearl Harbor
This was the first attack on American soil, ever. The Japanese brought some major fire power includung: 6 aircraft carriers, 360 planes, and 28 ships. They attacked in two waves; the first was the main attack in which the Japanese targeted the ships, and airfields. The second wave was basically just to finish off what didn't get hit. 2,402 Americans lost their lives, and almost 2,000 more were injured. We had 4 battleships sunk, 2 destroyers, and 11 ships, 188 aircraft destroyed, and 155 damaged -
The U.S.A. Declares War on Japan
"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941-a day which will infamy- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan." President Roosevelt came out with a speech the next day, which is where the quote is from. In the speech he asked congress to declare on Japan. This event stunned all of the American people, similar to my generation's 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centers, Penta gon, and other places. It was truly a horrible attack. -
War Production Board was Formed
This could be the most important reason that the Allied Powers won the war. Basically, what this was, was converting peace-time factories and businesses; to war-time industry. The reason that this was such a game-changer was, now we were producing a lot more products for war, and we were creating tons of jobs for the American people. One of the most important examples of this conversion was, Ford switching from making cars, to producing B-24 bombers. Not having the WPA could have changed the war -
The Invasion on Normandy Beach
The invasion of Normandy Beach was exeuted by some of the bravest soldiers that have ever lived, especially the ones who invaded on Omaha beach. 11,000 planes prepared the way, attempting to destroy German communication and transportation networks. Then the invasion of the beaches started around 6:30 a.m. These invasions were led by Gen. Eisenhower who later became president. The reason this was so important was because, the Allies forced the Axis' to fight a two front war. -
The Battle of Iwo Jima
The battle of Iwo Jima was one of many battles that were fought on the "island hopping" campaign. This specific one was horrific. The Japanese were dug into this 5-mile island that was only 650 miles from Tokyo. This battle took 23,000 thousands of America's best fighters, Marines. This was tough, but we still faced even more difficult challenges ahead. -
The Battle at Okinawa
Just days after a hard-fought battle in Iwo Jima, we stayed aggressive and moved on. This battle was even deadlier than Iwo Jima, it involved 500,000 troops and 1,213 warships, with a 50,000 Americans killed. Although we lost so many people, we won the battle. This battle was key because we could now bomb mainland Japan from this position. Japan was running out of pilots, aircraft, and ammo, so they were hurting. In one specific night, B-29 bombers destroyed 16 square miles of Tokyo. -
President Roosevelt Dies
President Roosevelt was not old at the time, but he had been through so much stress through his time as president, that he basically died of stress. On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt said "I feel a massive pain in the back of my head", turns out he had a stroke, and died in Warm Springs, Georgia. This was an aweful thing for the United States; after the war Stalin ran all over Truman, since he knew he was inexperienced. FDR may have been the best president of all time. -
The Manhattan Project (first atomic bomb test)
Although the Manhattan Project started in 1942, it really started to come into place towards the end of the war. July 16, was just the date of the first atomic bomb dropped, in New Mexico. The two primary leaders of this operation were, General Leslie Groves, and J. Robert Oppenheimer. This project costed several billions of dollars, and was led on by Albert Einstein. It was the building of the first Atomc Bombs, and part of the construction of the bombs was made in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. -
The Atomic Bombs are Dropped and Allies Win
On August 6, 1945 U.S. pilots dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, because of Pres. Truman's decisiveness to save 1 million American lives. Within 2 minutes of the bomb being dropped, it killed 60,000 of Hiroshima's 344,000 people. Then, on August 9, the Soviet Union invaded Manchuria, declaring war on Japan. Then, later that day, the second bomb was dropped on Japan killing an additional 35,000. On September 2, 1945 Japan surrenders, giving the Allies the victory.
