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Germany Invades Poland
Germany invades Poland despite Non-Aggression Pact between the countries. This marked the beginning of WWII in Europe. -
Stalin Attacks Finland
The Soviet Union attacked Finland on this date. This was known as the Winter War. The League of Nations expelled the Soviet Union after declaring the attack illegal. The Soviet Union did not accomplish it's complete objective, but they did capture significant territory. However, they lost support in the world community. -
Winston Chruchill Becomes Prime Minister of Brittain
Winston Churchill became the Prime Minister of Brittain on this date. He was a significant supporter in the fight against Germany and formed an alliance with the United States which made victory possible. -
Germany Attacks France
Nazi Germany began its invasion of France on this date during WWII. -
Battle of Brittain
The Battle of Brittain began on this date and lasted over 3 months. This was the first major campaign that was almost entirely fought by Air Forces. -
Lend-Lease Act
This Act began the US support of the Allies during WWII. The US supplied all kinds of materials. -
Mussolini's Assassination
His assassination ended his ruthless fascist regime. Mussolini was allied with Germany and started several wars in Africa and the Balkans during WWII. -
Hitler Takes Over the Balkans
Hitler took over the Balkins on June 1, 1941. This was an invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia during World War II. Initially Italy failed in its invasion of Greece in October 1940, but working together Germany and Italy succeeded in capturing Crete 6 months later. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
The German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union was initiated in December 1941 and ended in German defeat in February 1943. This is considered by historians as the turning point of WWII. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
This was a surprise attack by Japan on Hawaii of the United States. Pearl Harbor was almost entirely destroyed. This attack propelled the United States to enter WWII. -
Holocaust
The Holocaust was a campaign by Hitler and Germany that was intended to eliminate the Jewish race. More than 6 million Jewish people were killed by Germany during the Holocaust. -
Japanese Internment Camps
Franklin Roosevelt ordered the US military to designate exclusion zones from which Japanese Americans were excluded. The military set up camps to house these citizens. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was the most important navy battle during WWII between the United States and Japan. The United States won and destroyed much of the Japanese fleet. -
Battle of El Alamein
There were two battles of El Alamein during WWII in Egypt. The second battle pushed all German forces out of North Africa and opened up the way for the invasion of Sicily and Italy. -
Guadalcanal Campaign
This campaign enabled the Allied forces to deny the Japanese access to the Solomon Islands which would have allowed them to threaten supply and communication routes between the US, Australia and New Zealand during WWII. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Germany fought the Solviet Union in the Battle of Stalingrad. This was one of the bloodiest wars in the history of warfair. Germany lost this battle in February 1943. This marked the turning point of the war. -
Tehran Conference
Joseph Stalin, FDR, and Winston Churchill met at this conference to reach agreement on opening a second front in the War against Germany. This was a key decision that led to victory against Germany in WWII. -
D-Day
The United States and Brittain initiated their attack on German occupied France on this date. -
Yalta Conference
This was also known as the CRIMEA Conference. This was a discussion between the US, Solviet Union and the UK to discuss post WWI reorganization. -
FDR's Death
President Franklin D Roosevelt died on this day. This US President was a key figure in WWII and was said to have called the Pearl Harbor attack "The Day that will live in infamy". -
Hitler's Suicide
Adolf Hitler is reported to have committed suicide on April 30, 1945. He had been receiving reports that the war was lost and thought that suicide was his only option. -
Formation of the United Nations
The Charter for the United Nations was signed in June 1945. The UN was created to stop wars between countries and provide a way to discuss issues, rights and freedoms. -
Potsdam Conference
The goals of this conference were to establish post WWII order and Peace Treaty issues. -
McArthur's Plan for Japan
General Douglas McArthur became Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan. In this role he was responsible for rebuilding Japan after WWII. -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. This is the only use of atomic weapons during WWII. 150 - 240,000 Japanese were killed by the two bombs. This led to Japenese surrender on August 15, 1945. -
Nuremburg Trials
After WWI there were military tribunals held by the Allied forces for prosecution of the leadership of Nazi Germany. -
Cold War
The Cold War started between the United States and NATO in the West and the Soviet Union in the East. It was called the Cold War because it was a stand off between powers that both had nuclear weapons. The Cold War lasted until 1991. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan provided US support for economic rebuilding in Europe after WWII. -
Berlin Airlift
The Soviet Union blocked Allied road and railway access to Berlin because they wanted control of the city. In response, Allies began flying in supplies, food and fuel to the people in West Berlin. -
Berlin Wall
The German Demacratic Republic constructed a wall that cut off West Berlin from East Germany. Construction began on this date in 1961. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This was a confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other. The Soviet Union was building missles in Cuba which threatened the United States.
