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Wilson Reacts to Lusitania Sinking
A German submarine torpedoed a British passenger liner near Ireland. Innocents died, and President Wilson was shocked. However, he did not declare war. -
Wilson Declares War on Germany
After seeing Germany's promise to help Mexico reclaim lost territory from the U.S., Wilson asked Congress for a declaration. -
The U.S. Declares War on Austria-Hungary
Wilson decided that Austria-Hungary was an instrument of Germany, and that it also had to be combated. -
Wilson's Fourteen Points
President Woodrow Wilson issued his plan to make peace. This plan included a League of Nations. -
Battle of Cantigny
This was the first major battle for Americans. The 1st Division of the United States fought this battle in France. It was a victory for the allies. -
Treaty of Versailles
After a long stalemate with no clear victor, the allies and Germany met in Paris to discuss terms of an armistice. -
End of World War One
On this day, the first meeting of the League of Nations was held in London, officially ending the war. -
Germany Invades Poland
The Nazis crossed the border into Poland. France and Britain declared war on Germany, officially starting WW2. -
Germany Invades Norway and Denmark
Shortly after the invasion of Poland, the Nazis pushed their campaign further into the continent, continuing their conquest. -
Battle of Britain
The Royal Air Force played a primary role in defending Great Britain from Nazi air raids. This battle lasted over 3 months. -
Operation Barbarossa
The Nazis called the invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa. This broke Hitler and Stalin's German-Soviet non-aggression pact. -
Battle of Pearl Harbor
Japanese bombers attacked the U.S. fleet docked at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The next day, President Roosevelt declared war on Japan. -
Battle of Coral Sea
After the U.S. fleet learned of a Japanese attack on New Guinea, they intercepted them in the first long-range carrier battle of the war. -
Battle of Midway
U.S. code breakers intercepted a Japanese plan to ambush the American fleet. The U.S. fleet launched a massive attack on the Japanese, sinking 3 of their 4 carriers. This was the first major turning point in the Pacific Theater. -
Italy Surrenders
After Mussolini was overthrown, the new leader, Pietro Badoglio, and General Eisenhower negotiated a treaty. -
Invasion of Normandy
Largest amphibious invasion in history
The U.S. sent 300,000 troops to a 5-mile stretch of beachhead called Omaha Beach. The Germans were caught off guard and couldn't retaliate quickly. -
Battle of Saipan
This was a main island in the Mariana island group. The U.S. marines commenced a bombardment on this island with battleships, then landed and cleared the rest of the Japanese out. -
Battle of the Bulge
After U.S. soldiers broke into Normandy, Hitler made a plan for the Blitzkrieg to stop them with a surprise attack.
The American forces lost about 19,000 men, hence the "bulge" in their offensive, but they held on long enough for the Germans' supplies to run out. -
Battle of Okinawa
This was the last major battle before the U.S. gained the ability to bomb Japan's main island. There were over 100,000 casualties in total. -
Potsdam Conference
Nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union met to discuss the fate of Korea after Japan lost it in World War 2. It was divided into North and South at the 38th parallel. -
Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman pledged to aid those countries that were resisting a Communist overthrow. -
China becomes Communist
The People's Republic of China was formed. This was a Communist organization that supported North Korea. -
Korean War Begins
North Korean soldiers pass the 38th parallel and invade South Korea. South Korean soldiers met them and a small battle commenced. This started the war. -
Truman Fires MacArthur
After a dispute between the president and the General concerning how aggressively the U.S. offensive is, Truman fires MacArthur and appoints Matthew Ridgeway as the new General. -
Korean War Ends
After the battle of Kumsong, in which there was no clear victor, an armistice agreement was reached. This indirectly ended the war by implying a stalemate. -
JFK Becomes President
Dwight d. Eisenhower hands over the presidency to John F. Kennedy. He also hands over the responsibility of the issues in Vietnam and Laos. -
Viet Cong Established
The VC (a.k.a. National Liberation Front of South Vietnam) was formed to help fight the South Vietnamese Government. -
Kennedy Sends Help
JFK orders United States Special Forces soldiers to South Vietnam to help train their men. -
JFK Meets with Nikita Khrushchev
Kennedy goes to Vienna, Austria to discuss the North Vietnamese attacks on Laos. -
Ngo Dinh Diem is Overthrown
General Duong Van Minh leads the overthrowing of the Diem regime. On November 2nd, Diem and his brother are assassinated. -
Battle of Ia Drang
About 500 United States soldiers under the command of Lt. Colonel Hal Moore were dropped into the Ia Drang Valley. They encountered hundreds of Viet Cong guerrilla fighters. There were 150 American casualties and almost 1,000 North Vietnamese killed.This was the first major battle of the war. -
