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Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference occurs, deciding the post-war status of Germany. The Allies of World War II (the USA, the USSR, Great Britain and France) divide Germany into four occupation zones. The Allied nations agree that free elections are to be held in all countries occupied by Nazi Germany. -
US President Dies
Franklin D. Roosevelt suffers a stroke and dies while on vacation in Warm Springs, GA. -
Hiroshima Atomic Bomb
President Truman gives permission for the world's first military use of an atomic weapon against the Japanese city of Hiroshima in an attempt to bring the only remaining theatre of war from the Second World War in the Pacific to a swift closure. -
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb
President Truman gives permission for the world's second and last military use of an atomic weapon against the Japanese city of Nagasaki in order to try to secure a swift Japanese unconditional surrender in the end of the Second World War. -
Japan Surrenders
The Japanese surrender unconditionally to the US on board the USS Missouri to representative General Douglas MacArthur. -
Clifford-Elsey Report
Truman is presented with the Clifford-Elsey Report, a document which listed Soviet violations of agreements with the United States. -
Truman Doctorine
President Harry Truman announces the Truman Doctrine starting with the giving of aid to Greece and Turkey in order to prevent them from falling into the Soviet sphere -
Cold War
Bernard Baruch, in a speech given during the unveiling of his portrait in the South Carolina House of Representatives, coins the term "Cold War" to describe relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. -
Extend Funds
US extends $400 million of military aid to Greece and Turkey, signalling its intent to contain communism in the Mediterranean. -
COMINFORM
The Soviet Union forms the Communist Information Bureau (COMINFORM) with which it dictates the actions of leaders and communist parties across its spheres of influence. -
Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party takes control in Czechoslovakia, after President Edvard Beneš accepts the resignation of all non-communist ministers. -
Marshall Plan
Truman signs the Marshall Plan into effect. -
Red Scare
The Red Scare reaches its peak, with the naming of numerous American celebrities as members of the Communist Party. -
38th Parallel
United Nations forces cross the 38th parallel, into North Korea. -
USS Nautilus
The United States lays the keel for the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus.