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Hitler Becomes Chancellor
Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor (prime minister) of Germany. -
Mussolini Invades Ethiopia
Italy, under the leadership of Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, invades Ethiopia. -
Neutrality Act
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the 1937 Neutrality Act, which bans travel on belligerent ships, forbids the arming of American merchant ships trading with belligerents, and issues an arms embargo with warring nations. -
Hitler Supports Japan
German Chancellor Adolf Hitler announces support for Japan. After this event, the United States declares war to Japan. -
Britain and France Declare War
Britain and France declare war on Germany honoring their commitment to Poland.President Franklin D. Roosevelt invokes the Neutrality Act but notes, "Even a neutral cannot be asked to close his mind or his conscience." -
Hitler Defeats France
Britain forces retreat from France and Adolf Hitler's armies defeat French forces. -
United States At War
Germany and Italy, Japan's axis partners, declare war on the United States. The United States declares war on Germany, Italy, and Japan. -
Largest Budget in History
President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his State of the Union address in which he proposes a massive government spending budget, the largest in American history. -
Italy Surrenders
The Italian government officially surrenders to the Allied powers; still, German forces occupy much of Italy. -
D-Day
The first of nearly 3 million Allied soldiers arrive in Normandy, on the northern shores of France. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
On this day in 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler’s dreams of a “1,000-year” Reich. -
World War II Ends
A formal surrender ceremony is conducted in Tokyo Bay on the U.S. battleship Missouri. World War II officially ends.
