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FDR signs off on Japanese internment camps.
Japanese aggression across the pacific made many Americans nervous. This caused an increase in tensions toward Japanese Americans. This all culminated in FDR signing an order that required all Japanese Americans to be interned until the cessation of hostilities. Conditions in such camps were often poor and prisoners were treated poorly. -
D-Day
After years of fighting in Europe, the allies prepared for a break through. On June 6th the Allies invaded France by dropping troops at five different beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno
and Sword. Casualties were massive, but the Allies managed to break through and liberate France. -
F.D.R. dies
Franklin Delano Rosevelt had served as president for 12 years, 4 terms. He went to Warm Springs, Georgia to rest and work in relative peace. However, he was struck by a cerebral hemorrhage and died. His vice president, Harry Truman, was sworn into office the same day. He died only a few months before the end of the war. -
Victory in Europe Day
After years of fighting, Allied forced began to close in around Nazi Germany. With the U.S. and Britain on one side and the Soviets on the other, Germany was running out of options. Rather than be held responsible for his actions, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in the style of Hamlet ( Poison and puncture). Despite the closing of one front, the war was far from over. Japan now stood alone to face the full force of the Allied War machine. -
The First Atomic Bomb is Dropped over Hiroshima
The Manhattan Project had successfully created the First atomic bomb, and the U.S. was the only one to possess the super-weapon at the time. Fearing that a land invasion of Japan would cost millions of American and Japanese lives, President Truman decided to release the full might of the most powerful weapon ever created. It took two bombs, the other was dropped over Nagasaki, to bring Japan to its knees. This makes the first and only time nuclear weapons were employed in actual warfare. -
Japan surrenders
After years of fighting and two atomic bombs, Japan could no longer bear the weight of Allied opposition. Japan was the final member of the Axis powers to surrender; marking the end of the 2nd world war. The conflict had claimed millions of lives, and the course of history was forever altered as a result. Later conflicts would come, but for the moment; everything had seemed to turn out all right. -
Israel becomes a country
After Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 A.D; the jewish people were scattered. They experienced great persecution and hardship across the world. After the Holocaust, the Jewish people began to return to Palestine. David Ben-Gurion, a leader for the dispersed Jews, declared the birth of the state of Israel.This would mark the first time in about 2000 years since any Jewish nation existed. The U.S. was quick the recognize the new nation, the surrounding Arab nations were not. -
China falls to Communism
China had been embroiled in conflict for years. The Nationalist party and the Communist party had been wrestling for control of China since the 20's. The outbreak of the 2nd world war brought with it an uneasy ceasefire between parties. However, after the threat of Japan was dealt with, things quickly deteriorated. After years of fighting; the Communist party, lead by Mao Zedong, claimed victory.