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Japan invades Manchuria
The Japanese established a puppet state called Manchukuo, and their occupation lasted until the end of World War II. -
Japan invades China, initiating World War II in the Pacific.
It was fought over a vast area that included the Pacific Ocean and islands, the South West Pacific, South-East Asia, and in China -
Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact.
Its practical effects were limited, since the Italo-German and Japanese operational theatres were on opposite sides of the world and the high contracting powers had disparate strategic interests. -
US troops halt the Japanese island-hopping advance at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
It was the first major offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor.
was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, in the United States Territory of Hawaii, -
The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II
It was formulated an hour after the Infamy Speech of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Following the declaration, Japan's allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the United States, bringing the United States fully into World War II. -
MacArthur ordered out of the Philippines
After travelling for two days through stormy seas patrolled by Japanese warships, he reached Mindanao. -
Firebombing raids of Tokyo and other Japanese cities begin
was later estimated to be the single most destructive bombing raid in history. -
British and US navies halt the Japanese naval advance in the central Pacific at Midway.
was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. -
Manhattan Project launches
a secret military project created in 1942 to produce the first US nuclear weapon. -
Allied troops conquer Okinawa, the last island stop before the Japanese islands.
was a series of battles fought in the Ryukyu Islands, centered on the island of Okinawa, and included the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War during World War II, the 1 April 1945 invasion of the island of Okinawa itself. -
Trinity test- Atomic Bomb
The test was conducted in the Jornada del Muerto desert about 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Socorro, New Mexico on what was then the USAAF Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range -
USS Indianapolis sunk
She was named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. -
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
the American bomber Enola Gay dropped a five-ton bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. -
The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria.
The rapid defeat of Japan's Kwantung Army helped in the Japanese surrender and the termination of World War II -
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history. -
Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting major operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent.