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Battle of Britain
In the Summer of 1940, France quit World War II, leaving Great Britain as the last hope for European allies to defeat Hitler and his army. In the first all-air battle ever, the British Air Force overpowered that of the Germans, as they were able to stand their ground and win the battle in October of that same year. The battle officially ended on October 31st, 1940. -
NFL Championship Game
In the 1940 NFL Championship Game, the Chicago Bears humiliated the Washington Redskins by a final score of 73-0. This score still stands today as the most points in a game by a single team, as well as the largest margin of victory in an NFL game. -
The Invention of the Jeep
In 1943, Bantam Motor Car Company invented the first Jeep. The US purchased the first ever Jeeps, giving them to the Soviets to fight Germany. They were originally used for military purposes in World War II, but the brand’s popularity grew large, and it still is today. -
Attack On Pearl Harbor
Early in the morning, Japan surprised the US by sending hundreds of planes and submarines to bomb the Pearl Harbor Naval Base. Nearly 4,000 Americans were killed in the attack. Later that day, the US officially entered World War II. -
Japanese Internment
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The Invention of the Slinky
In 1943, a mechanical engineer named Richard James was trying to make springing devices that would immobilize fragile cargo on ships, while working with a prototype, he dropped it and watched it “walk” end over end away from him. He and his wife ran with the idea, selling what became known as the Slinky, as it became one of the most popular toys of the 20th century. -
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the riveter is a WW2 campaign figure used to get women to take over industrial jobs to support the war effort. They replaced soldiers in factories that produced supplies for the war. Rosie the riveter and this advertisement series, which debuted in May of 1943, was the driving force that led to a major increase in female employment percentages in the 1940’s. -
D-Day
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Kamikaze Pilots
The Kamikaze were Japanese war pilots who intentionally committed suicide with their planes in order to cause as much damage to enemies as possible. These pilots were used in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and sank a total of 34 warships throughout World War II. -
Battle of the Bulge
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Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
After entering World War II, the US began funding its own atomic weapons development program. This was secretly known as “The Manhattan Project.” The product of this program was the world’s first used atomic bomb, which was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bomb took out 80,000 people and 90% of the city. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. This bomb killed another 40,000 civilians. Six days after the second bombing, Japan surrendered from the war. -
The Cold War
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Truman Doctrine
