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Mukden Incident
Japan needed raw materials. They decided to invade Manchuria to get them, but needed an excuse. Some Japanese soldiers disguised as Chinese blew up a Japanes railroad in Manchuria in 1931. This is known as the Mukden Incident. -
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World War II
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Hitler Comes to Power
President Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor in January 1933. After Hindenburg died, Hitler also took the role of president, and combined it with the role of the chancellor. His new title was Fuhrer. -
FDR Inaugurated
Franklin Roosevelt was inaugurated as President in 1933. He led the United States during WWII. He is the only president to serve more than two terms (he served four). -
Hitler Invades Poland
Hitler had been acquiring land for the Aryan race. He had already obtained more land peacefully. Poland was the first country that he forcefully took, in September 1939. -
France Surrenders
France surrendered to Germany in 1940. That left Great Britian pretty much by itself to stop Hitler. France was freed by the Allies in 1944. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States on December 7, 1941. It was on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack brought America into the war. -
Battle of Midway
The US sank 4 Japanese aircraft carriers attempting to attack Midway Island. The battle lasted from June 4-7, 1942, only six months after Pearl Harbor. This gave the Americans naval supremacy in the Pacific. -
D-Day
D-Day was the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944. The Allies landed on five seperate beaches on the French coast. It is still the largest amphibious invasion in the history of the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPU4p7UQOtU&feature=em-share_video_user -
VE Day
Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945. Hitler had killed himself in April of that year. May 8 is called VE Day, for Victory in Europe. -
Hiroshima
President Truman decided to drop an atomic bomb on Japan to save American lives. A uranium bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. They still didn't surrender, so we dropped another bomb three days later. -
Nagasaki
The Japanese didn't surrender after Hiroshima was bombed. Harry Truman decided to drop another atomic bomb (plutonium) on Nagasaki. They decided to give up after that. -
Japan Surrenders
The Japanese finally surrendered on August 14, 1945. It took two atomic bombs to make them quit. It is known as VJ Day, for Victory in Japan.
