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Manhattan Project Began
The Manhattan Project was a research development project that produced the nuclear weapons. -
Nazi Germany Invaded Poland
1.5 million German troops attacked Poland, resulting in Poland declaring war on Germany initiating World War II. -
Sitzkrieg
Sitzkrieg meaning "the sitting war" because there were no major military land operations in the west during the first 8 months of WWII. -
France Fell to Germany
Germany finally ended the stand still war by invading France and the Low Countries. After about a month France fell to the German forces. -
Battle of Britain
Fought mostly in the air, The Battle of Britain was fought over about 3 months and resulted in Hitler postponing invasion and Britain successfully holding off Luftwaffe. -
Destroyers-for-Bases Deal
Fifty mothballed Caldwell, Wickes, and Clemson-class US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions. -
America First Committee Launched
America did not want to be a part of the war in Europe, so the America First Committee was formed as the largest anti-war organization in American history. This committee ended with the attack on Pearl Harbor. -
Congress Instituted the Draft
All men ages 18-25 were required to register for a draft to fill vacancies in the armed forces. -
Four Freedmoms
FDR proposed four freedoms that people all over the world should enjoy. Those freedoms being; freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. -
Lend-Lease
Congress authorized the sale, lease, transfer, or exchange of arms and supplies to any country whose defense the president deems vital to the defense of the United States. -
USS Kearny Attacked
The USS Kearny was struck by a torpedo fired from a German U-boat off the coast of Greenland. It did not sink; however, 11 American men were killed. -
Reuben James Sank
The USS Reuben James was the first US ship sunk by hostile European actions. -
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japanese fighter planes deliberately attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. -
Battle of Bataan
This battle represented the most intense phase of Imperial Japan's invasion of the Phillippines during WWII -
Bataan Death March
After U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese, the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. -
Battle of Coral Sea
The Japanese were looking to control the Coral Sea with an invasion of Port Moresby in southeast New Guinea, but their plans were intercepted by Allied forces marking the first air-sea battle in history. -
Battle of Midway
The US defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of WWII. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Soviet Union successfully defended the city of Stalingrad from German invasion stopping the Germans from advancing into the USSR and marking the turning point in WWII. -
Battle of El Amamein
The Battle of El Alamein marked the culmination of the World War II North African campaign between the British Empire and the German-Italian army. -
Island Hopping Campaign Begins
US forces moved from island to island, using each as a base for capturing the next. -
Casablanca Conference
Conference held at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca, French Morocco to plan the Allied European strategy for the next phase of the war -
Tehran Conference
A meeting between FDR, Winston Churchill, and Jeseph Stalin in Tehran to discuss military strategy against the Axis powers. -
D-Day
The Battle of Normandy began with 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces invading the beaches of Normandy. This marks the beginning of the end of WWII -
MacArthur Returned to the Phillippines
After advancing island by island across the Pacific Ocean, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur wades ashore onto the Philippine island of Leyte, fulfilling his promise to return to the area he was forced to flee in 1942. -
FDR Elected to a 4th Term
FDR was elected to an unprecedented fourth term making him the only president in history to serve more than two terms. -
Battle of the Bulge
A major German offensive campaign launched through Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg on the Western Front toward the end of WWII -
Yalta Conference
The second meeting between FDR, Churchill, and Stalin to discuss post war plans. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
A major battle in which the U.S. Marines landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army. -
Battle of Okinawa
The last battle of the Pacific island battles of WWII for air bases in Japan that were vital to the invasion of Japan. -
FDR Died/ Truman Takes Office
After four terms in office, FDR passed away due to a massive stroke, leaving the presidency to Harry Truman and one of the biggest decisions to be made in American history -
VE Day
Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies marking the end of the second world war in Europe. -
Potsdam Conference
Stalin, Churchill, and Truman all met in Potsdam, Germany to discuss terms for the end of WWII. -
Little Boy Dropped on Hiroshima
The US dropped an atomic bomb on to the Japanese city of Hiroshima in final efforts to end the war. The blast killed approximately 80,000 and 60,000 would die in the years later due to fallout -
Fat Man Dropped on Nagasaki
The Atomic bomb that the US dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki -
VJ Day
Japan surrendered to the US ending WWII all over the world, sparking spontaneous celebration. -
Nuremberg Trials
A series of 13 trials carried out in Nuremburg, Germany that tried Nazi party offials and high ranking military officers -
Japanese War Crimes Trials
The International Military Tribunals for the Far East begins hearing the case against 28 Japanese military and government officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity
