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League of Nations is formed
The League of Nations was founded in Geneva, Switzerland shortly after the end of World War I. It was the first peacekeeping international organization whose purpose was to solve disputes between countries with diplomacy before going to war. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in America. This milestone marked an advancement in women's struggle with equality although minorities still fought suffrage way into the 20th century. -
Scopes Trial
Science teacher John Scopes gets arrested for teaching evolution in a Tennessee public school. He was represented by Clarence Darrow in court whose goal was to debunk fundamentalist Christianity. Scopes was eventually found guilty and fined. -
Charles Lindbergh flies across the Atlantic
Aviator Charles Lindbergh accomplished the first solo nonstop from New York City to Paris. His plane's name was the Spirit of Saint Louis and the flight took him 33 hours. -
Wall Street crash
The Wall Street Crash was a major stock market crash. On October 29th, the day that is known as Black Tuesday, the market dropped by nearly 12 percent. The market crash marked the beginning of the Great Depression -
President Roosevelt
The 1932 presidential election was won by Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt won in a landslide against his opponent Republican former president Herbert Hoover. FDR campaigned with a promise of recovery from the Great Depression using as series of programs called the New Deal. -
Hitler becomes Fuhrer
In the aftermath of the death of German President Hindenburg, Hitler united his role as chancellor and the presidency to name himself as Fuhrer, which meant ultimate leader. The course of his actions over the following years have made him responsible for starting World War II. -
Babe Ruth retires
The greatest hitter in the history of baseball retired from the MLB in 1935 after 22 seasons of playing. In 1927 he set an all time record of 60 home runs in a single season which lasted until 1961. Babe Ruth was an American icon and hero for many baseball fans. -
The Social Security Act is passed
As a part of President Roosevelt's New Deal program, he passed the Social Security Act which is still in use today. The act is a way for elderly, unemployed, and disadvantaged Americans to receive financial assistance based on lifetime payroll tax contributions. This program has been used by millions of people since its inception. -
World War II start
Germany's invasion of Poland, led by Hitler, drove England and France to declare war. This was the start of the biggest and bloodiest war ever which lasted over the course of the next 6 years and claimed millions of lives. -
Pearl Harbor attack
At the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Japan led a surprise attack by some 350 aircrafts. Using torpedoes and other tactics they manages to sink or badly damage eighteen U.S. naval vessels, destroyed 300 U.S. aircraft, and killed 2,403 people. This attack triggered the U.S. to enter World War II and immediately declare war on Japan. -
D-Day
In the overarching Battle of Normandy which concluded in liberating Western Europe from Nazi control, D-Day happened on June 6th, 1944 when the battle began. A mix of 156,000 American, British, and Canadian troops invaded the coast of France's Normandy region. By August of the same year all of Northern France had been freed. This victory was a key moment in World War II as it marked the anticipating defeat of Germany. -
Germany Surrender
Following the suicide of dictator Adolf Hitler which handed over the power to General Admiral Karl Donitz and the allied forces closing in on them, Germany finally surrendered on May 7th, 1945. This marked the beginning of the end of World War II. -
U.S. drops atomic bomb
After the defeat of Germany, the war against Japan in the Pacific continued. President Harry Truman was warned against an invasion in Japan and as a result he ordered the use of the new developed atomic bomb. The bomber named Enola Gay dropped the first bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima and three days later a second bomb was dropped the city of Nagasaki. Tens of thousands of people died as a result of the bombs and a couple days later Japan surrendered at last. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a U.S. recovery program aimed at providing aid to Europe in the aftermath of World War II. It financed more than $15 billion in rebuilding effort throughout Europe. The plan has also been referred to as the start of the Cold War.