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Germany invades Poland
September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. -
Great Britain declares war on Germany
Thousands of persons of all faiths, attending the county fair, joined in a peace demonstration. They all watched as Great Britain declared war on Nazi Germany. -
Industrial leaders meet with Public Officials
Industrial leaders met with public officials. They need to plan mobilization of Pittsburgh district resources for the nation's $5,000,000,000 defense program. -
France Surrenders to Germany
France surrendered on June 22, 1940. These victories persuaded Benito Mussolini of Italy to join the war on Hitler's side on June 10, 1940. -
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
On Sunday morning on December 7, 1941, the Japanese shocked the world by bombing the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This attack was the turning point for America and for the War. -
Pittsburgh in Shock over Pearl Harbor
Pittsburgh was shocked over the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
On June 8, 1941 More than 1200 Pittsburgh young men volunteered for enlistment in the armed services in one day. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway, fought near the Central Pacific island of Midway, is considered the decisive battle of the war in the Pacific. Before this battle the Japanese were on the offensive, capturing territory throughout Asia and the Pacific. By their attack, the Japanese had planned to capture Midway to use as an advance base, as well as to entrap and destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet. -
Blackout Practice
The first Blackout practice was on June 8, 1942. This was a practice so the people would know what a real blackout was like. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad took place between July 17, 1942 and February 2, 1943. Stalingrad was known as Tsaritsyn until 1925 and has been known as Volgograd since 1961. -
United Steel Workers Wage Policy commitee meeting
United Steel Workers' wage policy committee, meeting at William Penn Hotel, accepted a 44-cents-a-day wage increase granted by War Labor Board to employees of "Little Steel" firms. -
D Day
June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. -
No-Strike Pledge for Westinghouse
In a mass rally outside the East Pittsburgh plant, 20,000 employees of Westinghouse reaffirmed a no-strike pledge for duration of the war. And on July 13 the fifth War Loan went $5,000,000 over the $334,914,500 quota for the 19-county Western Pennsylvania area. -
Allies Liberate Paris
On August 25, 1944, when the Americans finally broke out of the Norman hedgerows and were on the move, many inhabitants who had left Paris hurried back to the city. The Americans had been bogged down far from Paris for far too long. Now they were on their way and the Parisians hastened to return. -
Governor Thomas E. Dewey
Governor Thomas E. Dewey, of New York, Republican candidate for president, in a pre-election address at Hunt Armory in Pittsburgh, charged the New Deal with having "turned collective bargaining into political bargaining." While in the city he conferred with top union representatives of 65,000 coal miners in Western Pennsylvania. -
15 inch snowfall
Thousands of Monday night Christmas shoppers were stranded Downtown by a 15-inch snowfall. All hotels were filled to capacity and lobbies were pressed into service as shelter; mills, schools, and many other activities were forced to suspend for two days. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge started on December 16th 1944. Hitler had convinced himself that the alliance between Britain, France and America in the western sector of Europe was not strong and that a major attack and defeat would break up the alliance. -
John G. Bowman resigned
Dr. John G. Bowman the nation's highest-paid educator of the day at $31,500 a year, resigned after 15 years as chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Rufus H. Fitzgerald, vice-chancellor, was designated his successor. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a battle in which the United States fought for and captured Iwo Jima from Japan. The U.S. invasion was charged with the mission of capturing the two airfields on Iwo Jima -
RDR Dies
FDR died on April 12, 1945 of a stroke. Harry Truman became president after this tragic loss -
Truman becomes President
Truman became president on April 12, 1945. He became president when FDR died of a stroke. -
FDR Dies and all amusment places close for the mourning of FDR
The city and county governments, business, schools, and all other activities were suspended, all churches scheduled special prayer services, and Mayor Scully asked all amusement places to close in mourning for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. -
100th anniversary of the great fire of 1845
The city marked the 100th anniversary of its great fire of 1845 with a parade and pageantry. -
FDR dies and Truman becomes President
The city and county governments, business, schools, and all other activities were suspended, all churches scheduled special prayer services, and Mayor Scully asked all amusement places to close in mourning for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
On 30 April 1945, after intense street-to-street combat, when Soviet troops were within a block or two of the Reich Chancellery, Hitler committed suicide, shooting himself in the temple while simultaneously biting into a cyanide capsule. Hitler's body and that of Eva Braun were put in a bomb crater, doused in gasoline by SS Sturmbannführer Otto Günsche and other Führerbunker aides, and set alight as the Red Army advanced and shelling continued. -
VE Day
VE Dsy is the day in which the war in europe was over.
The unconditional surrender of Germany was signed at Rheims on May 7 and ratified at Berlin on May 8. -
Celebration of the end of the war
Thousands of people celebrate in Pittsburgh. World War II has finnaly ended. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
August 6, 1945 is a day the Japanese will never forget. This is the day the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. The bomb fell from an airplane named the "Enola Gay" at 8:15 a.m. and exploded 43 seconds later, at 1,900 ft. above the city. The results were devastating. The intense heat generated from the bomb ranged from 7200 to 1000 degrees fahrenheit. -
Russian leaders tour Steel Mills
Russian labor leaders arrived to tour the district's steel mills. Pittsburgh celebrates the surrender of Japan. -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Nagaski
Fat Man is the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons to be used in warfare to date, and its detonation caused the third man-made nuclear explosion. -
Pittsburgh overjoyed with the surrender of Japan
Pittsburgh district industries laid off 7000 workers as the war comes to an end. The city of Pittsburgh was overjoyed over the surrender of Japan. -
Japan Surrenders
The city was jubilant over the surrender of Japan.
Pittsburgh district industries laid off 7000 workers as the first cancellation of a war contract became effective. -
VJ Day
Victory over Japan Day is a name chosen for the day on which the Surrender of Japan occurred, effectively ending World War II. The term has been applied to both the day on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made in the afternoon of August 15, 1945, in Japan, and because of time zone differences, to August 14, 1945.
