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Germany invades Poland, starting World War II.
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The Battle of Britain begins.
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Germany invades France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
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Germany invades the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa).
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Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into the war.
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The Battle of Stalingrad begins.
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The Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific Theater.
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The Allies invade Italy.
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D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy.
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The Battle of the Bulge.
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Hitler commits suicide.
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Germany surrenders (V-E Day).
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The United States drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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The liberation of concentration camps.
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The Battle of Berlin.
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The United Nations is founded.
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Japan surrenders (V-J Day), ending World War II.
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The Yalta Conference.
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The Nuremberg Trials begin.
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The Marshall Plan is announced to aid European recovery.