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Germany invades Poland
Germany’s dictator, Adolf Hitler, wanted to invade Poland, but he needed the help of the Soviet Union. In response to him taking Poland, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. -
Stalin attacks Finland
This was a war fought between an independent nation and a greater power. The attack was considered illegal by the League of Nations, leading the Soviet Union to be expelled from the body. -
Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of Britain
He is known for his speeches and radio broadcasts, and he led Britain as Prime Minister until victory over Nazi Germany had been secured. -
Germany attacks France
This was Germany’s successful invasion of France during WWII. France was then divided into German territory in the north and west. -
Lend-Lease Act
This was the system used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president of the United States at the time, and it helped its World War II allies by sending war materials to them. -
Battle of Britain
This is the attack that took place during WWII after the fall of France. German air forces, Luftwaffe, failed on the attack on Great Britain. -
Hitler takes over the Balkans
Hitler wanted to take the Balkans, expanding the amount of area needed to invade the USSR. He thought that the success rate would be higher with a larger area. -
German Blitzkrieg on Soviet Union
Germany used this military tactic, also known as the lighnting war, to invade the Soviet Union. Germany was unable to defeat the Soviet Union during this battle, which ultimitaly led to Germany being defeated in the war. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japanese forces made a surprise attack on the naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The day after this attack, the U.S. president called for a formal declaration of war on Japan. -
Holocaust
This was the killing of six million Jews by Nazi Germans who were led by Adolf Hitler. -
Japanese internment camps
This WWII internment in War Relocation camps of about 110,000 people of Japanese heritage who lived on the Pacific coast of the U.S. -
Battle of Midway
This was a naval battle of the Pacific Campaign in World War II. The Americans defeated the Japanese navy, leading the U.S. to "retire." -
Battle of El Alamein
The first battle of El Alamein was fought on the northern coast of Egypt and ended in a stalemate and stalled the Axis powers' advance into Egypt. The second battle of El Alamein was won by the Allies, and this victory marked a major turning point in WWII. -
Guadalcanal
Guadacanal is one of the southern Solomon Islands where the Japanese built an airfield. Allied and Japanese forces fought on and around this island during WWII. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This was a major battle in WWII in which Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for over Stalingrad. This battle is one of the bloodiest battles in all of history. -
Tehran Conference
This conference took place to discuss the opening of a “second front” in western Europe. -
D-Day
Allied troops fought Nazi Germany in Normandy, France. Many ships and aircrafts supported thie D-Day invasion. -
Cold War
This war was the continuing of conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union that took place from end of World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall. -
Yalta Conference
This was a major conference in WWII when three leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain, and Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, got together to defeat Germany. -
F.D.R's Death
Roosevelt had been suffering from advanced arteriosclerosis and one day, while sitting for a painter, he suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage and died hours later. This left the United States without a president. -
Mussolini’s assassination
Benito Mussolini was the dictator of Italy. The killing of Mussolini was done in revenge by terrorists. This assasination started many wars in Africa and the Balkans. -
Hitler’s suicide
With the end of WWII on it's way, this German Nazi leader shot himslef in the head. This actually served as good propaganda for the winners, showing them that Germany was being led by a weak leader, making it easier to take Germany. -
Potsdam Conference
This was a major conference in WWII where the U.S. President, the British Prime Minister, and the Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin got together to talk about peace in Europe, but did not bother to write peace treaties. -
McArthur’s plan for Japan
McArthur was the overall commander of the operation to ivade Japan. After Japan surrendered and two atomic bombs were dropped, he was appaointed the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan. -
Hiroshima & Nagasaki
Hiroshima was the first city to be attacked by an atomic bomb and it was attacked by a B-29 bomber of the U.S. Air Forces. This caused most of the city to be destroyed. Nagasaki was the second city to be attacked by an atomic bomb, also causing much destruction. -
Formation of the U.N.
The united Nations were formed after World War II to replace the League of Nations and to stop wars between countries. -
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of trials that were held by the Allied forces in World War II in the city of Nuremberg. -
Marshall Plan
This was a plan that the Americans used to aid the Europeans, giving them economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II. -
Berlin Airlift
This event began after World War II when Berlin was surrounded by the Soviets. The U.S. Forces flew in supplies to Berlin. -
Berlin Wall
This was the division between West Berlin and East Germany . It was also a the symbolic boundary between democracy and communism in the Cold War. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union were constructing missles in Cuba, and the U.S. found out about this. President John Kennedy demanded the Soviets to remove all of their weapons in Cuba.
