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Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president of the United States
President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped the American people regain faith in themselves after the depth of the Great Depression. He created a New Deal program. -
Hitler became Chancellor of Germany
The German people had been in a depression so they turned to their new leader, Adolf Hitler, who promised to help them. Hitler promised to recapture the land taken from Germany at the end of World War I. depression. -
Japan Withdraws from League of Nations
The Japanese withdrew from the League of Nations Assembly after the assembly had adopted a report blaming Japan for the events in Manchuria. -
Spanish Civil War Begins
The Spanish Civil War erupted between the Nationalists, a rebel group led by General Francisco Franco. and the Republicans, who were loyal to the democratic Spanish Republic. -
Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister of Britain
Chamberlain led Britain through the first eight months of WWII. He felt that giving in to Hitler's demands would prevent another war which led Chamberlain's goverment to adopt the policy known as appeasement. -
"Night of Broken Glass"
After Herschel Grynszpan shot a German diplomat living in Paris, Nazi leaders launched a violent attack on the Jewish community. Nazi storm troopers attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Germany and murdered about 100 Jews. -
Start of WWII
Hitler ordered German troops to invade Poland. -
Winston Churchill became the new British Prime Minister
After the fall of France, Great Britain stood alone against the Nazis so Winston Churchill became prime minister. He proclaimed, "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets...and we shall never surrender." He had already declared that his nation would never give in. -
Battle of Britain
Germans began a long series of bombing raids against Great Britain, known as the Battle of Britain, which lasted three and a half months. Hitler called of the attacks because of the British resistance. This battle taught the Allies that Hitler's attacks could be blocked. -
Germany Invaded the Soviet Union
Just weeks after the German conquest of France, Hitler decided to attack the Soviet Union, as treaties and promises did not mean much to Hitler. Europe and Asia became one huge battleground. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, killing over 3,000 Americans. -
United States Declared War on Japan
The day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt officially declared War on Japan. -
Germany and Italy Declared War on the US
After the attack of Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan, which led Germant and Italy to declare war on the United States. -
The "Final Solution" is planned
Nazi leaders attended a meeting to discuss the elimination of remaining European Jews, because Hitler grew impatient waiting for Jews to die of starvation or disease. The genocidal plan, or systematic killing of an entire people, is called the "Final Solution." -
The Battle of Stalingrad
Hitler sent an army to capture Stalingrad, a major industrial center. The Luftwaffe went on bombing raids that set the city ablaze or reduced to rubble, but the Soviets launched counterattacks. -
Invasion of North Africa
United States and British troops landed in North Africa and began a bloody battle with the German tank corps there. When the fighting ended, most of the Germans had been killed or captured. North Africa was freed. -
D-Day
160,000 Allied troops landed on a French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. -
Battle of the Bulge
Gernan tanks broke through weak American defenses and pushed into Allied lines. The Allies eventually pushed the Germans back and the Germans retreated. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference lasted from February 4-11, 1945 near Yalta in Crimea. It was a meeting of the heads of government of the US, the UK and the Soviet Union, represented by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. The meeting was intended mainly to discuss the re-establishment of the nations of war-torn Europe. -
Death of Adolf Hitler
Hitler committed suicide by gunshot on this day in his Führerbunker in Berlin. His wife Eva committed suicide with him by ingesting cyanide. -
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate victory in Europe for the defeat of the Nazis. Germany surrendered, Hitler was dead, Mussolini was dead, much of Europe was in ruins, millions of soldiers and civilians were dead, and Hitler had killed over 6 million Jews. The war was over. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
These atomoic bombings were conducted by the United States on August 6 and 9, 1945. The two bombings were the first and only use of nuclear weapons in wartime. The result of the bombings was an Alllied victory. -
V-J Day
After the Hiroshima attack, Japan was in a desperate situation when the USSR declared war against Japan. After Soviet forces attacked Manchuria Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced the Japanese surrender; also known as Victory over Japan Day.
