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Japan invades China
Japan invaded Manchuria after staging the Mukden Incident, where the Japanese initiated a small explosion and blamed it on the Chinese. -
Germany invades Poland
Also known as the September Campaign, the invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union resulted in Axis vicotry and the beginning of World War II. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the first to be fought entirely by air strikes, and it was won by the British against the Germans. -
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite, or Berlin, Pact was a miliary alliance between Italy, Germany, and Japan. -
Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act was a policy initiated by the United States to give aid to Britain and China during WWII. -
Leningrad Blockade
One of the longest most fatal sieges in history, the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) Blockade was a German attack on the Soviet Union that resulted in a Soviet victory. -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise air strike facilitated by the Japanese Navy. This was the catalyst for the US entering WWII. -
Formation of the U.N.
The United Nations was formed in order to encourage international togetherness. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a gathering of senior Nazi officials to insure the cooperation of different branches of the government. -
Battle of Midway
Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated a Japanese naval fleet in the Pacific Ocean. -
German Blitzkrieg vs. the Soviet Union
The German Blitzkrieg, or Lightning War, against the Soviets was a failed attempt to invade Russia during WWII. -
D-Day
The Normandy landings were an Allied invasion of the coast of France, resulting in the deaths of many. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was the second gathering of the leaders of the US, UK, and USSR for the discussion of post-war reorganization. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was an American victory over Japan in which they captured the island of Iwo Jima. -
Hitler's Death
After Nazi military decline, Hitler and his partner, Eva, retreated to his Fuhrerbunker where they married and committed suicide together, Hitler by gunshot and Eva by cyanide. -
V.E. Day
Victory in Europe Day was when the Allies official accepted Germany's surrender. -
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong (or Tse-tung) was the 1st Chairman of the Communist Party of China. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was a gathering of the leaders of the US, UK, and USSR to decide how to punish Germany. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two cities in Japan, were a way for the US to force Japan to surrender. Despite Japanese surrender days after the attack, the connection between the bombings and the Japanese surrender is still disputed. -
V-J Day
V-J Day, also known as Vicotry over Japan Day, is the day on which Japan surrendered. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman doctrine was implemented to help stop communist expansion by the Soviet Union. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an American aid policy which gave $13 billion ($120 billion in today's value) to Europe to help rebuild their economy. -
Formation of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed under the requirement that all members must mutually come to the aid of another member if that member is attacked. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a war between North Korea and US-aided South Korea, resulting in a stalemate and an on-going cease-fire. -
Stalin's death and Khrushchev
After Stalin's heart attack on March 2, he dies on March 5 and Nikita Khrushchev takes over. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was the unification of several communist countries after World War II. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was fought between communist-backed North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam, supported by the United States. It lasted for 19 years until the fall of Saigon in 1975, resulting in a North Vietnamese victory. -
Sputnik
Sputnik 1 was the first Earth satellite, deployed by the Soviet Union and orbiting for 3 months. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The invasion of the Bay of Pigs was a failed attempt to occupy Cuba, ending in a Cuban victory over the CIA. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall divided the Soviet-occupied Berlin and Allied-occupied Berlin and wasdemolished in 1989. -
Cuban MIssile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that almost resulted in a full-on nuclear war. -
Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last president of the Soviet Union before it dissolved in 1991. -
Dissolution of the U.S.S.R.
After Ukraine voted for independence, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine declared the Soviet Union dissolved.
