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Treaty of Versailles signed
The treaty of Versailles is signed, ending WWI and forcing Germany to lose a lot in war reparations. -
Hitler voted to power in Germany
Hitler was voted in as leader of Germany, being a member of the Nazi party. -
Period: to
1936 Summer Olympics
Held in Germany as a display of German strength, dubbed "Hitler's Olympics". -
Invasion of Poland
Germany invades Poland, breaking the Treaty of Versailles and triggering England and France to declare war, starting WWII. -
Tripartite pact signed
A pact of alliance signed between Germany, Italy, and Japan-designed to deter US from entering conflict -
Period: to
Gas chambers established at Auschwitz
Gas chambers, designed for quickly killing large numbers of prisoners, are implemented for the first time in the German concentration camp Auschwitz. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
Japan executes an attack on America's Pearl Harbor, a naval base in Hawaii, in order to discourage them from entering WWII. -
Period: to
Japanese Americans put in internment camps
After Pearl Harbor, suspicion was widespread for anybody who was of Japanese descent, causing the US government to round up such people in internment camps.
(I couldn't find a date for the exact end of the camps.) -
Italy surrenders
Italy becomes the first of the Axis powers to surrender, leaving only Germany and Japan. -
Period: to
Battle of Iwo Jima
The US and Japan fight over Iwo Jima, a Pacific island close to Japan from where the US could begin to launch attacks on Japan. -
Germany surrenders
Germany drops out of WWII, leaving only Japan in the conflict. -
Period: to
Atomic bombs dropped on Japan
The United States drops two atomic bombs on Japanese cities, first on Hiroshima, then Nagasaki. -
Japan surrenders
Japan is the last of the Axis powers to surrender, ending WWII.