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Treaty of Versailles is signed
The Treaty of Versailles is signed, marking the end of WW1. This treaty was very important because it set restrictions on Germany such as stripping Germany of a lot of land and reducing their military to a size of only 100,000 people. This upset Germany very much and was a very large factor in the start of WW2. -
Hitler becomes Fuhrer
Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi party, becomes Fuhrer of Germany. This means that he assumed complete control of Germany. This event is important because now no one could stop Hitler from what he planned on doing in terms of conquering; Hitler had complete control of Germany and their army. -
Tripartite Pact is signed
The Tripartite Pact is signed, signaling an alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan. This force was known as the Axis powers, and they opposed the U.S., Great Britain, and France. This was very important because it was the start of a very powerful force that eventually mounted to over 70 million soldiers. -
Pearl Harbor is bombed
The American port of Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese, killing over 2,000 Americans. This is very important because this pushed the U.S. to fight in the war. The very next day, the U.S. declared war on Japan because of the attack. -
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin happens, and causes a huge loss to Germany. The Soviets invaded a German controlled Berlin, and they end up defeating the Germans and looting the entire city. This is important because it caused Germany to lose a very important city, destroyed the last of the now weakened Nazi army, caused Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to commit suicide, and overall caused the end of WW2 in Europe. -
Hitler commits suicide
After the loss of the Battle of Berlin, Hitler gave up hope of winning the war and he commits suicide by shooting himself. This is very important because one of the main leaders of the Axis powers was now dead, and that killed all confidence and hope of winning the war for the Axis powers. -
V-E Day
V-E Day, also known as Victory in Europe Day, happens, marking the end of the war in Europe. On this day, Germany signed an unconditional surrender marking the end of the Nazi party, and overall end of the war in Europe. This is very important because it marked the official end of the Axis powers and declared victory for the U.S. and Allied powers. -
First atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima
The U.S. plane "Enola Gay" drops the first ever atomic bomb on the Japanese city Hiroshima, instantly killing 100,000 and eventually killing 100,000 more seconds later. This is important because it was a huge blow to Japan's production and their forces (the bomb destroyed over 13 square miles of industrial land) and eventually led to the end of the war. -
Atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki
The second atomic bomb, "Fat Man" is dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. This bomb killed 40,000 people and affected over 42 square miles of land. This was a very important event because it destroyed over 40% of a main military production city and severed the Japanese production line. -
V-J Day
V-J Day, also known as victory over Japan day, happens marking the end of the war in Japan. On this day Japan unconditionally surrendered to the U.S. which marked the end of WW2. This is very important because it signaled the complete end of WW2, for all of the major Axis powers finally surrendered and there was no more fighting to be done.