The United States detonates the world's first nuclear weapon in the New Mexico desert as part of the Manhattan Project.
Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet at Yalta to discuss the post-war reorganisation of Europe and the world.
One of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific War, causing heavy losses among soldiers and Okinawan civilians.
The Allies formally accept Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender, ending the Second World War in Europe.
The United States drops the first atomic bomb used in war on Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands instantly.
Japan signs the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, formally ending the Second World War.
The UN Charter enters into force after ratification by a majority of signatories.