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Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed to formally end World War 1, and forced Germany to suffer repercussions for causing and participating in the war. It collapsed the German economy, and weakened the German government and military due to the punishments given to them. -
Hitler Voted to Power in Germany
Hitler was appointed as chancellor of Germany, representing the Nazi political party, which had widespread support at the time. -
Hitler's Olympics
"Hitler's Olympics", or the 1936 Summer Olympics, took place in Berlin during August of 1936. The purpose of the games was to garner more sympathy and tolerance for Germany, and to promote the 'superiority' of the Aryan race, of whom made up all of the German competitors. However, non- Aryan American athletes, like Jesse Owens, dominated many of the events despite Germany's overall victory. -
German Invasion of Poland
After signing a pact with the Soviet Union, Germany began to invade Poland, and the Soviets soon joined in. On October 6, the Germans had annexed the entirety of Poland. This led to both France and Great Britain declaring war on Germany, beginning World War II. -
Tripartite Pact Signed
The Tripartite Pact, or the Berlin Pact, was an agreement between Germany, Japan, and Italy, creating an alliance between them to assist each other throughout the conflict. Much of the pact's purpose was to prevent the US from joining the war. -
Nazi's Establish Gas Chambers at Aushwitz
On September 3-5th of 1941, the Nazis began experimenting with gas chambers and chemicals at Aushwitz. This started the spread of gas chambers throughout concentration camps, where any prisoners unable to work would be sent to and killed. -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7th, 1941, Japanese forces launched an attack on the US naval base, Pearl Harbor, on Oahu. They bombed the base, killing 2,403 people, as they hoped to cripple the US navy and buy themselves time in the war. -
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway took place from June 4-7th, 1942, and was a consequential naval battle in WWII. Occurring 6 months after Pearl Harbor, the US had an essential victory that weakened the Japanese navy and demonstrated the remaining power of the US navy despite Japan's previous attack. -
Japanese Americans Sent to Internment Camps
Following Pearl Harbor, the US government sent 127,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps out of fear during the years of 1942-1945. They believed people of Japanese descent may act as spies or hurt the US in the war, due to their Japanese enemies/ -
Italy Declares War on Nazi Germany
On October 13, 1943, Italy declared war on Germany. Despite being a former axis power in WWII, they joined the Allied forces against Germany only one month after surrendering. -
Iwo Jima
From February 19th to March 26th, 1945, US forces invaded the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. From the beginning of the bloody battle, the US forces were superior, with better equipment and more people. The battle is controversial, and some argue that it was unnecessary to take control of the island and having Iwo Jima had little benefit to the US, but nevertheless it was one of the most bloody battles in WWII, with casualties on both sides. -
Axis Powers Surrender
Of the three axis powers, Germany, Italy, and Japan, Italy surrendered first on September 8th, 1943, because their Fascist regime was failing, they were losing land, and they were being bombed. Germany surrendered second, on May 7th-8th, 1945, following Adolf Hitler's death. Japan was the last axis power to surrender, taking place on September 2nd, 1945, due to two atomic bombs being dropped on them by the US. -
Atomic Bombs Dropped on Japan
On August 6th and 9th, the US dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This killed up to 226,000 Japanese people, mostly citizens, and led to Japan's surrender only six days later, and they officially signed an instrument of surrender on September 2nd.