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Mao Zedong heads Long March
In 1933, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist force of at least 700,000 men surrounded the Communist mountain stronghold in south-central China. The Communist Party leaders realized they faced defeat. They began a 6,000 mile long journey called the Long March. Between 1934 and 1935, the Communists kept a step ahead of Chiang's forces. Finally, after a little more than a year, Mao and the seven or eight thousand Communist survivors settled in caves in northwestern China. The they gained new followers. -
Germany invades Poland; France and Great Britain declare war on Germany
After signining the nonaggression pact with USSR, Hitler surprise attacked Poland at dawn on September 1, 1939. German tanks and troop trucks rumbled across the Polish border. At the same time, German aircraft and artillery began a merciless bombing of Poland's capital, Warsaw. France and Britain declared war on Germany on September 3. After his victory, Hitler annexed the western half of Poland. The German invasion of Poland was the first test of Germany's military strategy, the blitzkrieg. -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
Early in the morning of December 7, 1941, American sailors at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii awoke to a surprise Japanese attack. Within 2 hours, the Japanese had sunk or damaged 19 ships, including 8 battleships, moored in Pearl Harbor. More than 2,300 Americans were killed - with over 1,100 wounded. News of the attack stunned the American paople. The next day, President Roosevelt addressed Congress. Congress accpeted his request for a declaration of war on Japan and its allies. -
United Nations formed
he forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization conceived in similar circumstances during the first World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles "to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security." The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories. -
Germany surrenders
While Soviet sheels burst over Berlin, Hitler prepared for his end in an undergournd headquarters beneath the crumbling city. On April 29, he married his long time companion, Eva Braun. The next day, Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide. Their bodies were then carried outside and burned. On May 7, 1945, General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich from the German military. The US and allies celebrated V-E Day - Victory in Europe Day. -
Allies use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
President Truman warned the Japanese that unless they surrendered, they could expect a "rain of ruin from the air." The Japanese didn't reply, so, on August 6, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a Japanese city or nearly 350,000 people. Between 70-80,000 people died in the attack. On August 9, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, a city of 270,000. The Japanese surrendered to General MacArthur on September 2. The ceremony took place aboard the US battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
