1912 | ![]() |
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1914 | ![]() |
1915 | ![]() May 7. The British passenger RMS Lusitania is torpedoed by a German U-boat. |
1917 | Jan. 16. The Zimmerman Telegram reveals Germany’s proposal to Mexico to make war with the US.
Apr. 6. The U.S. formally enters World War I by declaring war on Germany.
Oct. 25. The Bolshevik Revolution completes its takeover of Russia. |
1918 | Oct. Hitler is blinded during a gas attack by the British in Ypres before the end of WWI. He was disappointed by the eventual surrender of Germany, so he and other nationalists blame German Jews and Marxists for his perceived betrayal. |
1919 | ![]() June 28. Treaty of Versailles helps end World War I. US rejects the treaty and the power given to the League of Nations. Sep. Hitler joins the German Workers’ Party. |
1920 | ![]() |
1921 | July 29. As an effective speaker, Hitler is named leader of the Nazi Party, earning the title der Führer.
Nov. 21. The Washington Naval Conference takes place in Washington DC, attended by nine countries. Japan later withdraws from the agreements made at the conference. |
1922 | ![]() Sep. 18. Hungary becomes part of the League of Nations. Hungary would later join Germany in World War II against the Soviet Union.
Dec. 30. Belarus, Russia, South Caucuses, and the Ukraine form the Soviet Union. |
1923 | ![]() Nov. 8. Nazis, led by Hitler try to overthrow the German government but fail, this was known as the Beer Hall Putsch. |
1925 | ![]() July 18. Mein Kampf is published. The book is an autobiography written by Adolf Hitler. Mein Kampf reveals the political ideology of Hitler. Aug. 18. French troops withdraw from Germany. |
1926 | Apr. 24. The Soviet Union and Germany sign the Treaty of Berlin, which allow either country to remain neutral if one or the other is attacked by another country. |
1927 | ![]() May 20. The United Kingdom gives Saudi Arabia its independence. Saudi Arabia later supplied oil to the Allies during WWII. |
1928 | ![]() Aug. 27. In an attempt to prevent aggressive warfare, the Kellogg-Briand Pact is signed by major powers of the world in Paris. The pact was aimed at preventing the use of force by any one nation against others. |
1929 | ![]() Apr. Persia, modern day Iran, signs the Litvinov’s Pact. * The Great Depression begins in the US and spreads worldwide. |
1930 | ![]() |
1931 | ![]() |
1932 | ![]() Feb. Having been born in Austria, Hitler finally receives his German citizenship. Dec. 3. Kurt Von Schleicher is named German Chancellor by Hindenberg. He was later assassinated by order of Hitler in 1934. |
1933 | ![]() Feb. 28. Hindenberg issues the Reichstag Fire Decree, it nullified many civil liberties of citizens. Mar. 27. Japan leaves the League of Nations. The reason Japan gave for withdrawing was because of accusations made against them regarding Manchuria by the League of Nations.. May 10. The Nazi Book Burning takes place. Students from university towns marched with torches with the intent of burning “un-German books”. More than 25,000 volumes of those “un-German books” turned into ashes that night. Oct. 19. Germany leaves the League of Nations. |
1934 | ![]() June 30-July 2. Political murders known as Operation Hummingbird, or the Night of the Long Knives, is carried throughout Germany and beyond. The action was seen as a purge against those who would politically oppose the ruling Nazi party. Dec. 29. Japan renounces the Washington London Naval Treaties they previously agreed to. |
1935 | ![]() |
1936 | ![]() July 18. Led by Francisco Franco, the Spanish Civil War Begins. Germany gives support to Franco, who represented the Nationalist faction during the war. Germany was instrumental in many victories for the Nationalists of Spain. Nov. 25. Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan come to an agreement by signing the Anti-Comintern Pact directed against the communist movement and the Soviet Union. |
1937 | ![]() |
1938 | ![]() Sept. 30. Seen as a way of appeasing Nazi Germany, the Munich Agreement is signed by France, Italy, the UK, and Nazi Germany. The purpose of the agreement was to allow the annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland borders. |
1939 | ![]() Mar. 14. Nazi Germany troops enter Prague and capture Czechoslovakia in complete violation of the Munich Agreement. Apr. 28. During a speech before the Reichstag (parliament), the Anglo-German Naval Agreement and German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact is renounced by Hitler. |
