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The End of The Great Depression
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1st Uranium Atom Spilt
Around the world : A uranium atom was split for the first time at Columbia University. -
Nazi Germany & Soviet Union sign a non aggression agreement
On August 23rd 1939, right before WWII began, a pact between the Germans and the Soviets was signed stating that the two countries would take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. Stalin viewed this as a way to keep peace while building up his military on the brink of a European war. -
World War II Begins
On September 1st 1939 the Germans invaded Poland which initiated WWII. The newly signed German-Soviet Pact allowed Germany to attack Poland with no fear of Soviet intervention. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. -
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World War II
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Declaration of War
Following Germany’s invasion of Poland two days earlier on Sept 3rd 1939, both allies of Poland; France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. Video of Neville Chamberlain (British PM 1939) announcing Great Britain at war with Germany : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtJ_zbz1NyY -
Canada Declares War
As a sign of their independence from Britain, Canada took the issue of war to parliament instead of obliging and going to war at Britain’s side. A week after the war began PM King announced Canada’s Declaration of war on September 10th 1939 -
First Canadian troops set sail for Britain
First convoy of Canadian troops were escorted out of Halifax to Britain on December 10th 1939 by the HMC Ottawa, Restigouche, Fraser and St.Laurent -
BCATP established
The BCATP; British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was established on the 17th of December 1939, beginning in 1940 and all the way through till 1945 this program trained over 131,000 British Airmen (pilots), ½ of the commonwealth’s aircrews . Mackenzie King thought this would be a strategic way of keeping Canada’s involvement in the war limited and at home, however this didn’t work for long. -
Vancouver shipyards
In April shipyards in Vancouver began to gear up and start building corvettes and minesweepers in preparation for the Battle of the Atlantic. The Battle of the Atlantic was the ongoing struggles to control the shipping route across the Atlantic Ocean for the entirety of the war. -
Quebec Women
Back home, on April 25 1940, women in Quebec were granted the right to vote, making them the last province in Canada to do so by 22 years. -
Nazi & Facist groups declared illegal in Canada
As the war worsened Canada declared on May 6 1940 that all Fascist, Communist and Nazi groups were now illegal in Canada and the leaders of which were to be arrested -
National Resources Mobilization
On May 21 1940 the Canadian Government passed an act enabling them to do whatever was necessary to help the war effort, this was amended in 1942 to allow for the conscription of able-bodied men to fight overseas. Many Canadians were not happy with this as King had previously made a promise of no conscription years before. -
Signing of the Odensburg Agreement
On August 17th 1940, the Odensburg Agreement was signed between Mackenzie King (PM of Canada) and Franklin Roosevelt(USA President). The agreement was a permanent plan for mutual defense overseas between the two countries. -
Neil Diamond's Birthday
On January 24th 1941 in the Brooklyn New York, Neil Leslie Diamond was born to loving parents Rose and Akeeba Diamond. Neil grew up in a Jewish household with parents who had immigrated to the United States from Poland and Russia. One summer young Neil headed off to “Surprise Lake Camp” a Jewish summer camp and after a concert one night, he fell in love with the idea of songwriting. -
The Hyde Park Declaration
The Hyde Park Declaration was signed on March 20th 1941 to allow American made war materials made in Canada, for Britain, to be included in the Lend-Lease agreement (an act to promote the defense of the USA). -
Canadian Govn't Allows Women to Enlist
In June of 1941 Legislation was passed by the Canadian Federal Government allowing women to enlist in the army, they were still only used for auxiliary with jobs like cooks, hospital assistants, telephone operators and mechanics but nonetheless a step forward. -
Pearl Harbour
On Dec 7th 1941 The Japanese bombed the U.S military base of Pearl Harbour in Oahu, Hawaii. Over the course of 2 hours the Japanese destroyed 300 american airplanes, 20 naval vessels including 8 battleships, causing over 3000 casualties. One day later on Dec 8 President Roosevelt declared war on Japan. -
Canada Uses War Measures Act Against Japanese
On Feb 26 1942 Canada gave into fear and became racist, interning all Japanese-Canadians as part of the Wars Measures Act which gives the government the power to legally detain people without laying charges. The Japanese-Canadians who were victims of this lost everything they owned and had worked so hard for, they were taken from their homes, families were separated and shipped out to internment camps where they would spend their days growing sugar beets. -
Japan Invades New Guinea
Japan invaded New Guinea on March 8th 1942. New Guinea was allied with the British Empire, which resulted in heavy defeat for Japan. 97% of Japanese death was due to non-combat reasoning's. -
Germans Regain Kharkov
The Germans regained Soviet city in Kharkov on March 18th 1942 and there were 3 battles following with the Soviets, ultimately resulting in the Soviets recapturing the city in 1943. -
Operation Jubilee
Operation Jubilee was code name for an allied attack on the German port of Dieppe. The troops in this battle were predominantly Canadian. This event has been called the Dieppe Raid, the Battle of Dieppe, or Operation Rutter. It resulted in German victory. -
Warsaw Uprising
April 19th 1943, the Warsaw Uprising begins between the Polish Jews as they rebel and the German Nazis to prevent more Jews from being sent to concentration camps. Also known as the Ghetto Uprising. -
Mussolini Arrested
On July 25th 1943, Benfito Mussolini (the fascist dictator of Italy) got arrested after King Vittorio Emanuele tells him that the war is lost. -
U-757 Sunk
HMCS Camrose (Canadian (CAMROSE ALBERTA!!!) ) and HMS Bayntun (American) sank German Submarine U-757 in North Atlantic near Iceland on January 8th 1944. -
Liberation of Dieppe
On September 1st 1944 the Germans were quick and wise enough to flee French port of Dieppe and Canadians symbolically celebrated and reclaimed their dead from over 2 years prior. This was the Liberation of Dieppe. -
WWII Concludes
September 9th 1944 WWII ends with Japan’s surrender. All of the axis powers unconditionally surrendered, though the war did not formally end for a few weeks after these events. -
Liberation of Arnhem
On April 14 1945 Liberation of Arnhem, also called the second battle of Arnhem, took place where the Netherlands western allies tried to Liberate the Netherlands after 2 days of fighting. This resulted in an allied victory. -
Signing of the Charter of the United Nations
On June 26 1945 in San Francisco the Charter of the United Nations was signed by Canada and 50 other nations from around the world to ensure that something like this war would never happen again. Committing to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights across the world. -
Atomic Bombs Dropped on Japan
During the days of August 6th to 9th 1945 the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki completely destroying everything within a 1 mile radius, this was the final stage of World War II. Killing over 130,000 people this is the only act of nuclear warfare ever in history. If the death toll wasn’t enough already thousands died years later of Cancer due to the radiation from the bombs.
