Timeline

20th century

1. 1940★★★★★

   Death of Phan Bội Châu

   Nationalist leader Phan Bội Châu dies in Huế after years under French house arrest.

   Death· Vietnam
2. March 23, 1940★★★★★

   Lahore Resolution

   The All-India Muslim League adopts a resolution calling for independent states in Muslim-majority areas, a step towards the creation of Pakistan.

   Politics· Pakistan, India
3. July 10, 1940 – October 31, 1940★★★★★

   Battle of Britain

   The Royal Air Force repels a large-scale air campaign by the Luftwaffe, forcing Hitler to postpone his planned invasion of Britain.

   War· United Kingdom, Germany
4. September 22, 1940 – September 26, 1940★★★★★

   Japanese invasion of French Indochina

   Japanese forces attack Lạng Sơn and land near Haiphong, compelling the French administration to accept Japanese bases in Tonkin.

   War· Vietnam, Japan, France
5. 1941 – 1945★★★★★

   The Holocaust

   Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murder some six million European Jews, along with millions of other victims.

   WarDeath· Germany, Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Czechia, Netherlands, France
6. May 19, 1941★★★★★

   Founding of the Việt Minh

   At Pác Bó, Hồ Chí Minh presides over the founding of the League for the Independence of Vietnam (Việt Minh).

   PoliticsRevolution· Vietnam
7. June 22, 1941★★★★★

   Operation Barbarossa: Germany invades the Soviet Union

   Nazi Germany and its allies launch a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, opening the Eastern Front, the largest theatre of the Second World War.

   War· Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia
8. September 8, 1941 – January 27, 1944★★★★★

   Siege of Leningrad

   German and Finnish forces besiege Leningrad for nearly 900 days; around a million civilians die, mostly from starvation.

   WarDisaster· Russia, Germany, Finland
9. December 7, 1941★★★★★

   Attack on Pearl Harbor

   The Imperial Japanese Navy launches a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, bringing the United States into World War II.

   War· United States, Japan
10. January 20, 1942★★★★★

    Wannsee Conference

    Senior Nazi officials meet at Wannsee near Berlin to coordinate the "Final Solution" to murder Europe's Jews.

    Politics· Germany
11. February 15, 1942★★★★★

    Fall of Singapore

    British forces in Singapore surrender to Japan, the largest capitulation in British military history, beginning the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

    War· Singapore, United Kingdom, Japan
12. August 8, 1942★★★★★

    Quit India Movement

    The Congress launches a campaign demanding an immediate end to British rule in India; Gandhi and other leaders are arrested.

    PoliticsRevolution· India
13. August 23, 1942 – February 2, 1943★★★★★

    Battle of Stalingrad

    The Red Army encircles and forces the surrender of the German Sixth Army, a decisive turning point on the Eastern Front.

    War· Russia, Germany
14. 1943★★★★★

    Bengal famine of 1943

    A wartime famine in British-ruled Bengal kills an estimated two to three million people.

    Disaster· India, Bangladesh
15. July 5, 1943 – August 23, 1943★★★★★

    Battle of Kursk

    Germany's last major offensive on the Eastern Front fails against Soviet defences in one of the largest tank battles in history.

    War· Russia, Germany
16. 1944 – 1945★★★★★

    Vietnamese famine of 1945

    A famine in northern Vietnam under French and Japanese rule kills an estimated 400,000 to 2 million people.

    Disaster· Vietnam
17. June 6, 1944★★★★★

    D-Day: the Normandy landings

    Allied forces carry out the largest seaborne invasion in history on the Normandy coast, opening a Western Front to liberate Western Europe.

    War· France, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany
18. January 27, 1945★★★★★

    Liberation of Auschwitz

    The Red Army liberates the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, where about 1.1 million people were murdered; the date is now International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

    War· Poland, Germany, Russia
19. February 4, 1945 – February 11, 1945★★★★★

    Yalta Conference

    Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet at Yalta to discuss the post-war reorganisation of Europe and the world.

    PoliticsTreaty· Ukraine, United States, United Kingdom, Russia
20. March 9, 1945★★★★★

    Japanese coup in French Indochina

    Japan overthrows the French administration in Indochina; Bảo Đại then proclaims the Empire of Vietnam with Trần Trọng Kim as prime minister.

    WarPolitics· Vietnam, Japan, France
21. April 1, 1945 – June 22, 1945★★★★★

    Battle of Okinawa

    One of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific War, causing heavy losses among soldiers and Okinawan civilians.

    War· Japan, United States
22. April 30, 1945★★★★★

    Death of Adolf Hitler

    As the Red Army closes in on Berlin, Adolf Hitler kills himself in his underground bunker.

    Death· Germany
23. May 8, 1945★★★★★

    Victory in Europe Day

    The Allies formally accept Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender, ending the Second World War in Europe.

    War· Germany, United Kingdom, United States, France, Russia
24. July 16, 1945★★★★★

    Trinity nuclear test

    The United States detonates the world's first nuclear weapon in the New Mexico desert as part of the Manhattan Project.