1939 | ![]() Sep. 4. Right at the beginning of the war, the United States declares its neutrality and organizes the Neutrality Patrol. The patrol was aimed to monitor warlike movements along the coasts of the western hemisphere. Sep. 19. The Japanese Imperial Army uses poison gas against the Chinese National Revolutionary Army in the Battle of Changsha. Oct. 2. In order to maintain a neutral zone along the coastline of American nations, the Declaration of Panama is approved. This allowed the US Navy to patrol 300 miles beyond the coastline. |
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1940 | ![]() May 10. Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after Chamberlain resigns. May 26. The Allies evacuate Dunkirk, this was named Operation Dynamo. The German air force continued bombarding the operation. Sep. 16. The US congress approve the Selective Service Act that required men between the ages of 21 and 35 to register with their local draft board. June 29. Smith Act, or Alien Registration Act is enacted to penalize those wanting to overthrow the US government. This required all non citizens to register with the Federal Government. * Hitler occupies most of western Europe. |
1941 | ![]() Apr. 6. Yugoslavia is invaded by Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, and Italy. June 22. Germany invades the Soviet Union, this was named Operation Barbarossa. The US gives the Soviet Union a $40 million credit to help battle Germany. Aug. 28. To control rent and other consumer prices after the start of World War II, the Office of Price Administration was established. Dec. 11. Adolf Hitler declares war against the United States. |
1942 | Feb. 19. President Roosevelt signs the Executive Order 9066 also known as the Japanese-American Internment order. This order places citizens of Japanese descent in internment camps.
May. The United States surrenders the Philippines to Japan. |
June. Battle of Midway, Japanese Fleet turned back with heavy losses.
Aug. US Marines land on Guadalcanal that begins “island hopping” assault against Japan. Aug 23. Recognized as the largest battle of WWII, the Battle of Stalingrad begins. Oct. 21. The Revenue Act of 1942 increases both income tax and corporate rates to fund the cost of war. |
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1943 | Jan. 14. President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill along with French representatives meet in Morocco in what was known as the Casablanca Conference that coincides with the Casablanca Declaration. The aim of the declaration was to obtain the surrender of the Axis Powers.
Mar. 20. Mao Zedong is named as the First Chairman of the Communist Party of China. July. British and US troops invade Italy and land in Sicily. Nov. 22-26. Roosevelt, Churchill, & Chiang Kai Shek meet at the Cairo Conference. Nov. 28. FDR, Churchill and Stalin meet in Teheran, Iran. These were considered the “big three” allied leaders. |
1944 | Jan. The Allies land in Italy at Anzio, known as Operation Shingle.
June 6. Allies invade and regain Europe on D-Day, known as the greatest military invasion in history beginning with the Normandy Landings. June 22. The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act became a law, this is best known as the G.I. Bill. Oct. Battle of Leyte, where Douglas MacArthur’s troops land in the Philippines. Nov. Despite the events across the Atlantic, FDR wins his fourth term as president of the US. Dec. 16. In response to the invasion of Normandy, the German went on the offensive in what is known as the Battle of the Bulge. * British bombing of Hamburg from September 1939 – April 1945 created a firestorm killing more than 100,000. |
1945 | Feb. 4-11. Called by many names, the Yalta Conference or the Crimea Conference or even the Argonaut Conference, the “big three” leaders of the Allied forces discuss post-war Europe.
Apr. 1. U.S. troops land on Okinawa, the Battle of Okinawa takes place. Apr. 12. President Roosevelt dies after serving 4 terms as President of the US. Apr. 28. While trying to flee from Italy to Switzerland, Benito Mussolini is killed in Giulino. Apr. 30. Knowing that all was lost, Adolf Hitler commits suicide. May. 1. The end of World War II in Europe when Germany start surrendering. June 26. The United Nations Charter is signed and replaces the League of Nations. July 16. The infamous Manhattan Project detonates the world’s first atomic bomb. July 17. Truman, Churchill, & Stalin meet for two weeks to discuss postwar Europe at the Potsdam Conference. Aug. 6. The first atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima and two days later on Nagasaki. Aug. 14. Japan surrenders and completes the end of World War II. Sep. 2. Japanese representatives sign terms of surrender on the USS Missouri. Sep. The United States divide the Korean peninsula along the 38th Parallel, creating the North and South Korea’s. Nov. 20. Nuremberg Trials begin in Germany, prosecuting leaders of Nazi Germany. |