Japan signs a peace treaty with the Allied powers, ending the occupation when it takes effect in 1952.
North Korean forces cross the 38th parallel; the war, drawing in US-led UN forces and China, ends in an armistice in 1953.
Twelve North American and Western European countries sign the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, creating the NATO collective defence alliance.
Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of China at Tiananmen.
Defeated in the Chinese Civil War, Chiang Kai-shek's government withdraws to Taiwan and makes Taipei its provisional capital.
The United States enacts a large-scale economic aid programme to rebuild Western European economies after the Second World War.
The Soviet Union blocks road and rail access to West Berlin; the Western Allies respond by supplying the city through an airlift for almost a year.