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Black Tuesday
The American stock market crashed on this day, and because America was such an economic power, it caused economies around the world to come down with it. -
Japan Invades Manchuria
Japan invades Manchuria, in Northern China, as the starting point to creating their empire. Their effort was fueled by the claims of western nations that Japan was not to expand their territory. -
Adolf Hitler Becomes Chancellor in Germany
Hitler was appointed by the current president of Germany, Hindenburg, as chancellor of the country. He soon turns Germany into the ruthless military powerhouse we know in WWII; he invades Poland on September 1, 1939, which has become historically known as the beginning of WWII (he had already invades Austria and Czechoslovakia, and later he captures France). -
Kristallnacht - The Main Beginning of German Anti-semitism
Nazis razed synagogues, homes, and businesses that belonged to the Jews in the country; the next morning, 30,000 Jews were arrested. This act was sanctioned by the government, and was the first main public appearance of Anti-semitism as put on by the government. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan sends a fleet of bombs on the US Pacific fleet’s headquarters, killing two thousand people and causing the US to join WWII. -
The Battle of Midway
The US Navy, lead by Admiral Chester Nimitz, defeates Japan at the Battle of Midway. This was an important turning point during the war.(June 3-6) -
Italy Fully Liberated from the Nazis
The Allied Forces fought for about a year against the Nazis in Italy, until in June of 1944 the Italians became free from Nazi power. (Rome is liberated on this day) -
D-Day
Allied forces, led by general and future president Dwight D. Eisenhower invaded France from Normandy, bringing supplies. Within days of severe fighting, the Allies were able to start the push back of German forces, and soon liberated Paris in August from the Nazis. -
Death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies from a stroke on April 12 of 1945, leaving an uninformed Vice-President Harry S. Truman to fill the role as President and carrying the weight of the end of the war. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
With the pressure of the Allied forces closing in on all sides (using the “pincer” tactic), Hitler realizes the Nazi’s plans have failed and kills himself in his bunker. -
"V-E" Victory in Europe Day
On this day the Nazi forces surrender, giving the Allies victory on the continent of Europe, with the war still raging against Japan in the Pacific. -
The Potsdam Conference
President Truman, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Britain met in Germany to compose and give Japan a message - you surrender, or you’ll be destroyed. This is the second conference with the Big 3, the first of which was held in Crimea in February of that year before President Roosevelt died (the Yalta Conference). (Ends August 2 of 1945) -
The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The result of the top secret American “Manhattan Project” is shown on August 6 and 9 of 1945, when the US drops two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, killing and injuring thousands. The seconding bombing of the two in Nagasaki leads Japan to surrender to the Allies. -
The Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials, the policy of which was established on August 8, 1945, was a series of trials judging Nazi affiliates and officers, on crimes of war, humanity, and peace lasting from 1945-1949. The Allied Powers initiated the trials, which were compiled of a combination of procedures and standards from the four countries involved; the most famous of the trials, the Trial of Major War Criminals, was held from 1945-46. -
The End of World War II
On “V-J” (Victory in Japan) Day, WWII comes to an end when Japan signs to surrender to the Allies. The notorious war has come to an end.
