1940s
The “Day of Infamy”, or so it was coined in a speech delivered to the American people by four term President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, marked the day the United States was attacked by the Empire of Japan.
December 7, 1941-Japan launches a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor destroying five battleships, three cruisers, several smaller vessels, and almost 200 airplanes
Two days after the tragedy at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt declared war on Japan and subsequently Germany, who was an ally of Japan.
1942. Sugar, gasoline, and coffee are rationed; sales of new cars and trucks are banned.
1943. Meat, fat, and cheese are rationed. Shoes are rationed to three pairs per person per year. Canned goods are rationed.
June 6, 1944-Allied forces invade Normandy (refereed to as "D-Day").
1944-FDR wins an unprecedented fourth term as President. By this time he was an ailing man during WWII.
December 1944-The Germans launch a counterattack in Belgium and Luxembourg named the Battle of the Bulge. Their unsuccessful attempt left Germany vulnerable against allied attacks. After this Hitler committed suicide and Germany surrendered to the Allies.
April 1945-President Roosevelt dies after his trip to Europe to meet with world leaders. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret project established on July 13th, 1942 to research and develop nuclear power and to test its application into weaponry.
June 26, 1945-The United Nations becomes established.
July 16, 1945-In the desert at Alamogordo, New Mexico, scientists detonated the world's first atomic bomb.
On August 6th, 1945, “Little Boy” was dropped onto Hiroshima from the bomber “Enola Gay”. When the bomb hit, the 600,000 inhabitants of the city of Hiroshima were either killed or severely injured due to shrapnel. Three days later, “Fat Man” was detonated at Nagasaki. Due to atmospheric conditions, the bomb didn't’t directly hit the city, but still caused a massive amount of damage.
September 2, 1945-Japanese leaders accept the American terms of surrender.
WWII was the biggest war America has ever fought in, and one of the most important. It got us out of the depression by creating jobs and transforming the industry into a war machine. This also allowed for new roles and new jobs for women. After the war with Harry Truman as President and atomic weapons proven successful, we started worrying about the communist threat here and overseas.
1942. "White Christmas" and "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" are popular songs.
January 9, 1942. Joe Louis successfully defends his heavyweight boxing title for the 20th time.
June 17, 1947. The first globe circumnavigating passenger airliner is inaugurated by Pan Am. The fare to travel around the world was $1700.
1947-Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to play baseball for the Major Leagues when he joins the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1948-Scientists invent the transistor, a pivotal part in sizing down computers and other technological devices.
1948-President Truman bans racial segregation in the armed forces.
1948 Columbia Records introduces "long playing" vinyl record
1940. Radios are in 30 million American homes.
Movies: Citizen Kane (1941); Casablanca (1942)It's a Wonderful Life (1946); The Grapes of Wrath (1940); The Maltese Falcon (1941); The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); The Philadelphia Story (1940); The Third Man (1949); The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) The Pulitzer Prize is awarded to Robert Penn Warren for All the King's Men (1947).
December 3, 1947. A Street Car Named Desire by Tennessee Williams opens in New York.
December, 1947. The children's television series "Howdy Doody" premieres on NBC.
April 7, 1949. The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific opens on Broadway.