    ScienceTechnology· United States
25. August 1945★★★★★

    Abdication of Bảo Đại

    Bảo Đại, the last Nguyễn emperor, abdicates and hands the imperial seal and sword to the revolutionary government at Huế, ending the monarchy.

    PoliticsDynasty· Vietnam
26. August 6, 1945★★★★★

    Atomic bombing of Hiroshima

    The United States drops the first atomic bomb used in war on Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands instantly.

    WarDisaster· Japan, United States
27. August 17, 1945★★★★★

    Proclamation of Indonesian Independence

    Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim Indonesia's independence in Jakarta, beginning the revolution against Dutch rule.

    RevolutionPolitics· Indonesia
28. August 19, 1945★★★★★

    August Revolution

    The Việt Minh seize power in Hanoi on 19 August, then in Huế and Saigon; Emperor Bảo Đại abdicates at the end of the month.

    Revolution· Vietnam
29. September 2, 1945★★★★★

    Surrender of Japan

    Japan signs the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, formally ending the Second World War.

    WarTreaty· Japan, United States
30. September 2, 1945★★★★★

    Vietnamese Declaration of Independence

    Hồ Chí Minh reads the Declaration of Independence at Ba Đình Square, proclaiming the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

    PoliticsRevolution· Vietnam
31. October 24, 1945★★★★★

    United Nations founded

    The UN Charter enters into force after ratification by a majority of signatories.

    PoliticsTreaty· United States
32. November 20, 1945 – October 1, 1946★★★★★

    Nuremberg trials

    An international military tribunal tries leading Nazi figures for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    Politics· Germany, United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia
33. February 1946★★★★★

    ENIAC unveiled

    ENIAC, the first programmable general-purpose electronic digital computer, is unveiled to the public at the University of Pennsylvania.

    Technology· United States
34. March 5, 1946★★★★★

    Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech

    At Fulton, Missouri, Winston Churchill declares that an "iron curtain" has descended across Europe, a symbolic marker of the early Cold War.

    Politics· United Kingdom, United States
35. July 4, 1946★★★★★

    Philippines gains independence from the United States

    Under the Treaty of Manila, the United States recognises the independence of the Republic of the Philippines.

    PoliticsTreaty· Philippines, United States
36. December 19, 1946 – 1954★★★★★

    First Indochina War

    War between the Việt Minh and France breaks out in Hanoi and lasts until the Geneva Accords of 1954.

    War· Vietnam, France, Laos, Cambodia
37. February 28, 1947★★★★★

    February 28 Incident in Taiwan

    An uprising against the Kuomintang administration in Taiwan is suppressed, killing thousands and ushering in the White Terror.

    PoliticsWar· Taiwan
38. May 3, 1947★★★★★

    Constitution of Japan takes effect

    The postwar constitution makes the emperor a symbol of the state, and its Article 9 renounces war.

    Politics· Japan
39. August 15, 1947★★★★★

    Independence of India

    British India is partitioned into the independent dominions of India and Pakistan, accompanied by mass migration and violence.

    Politics· India, Pakistan, United Kingdom
40. November 29, 1947★★★★★

    UN Partition Plan for Palestine

    The UN General Assembly adopts Resolution 181, recommending the partition of Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.

    PoliticsTreaty· Israel, Palestine
41. December 1947★★★★★

    Invention of the transistor

    John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley at Bell Labs build the first working transistor, the foundation of modern electronics.

    TechnologyScience· United States
42. January 4, 1948★★★★★

    Independence of Burma

    The Union of Burma becomes independent from Britain, choosing not to join the Commonwealth.

    Politics· Myanmar, United Kingdom
43. January 30, 1948★★★★★

    Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

    Gandhi is shot dead in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist.

    DeathPolitics· India
44. February 4, 1948★★★★★

    Independence of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

    Ceylon becomes an independent dominion within the Commonwealth, ending British colonial rule.

    Politics· Sri Lanka, United Kingdom
45. April 3, 1948★★★★★

    Marshall Plan

    The United States enacts a large-scale economic aid programme to rebuild Western European economies after the Second World War.

    EconomyPolitics· United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands
46. May 14, 1948★★★★★

    Israeli Declaration of Independence

    David Ben-Gurion proclaims the State of Israel in Tel Aviv as the British Mandate for Palestine ends.

    Politics· Israel
47. May 15, 1948 – 1949★★★★★

    1948 Arab–Israeli War

    Neighbouring Arab states go to war with Israel; the war ends with the 1949 armistice agreements, and about 700,000 Palestinians flee or are expelled from their homes.

    War· Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq
48. May 26, 1948★★★★★

    National Party wins power and apartheid begins

    The National Party won South Africa's general election and began enacting apartheid, a legally enforced system of racial segregation that lasted until the early 1990s.

    Politics· South Africa
49. June 24, 1948 – May 12, 1949★★★★★

    Berlin Blockade and Airlift

    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.

    Politics· Germany, Russia, United States, United Kingdom, France
50. August 15, 1948★★★★★

    Republic of Korea established

    The government of the Republic of Korea is established in the south of the peninsula, with Syngman Rhee as president.

    Politics· South Korea