Operation Cedar Falls
The U.S. Army was ordered to complete a search and destroy mission - take the "Iron Triangle": a heavily fortified area controlled by the Viet Cong. -
MLK Jr. Speaks Out Against the War
Martin Luther King made a speech in front of 100,000 people to support the effort to end the war. This was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York. -
My Lai Massacre
Lt. William Calley and his platoon of U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians. After this event, the soldiers were depicted as evil. A huge amount of support for the war was lost. -
Vietnam War Becomes the Longest War in American History
The length of the war reached the point where it was verified as the current longest war the US had been in. -
Nixon Elected
Richard M. Nixon, a Republican, is elected as the 37th President. He defeated George Wallace, an Independent, and Hubert Humphrey, a Democrat. -
Ho Chi Minh Dies
Minh Dies at 79 years old. He was the president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. -
Kent State Shooting
Students had been holding a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University. The National Guard was called in to calm it down, and they ended up firing into the crowd, killing four students. -
Nixon Resigns
After the Watergate Scandal, Nixon became the first President to resign his office. He did this on live television. He knew that he would probably be impeached due to the investigation, so he resigned. -
The Vietnam War Ends/Fall of Saigon
After twenty-one years of combat overseas and unpopularity at home, the war was officially ended. On this day, the North Vietnamese Army marched into Saigon and captured the city, defeating South Vietnam. -
Operation Desert Shield
This was designed to prevent attacks on Saudi Arabia. Hussein declared a Jihad or holy war in Kuwait with 300,000 troops. He quickened the peace treaties with Iran so that he could build his military back up. -
Operation Desert Storm
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait after accusing it of taking crude oil and causing foreign debt. He even says that Kuwait is not a real country. Egypt and Saudi Arabia call us for aid. We use stealth bombers and cruise missiles under command of Norman Schwarzkopf. This conflict lasted 42 days. -
Operation Desert Sabre
This was the ground offense portion of the mission. U. S. foot soldiers and tanks stormed Kuwait and Southern Iraq. -
Slovenia and Croatia Declare Independence
This starts a Civil war in Yugoslavia. Slovenia wins with Slobodan Milosevic, and the city of Vukovar falls with mass executions of Croats. -
Serbs Boycott Bosnia's Referendum
After Bosnia voted for a referendum on the subject of Serb nationalists' opinion against independence, the Serbs boycotted it in favor of creating the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. -
Bosnian Independence Recognized
Serbian leader Milosevic attacks Sarajero, the capital city. Snipers kill civilians and muslims were either killed or rounded up. They called it "ethnic cleansing." -
UN Resolution 751
This authorized the humanitarian relief operations in Somalia. (A. K. A. UNOSOM) The objective was to end the conflict amongst the groups of the region and get supplies to the drop points. -
Operation Provide Relief
The United States planned to air drop supplies in to pass congested areas and looters. Military force was not to be used in this operation. -
U. S. Military Arrives in Mogadishu
Marines and Navy Seals get dropped in Capital Mogadishu to help secure the area. There was a warlord issue between General Mohammad Farrar Aidid and Ali Mahdi Mohamed. -
First Battle of Mogadishu
A battle between U. S. Army Rangers and Somali troops under command of Aidid broke out. This operation was intended to last an hour, but it ended up taking almost a day. -
Black Hawk Down
Two United States black hawk choppers (UH-60s) were shot down by Somali soldiers with RPGs. The U. S. troops tried to rescue the survivors. -
Attack on Sarajevo
Bosnian Serbs committed genocide on the Muslims. 68 were killed and over 200 were wounded. Images of this attack reached the United States as well as international calls for help. -
Last of U. S. Troops Leave Somalia
After accomplishing the mission of providing relief for the allied Somalis, the 1,100 marines and rangers leave Africa. -
Yugoslavia Breaks Up
Slovenia, Croatia, and Macedonia all successfully voted to leave Yugoslavia. After the breakup, there were wars in some areas. This also led to three main ethnic groups; slavic-muslim bosniacs, christian serbs, and catholic croacs. -
Dayton Agreements
Milosevic talked about peace in Dayton, Ohio at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He agreed to have two portions of ethnicity: the Bosnian Serb Republic, and the Muslim-Croat Federation. Also, 30 war criminals were prosecuted. -
Return of Weapons Inspectors
Inspectors were ordered to Iraq to supervise the disposal of all WMDs in the area. (nuclear, biological, or chemical) -
Bush's Ultimatum
George H. W. Bush demanded that Hussein step down or be removed. -
The Iraq War Begins
After Hussein refused to step down, George W. Bush declared war on Iraq. This war is also known as the Second Persian Gulf War.
