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World War II: U.S. declares its neutrality in European conflict.
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Japan attacks Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines.
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Allies invade North Africa.
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Allies invade Italy.
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Allies invade France on D-Day.
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Germany surrenders unconditionally
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U.S. drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
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First atomic bomb is detonated at Alamogordo, N.M.
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U.S. drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
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Japan agrees to unconditional surrender.
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F. Roosevelt's fourth inauguration
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President Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet at Yalta in the USSR to discuss postwar occupation of Germany.
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President Roosevelt dies of a stroke and is succeeded by his vice president, Harry Truman.
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United Nations is established.
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Presidential Succession Act is signed into law by President Truman.
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Central Intelligence Agency is established.
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Congress passes foreign aid bill including the Marshall Plan, which provides for European postwar recovery.
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is established.
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North Korean communists invade South Korea.
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President Truman, without the approval of Congress, commits American troops to battle.
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Period: to
Korean War: Cold war conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces on Korean Peninsula.
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President Truman removes Gen. Douglas MacArthur as head of U.S. Far East Command.
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Armistice agreement is signed.