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Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbour
Was the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan. It was perceived that Japan had a preventative intent, wanting to insure that the US would not interfere with their planned military actions. Another thing that caused this event was Japan reliance on the US for oil, which the US had declined, so Japan retaliated. This event is historically significant because it caused the US to enter World War 2, and the attack also united the divided US. -
D-Day
Also know as Operation Overlord was the overwhelming amphibious invasion of the beaches of Normandy, France by the allies. This was also the largest amphibious invasion in history, consisting over 5000 landing craft and ships holding over 150,000 troops. In the end the operation turned out a military success. This event is historically significant because it was the largest amphibious attack and was the start of the liberation of Europe. -
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Potsdam Conference
The conference ruled that there was to be a complete disarmament and demilitarization of Germany. Germany was to be divided into zones with Great Britain in the Northwest, France in the Southwest, the US in the South and the Soviet Union in the East. It led to further tensions between Truman and Stalin because Stalin did not trust Truman's intentions. This event is historically significant because the US wanted to show Germany leniency to avoid a repeat of the events of the Treaty of Versailles. -
Creation of the United Nations
The United Nations was established after the ratifying of the charter, which had wide support. It was created after World War 2 in means to maintain international peace and security. The original permanent members of the UN consisted China, France, the United States, Soviet Union, and Great Britain. The historical significance of the creation of the UN is that it succeeded the League of Nations, which was created after WW1 with the same efforts to maintain peace. -
Truman Doctrine Begins
A policy that stated that the US would give aid to any country threatened by communism. This policy help out nations like Greece and Turkey. But it also led to the increase in tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. The significance of this event is that it influenced a change in US foreign policy and sparked the creation of the military alliance NATO -
NATO created
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was the military alliance between the United States, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherland, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom. NATO provided collective security for all of these nations. Proven to be an effective way to keep the peace being that this organization still exist today. The historical significance of this even is that it is the first peace time military alliance that the United States joined. -
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Korean War
The war was fought between North Korea and South Korea, and began when North Korea tried to unify the two under communism. Later during the war the US intervened on the side of South Korea after North Korea began to receive support an aid by the Soviet Union and China, which supported the North's communist movement. In the end the war led to basically a stalemate with both sides still opposing each other. This event is significant because it was one of the major proxy wars of the cold wars. -
Warsaw Pact Created
Was the military alliance of communist in Eastern Europe in response to NATO. The members of the pact included the Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania. The purpose of the pact was to create a unified military command and systematically strengthen Soviet control. This event is historically significant because the Warsaw Pact was the counterweight to NATO and it was also established to counter the threat of capitalism in Europe. -
Sputnik Launched
Was the worlds first artificial satellite created by the Soviet Union. The launching of the Sputnik created a threat to the US, making them more vulnerable than ever before.; This had caused U.S. policymakers to accelerate space and weapons programs. The historical significance of this event is that is marked the beginning of the space age. -
Explorer 1 Launched
Was the first US satellite, which followed the launching of Soviet satellites Sputnik 1 and 2. This was important for the US not wanting to get left behind. It was a way for the US to prove to the Soviet Union that thewy were a technological competitor. The launching of Explorer 1 was a significant event for the US because it was their first satellite, the mark of them entering the space age and race against the Soviet Union.