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Germany Invades Poland
This event is when Hitler's Germany invaded neutral Poland, ultimately starting World War Two. The significance of this event is that this one act led to 6 long years of war, resulting in 60 million deaths worldwide. -
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World War II and Beyond
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Japan Attacks Pearl Harbour
In 1941, Japan, acting on faulty intelligence, attacked the U.S naval port in Hawaii. The bombing of Pearl Harbour was significant as this act brought The United States into WWII. If not for this event, The U.S may never have entered the war, and The Axis Powers may have won the war. In addition, if the Japanese had planned their attack more efficiently, they would have wiped out all forces stationed at Pearl Harbour. Furthermore, if America was never attacked, Japan would, most likely, have nev -
Allied Invasion of Normandy
The Allied Invasion of Normandy represents the most important push by the Allies, in terms of defeating Germany. These attacks resulted in German forces loses their “footholds” on the French coast, directly resulting in the fall of Berlin, and thus Germany. The major significance of this invasion is not only was France liberated and Germany on the decline, allies received a significant moral boost, allowing Allied Powers to continue strong with campaign in the East. Normandy’s success ultimately -
V-E Day
VE Day is perhaps one of the most important dates in all of history, as it was the official end of the war in Europe, and realistically, the unofficial end of WWII. This is because, on this day, the surrender of Germany is officially celebrated. VE Day was celebrated the entire world, from New Zealand to Canada, this day was really a victory for humanity. The significance of this date is it represents the day Nazi Germany surrendered, marking the beginning of the end of the war. -
Atomic Bomb is Dropped on Hiroshima
The bombing of Hiroshima is seen by most of the world as a necessary tragedy, as without it, the war in Japan would have probably waged on for a few more years. The atomic bomb was the quick solution to this war; however it came at a grave cost. Not only did the Manhattan project require billions of dollars to fund, the bomb itself had catastrophic side-effects. Namely, nuclear fallout, which resulted in parts of Japan being inhabitable for generations. This event is significant as it reminds th -
Creation of Nato
In 1949, The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established. This led to the protection of any country that would join the organization, all in the effort for long-lasting peace. This was a tremendous event, as NATO is still in existence today, and is largely responsible for the prevention of many global conflicts. -
North Korea Invades South Korea
In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, initiating one of the most intense post-war conflicts that had the potential to burst into WWIII. This conflict arose as South Korea was supported by the democratic United States and North Korea was backed by the communist Soviet Union. This clash of political views, combined with North Korea’s desire to unite the country led to this terrible conflict. This event is important as the conflict between North and South Korea, not only defined the time and ma -
The Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis was an international incident in which Britain and France invaded Egypt. After the invasion, NATO, along with the U.S and Russia, forced Britain and France to withdraw their forces. This was and still is a major turning point during that time, as it furthermore increased tension between once Allied Powers. As this event was just when the Cold War was “Gearing Up’ it is understandable why Russian and U.S interference, in British and France affairs, was seen as outlandish. This eve -
Launch of Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 was the world's first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite. It was launched into a low altitude elliptical orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957, and was the first in a series of satellites collectively known as the Sputnik program. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1's success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space Race within the Cold War. This Space Race led to the United States ultimately putting men on the moon. -
The Construction of The Berlin Wall
The wall was built and guarded by the Soviets. The Soviets made sure that the 7 communist federations of Eastern Europe) adhere to all their commands at all times, the consequence of going their own way would have been and often was catastrophic for the little countries like East Germany & Hungary. The sole function of the wall was control, and thus is why East Europe was considered to be under the Iron Curtain during that time. The significance was that even though a World War centered on segre -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a relatively short, but extremely tense period of time in 1962. The whole event was centered around the Soviets constructed Nuclear Weapons Silos on Cuba. This was perceived as a threat as the missiles would be within striking distance of the U.S. The Americans came to the brink of war, when during recon a U.S plane was shot down by Russians. This crisis is perceived as the height of the tension between Russia and The United States durng the duration of The Cold War.
