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Japan Invades China
This event initiated World War II in the Pacific. -
Germany Invades Poland
This event initiated World War II in Europe. -
Lend-Lease Act
After committing to help countries that oppose fascism, President Franklin D. Roosevelt led the United States in supplying the World War II allies with war materials. -
Battle of Britain
The World War II air campaign started by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom. -
Tripartite Pact
This was the pact to signify the alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan, collectively known as the Axis Powers. -
Germany Takes Leningrad
On this date, Hitler declared a full scale siege on Leningrad, Soviet Union and received the help of Hungary, Finland, and Romania. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
After gaining confidence from previous victories, the Germans invaded Leningrad and were very successful.However, when moving towards Moscow, the Soviet counterstrike and harsh climatic conditions drove the Germans back. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japan brought in planes to bomb the United States naval ships; this event brought the United States into World War II. -
Formation of the U.N.
This occurred when representatives from twenty-six nations in the war signed the Declaration of the United Nation in Washington. They pledged to use their resources against the Axis powers. -
Wannsee Conference
This was when Nazi officials met in Wannsee to plan the final solution. These new Nazi policies ordered that Jews be deported to Madagascar. -
Battle of Midway
This was a naval battle in which the United States decimated Japan’s major ships and their best pilots. -
D-Day
This was the invasion of Normandy, in which the United States, Britain, and Canada went all around the beachheads of Normandy, France. -
Yalta Conference
This important World War II conference planned the final defeat and recuperation of Germany (included the three Allied leaders). -
Iwo Jima/Okinawa
These two islands were major targets for the United States in that they would provide a close range to Tokyo. The United States were able to gain control of the Pacific leading up to this event. -
VE Day
This occurred when the Germans finally surrendered to the Allies. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Hitler shot himself in the head and drank cyanide shortly after. -
Potsdam Conference
This conference was held by the three Allied leaders to negotiate the terms for the end of World War II. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
Two major cities in Japan are decimated by the newly developed atomic bomb. This event showed the advancements of the United States in the arms race and signified the end of World War II. -
VJ Day
This was the day that Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, which ended World War II. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman passed this doctrine that showed the United States' plan to give military aid and money to Turkey and Greece to prevent them from capitulating to the Soviet Union. -
Marshall Plan
This plan helped rehabilitate countries in Europe after the war, and it also helped prevent the spread of communism. -
NATO
This was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that included Belgium, Italy, Luxemborg, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, the United States, and Canada. It was a military alliance that strived to prevent the spread of communism. -
Mao Zedong and People’s Republic of China
This new government in China was formed by the Communist leader Mao Zedong and established a capital at Beijing. -
Korean War
This conflict occurred between North Korea and South Korea. North Korea was assisted by the Soviet Union; whereas, the United States and the United Nations defended the South Koreans from the northern invasion. -
Stalin’s Death; Khrushchev
Joseph Stalin died on this day, while Nikita Khrushchev was selected as a member of the new Communist Party. -
Vietnam War
This conflict was between the communist government of North Vietnam and the United States backed South Vietnam. -
Warsaw Pact
This was the Soviet counteraction to NATO. -
Sputnik
This was the first orbital satellite to be launched into space. This event caused concern in the United States because of the desire to win the space race. -
Berlin Wall
In response, East Germans fleeing the West side, the Soviet Union built a barrier to close off East Germany’s path to West Berlin. -
Bay of Pigs
John F. Kennedy initiates the Bay of Pigs invasion to send Cuban exiles to the island. This was for the purpose of causing a revolt against Castro; however, the plan failed. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This was a dangerous conflict between Cuba and the United States in which they came close to nuclear warfare. -
Gorbachev
This president of the Soviet Union fought to democratize his country’s political system, which eventually led to the breakup of the Soviet Union. -
Soviet Union Falls
The Soviet Union split into fifteen separate countries and showed the victory of democracy over communism.
