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Japan Invades China
The beginning of the second Sino-Japanese war -
Germany Invades Poland
German attack on Poland -
Battle of Britian
The Battle of Britian begins between the Germans and British -
Tripartite Pact Signed
Defensive alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan (later included Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Slovakia). -
Lend Lease Act
Policy created by the United States to lend food, oil, and other materials to France, Great Britian, the Sovies Union, and the Republic of China in return for land to build bases on during WWII -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii -
Wannsee Conference
High ranking officals in the Nazi party and German government officials met in Wannsee to discuss "The FInal Solution", which was a plan to kill all European Jews. -
Battle of Midway
Naval battle between the United States and Japan in the Pacific Ocean ends. -
Leningrad Blockade
German seige of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) ends after 2 years, 4 months, 2 weeks, and 5 days. -
D-Day
160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy to push the Nazis back. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle on the island of Iwo Jima between the United States and Japan ends with an American victory -
Yalta Conference
Meeting between the leaders of the United States, Soviet Union, and Great Britian to discuss the reorganization of Europe after WWII. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Adolf Hitler commits suicide in Berlin, Germany -
VE Day
Holiday to celebrate the Allies acceptance of Germany's surrender in WWII -
Potsdam Conference
Leaders of the United States of America, Great Britian, and the Soviet Union gathered in Potsdam, Germany to discuss the punishment of Germany after they lost the war -
Bombing of Hiroshima
An American bomber drops the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan -
Bombing of Nagasaki
An American bomber drops a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan -
VJ Day
President Truman declares September 2nd to be VJ Day to celebrate the victory over Japan in WWII -
United Nations Established
The United Nations was established to encourage internation cooperation. -
Truman Doctrine
Doctirne that established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. -
Marshall Plan
American initiavite which gave $13 billion USD to help the rebuilding of Europe after WWII. -
NATO Founded
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is created. Includes Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. -
Mao Zedong becomes Chairman of the People's Republic of China
Mao Zedong proclaims himself chairman of the new People's Republic of China. -
Joseph Stalin Dies
Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin dies. -
Korean War Ends
War in which North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union fought South Korea and the United States ends after 3 years, 1 month, and 2 days. -
Nikita Krushchev leads USSR
Nikita Krushchev becomes First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was defense treaty between 8 communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. -
Sputnik 1 Launched
The world's first arifical sattelite is launched into space by the Soviet Union. -
Bay of Pigs
Fidel Castro invades Cuba and overthrows General Fulgencio Batista. -
Cuban Missile Crisis Begins
Naval blockade of Cuba by the United States begins after the Soviet Union installs missiles in Cuba. -
Vietnam War Ends
War between Communist North Vietnam, Soviet Union, and People's Republic of China and South Vietnam and the United States ends after 19 years, 5 months, 4 weeks, and 1 day. The war was fought in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. -
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes President of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the eighth, and last leader of the Soviet Union. He serves in office unitl December 25th 1991. -
Berlin Wall Destroyed
Destruction of the Berlin Wall, which separated East and West Berlin since August 1961 begins. The wall is not completely destroyed until 2 years later. -
Soviet Union Dissolves
The Soviet Union, formed after the Russian Revolution in 1917 ends.
