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Japan invades the Chinese province of Manchuria seeking raw materials. -
Germany invades Poland, forcing Britain and France to declare war on Germany and their allies. -
Britain's Royal Air Force defends large-scale attacks from Germany, making it the 1st major military campaign fought entirely by air forces. -
A policy passed in the U.S. that allowed them to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed vital to the defense of the U.S. -
Japan launches an unprovoked attack against the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. -
U.S. declares war on Japan by almost unanimous vote the day after Pearl Harbor. -
The Soviet Union defends the city of Stalingrad from German forces, which marked a turn in the tide of the war. -
The Allies storm the beaches of German-occupied Normandy, France, the largest seaborne invasion in history. -
The last major German offensive campaign of the war, where the Allied forces deny the Nazis a chance back into the war. -
Soviet troops liberate the infamous concentration camp in Poland, revealing the depth of the horrors done by the Nazis. -
Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet in Crimea to discuss the postwar reorganization of Europe -
Roosevelt passes less than 3 months into his 4th term as president. -
'Victory in Europe Day'; Germany unconditionally surrenders to the Allied forces. -
Japan surrenders to the Allied forces, marking the end of WWII. -
The U.S. atomic bomb "Little Boy" is dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, making it the first nuclear weapon ever used in warfare. -
The second atomic bomb, known as "Fat Man", is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. -
51 countries including the U.S., Britain, France, China, and the U.S.S.R commit to maintaining global peace and security.