1942-1953 Timeline

  • 1st Atomic Bomb

    The development of the first atomic bomb is signed into an agreement between the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • Guadalcanal

    United States Marines land on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in the first American offensive of World War II.
  • Jefferson Memorial

    The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. is dedicated on the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • Tehran Conference

    Conference that settled an agreement by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin about a planned June 1944 invasion of Europe
  • D-Day

    Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of France to begin the World War II invasion of Europe that would lead to the liberation of Paris.
  • Port Chicago Disaster

    The Port Chicago disaster was a deadly munitions explosion that occurred on July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago, California, United States.
  • Battle of Okinawa

    American troops invade Okinawa, beginning the Battle of Okinawa.
  • Sudden Death of Roosevelt

    President Roosevelt dies suddenly; Vice President Harry S. Truman assumes the presidency and role as commander in chief of World War II.
  • Surrender of Germany

    The unconditional surrender of Germany at Reims, France concludes the military engagements of World War II in Europe.
  • U.S gives Philippines Independence

    The island nation of the Philippines is given their independence by the United States.
  • Hiroshima

    President Harry S. Truman gives the go-ahead for the use of the atomic bomb with the bombing of Hiroshima.
  • Nagasaki

    Three days after Hiroshima, the second bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. On August 15, Emperor Hirohito of Japan surrenders.
  • Truman Doctrine

    an American foreign policy whose stated purpose was to contain Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War.
  • Marshall Plan

    Aid extension to European nations for war recovery which would lead to Congressional approval of $12 billion over the following four years.
  • Blockade of USSR

    The Soviet Union begins its land blockade of the Allied sectors of Berlin, Germany.
  • NATO alliance

    North American Treaty Organization, is formed by the United States, Canada, and ten Western European nations. The treaty stated that any attack against one nation would be considered an attack against them all.
  • Korean War

    The Korean War begins its three-year conflict when troops of North Korea, backed with Soviet weaponry, invade South Korea. This act leads to U.S. involvement when two days later, the United States Air Force and Navy are ordered by President Truman to the peninsula.
  • Television

    The inauguration of trans-continental television occurs with the broadcast of President Truman's speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco.
  • First Hydrogen Bomb

    At Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, the first hydrogen bomb, named Mike, is exploded.
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower became the 34th president

    Dwight D. Eisenhower is sworn in as the 34th President of the United States.