Timeline

20th century

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. October 24, 1945★★★★★

   United Nations founded

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

   PoliticsTreaty· United States
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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
16. 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
17. 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
18. 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
19. 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
20. January 4, 1948★★★★★

    Independence of Burma

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

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

    Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

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

    DeathPolitics· India
22. 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
23. 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
24. 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
25. 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
26. 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
27. 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
28. 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
29. September 9, 1948★★★★★

    Democratic People's Republic of Korea established

    The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is proclaimed in the north of the peninsula, led by Kim Il Sung.

    Politics· North Korea
30. 1949★★★★★

    State of Vietnam established

    France establishes the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with former emperor Bảo Đại as head of state.

    Politics· Vietnam, France
31. April 4, 1949★★★★★

    NATO founded

    Twelve North American and Western European countries sign the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, creating the NATO collective defence alliance.

    TreatyPolitics· United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Iceland
32. May 23, 1949 – October 7, 1949★★★★★

    Germany divided: West and East Germany founded

    The Federal Republic of Germany is founded in the Western occupation zones, followed by the German Democratic Republic in the Soviet zone.

    Politics· Germany
33. October 1, 1949★★★★★

    Proclamation of the People's Republic of China

    Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of China at Tiananmen.

    PoliticsRevolution· China
34. December 1949★★★★★

    ROC government retreats to Taiwan

    Defeated in the Chinese Civil War, Chiang Kai-shek's government withdraws to Taiwan and makes Taipei its provisional capital.

    WarPolitics· Taiwan, China
35. December 27, 1949★★★★★

    Netherlands transfers sovereignty to Indonesia

    Following the Hague Round Table Conference, the Netherlands formally transfers sovereignty to the United States of Indonesia, ending the Indonesian National Revolution.

    TreatyPolitics· Indonesia, Netherlands
36. January 26, 1950★★★★★

    Constitution of India comes into force

    The constitution drafted under B. R. Ambedkar comes into force, making India a republic; the day is celebrated as Republic Day.

    Politics· India
37. June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953★★★★★

    Korean War

    North Korean forces cross the 38th parallel; the war, drawing in US-led UN forces and China, ends in an armistice in 1953.

    War· South Korea, North Korea, China, United States
38. September 8, 1951★★★★★

    Treaty of San Francisco

    Japan signs a peace treaty with the Allied powers, ending the occupation when it takes effect in 1952.

    Treaty· Japan, United States
39. July 23, 1952★★★★★

    Egyptian Revolution of 1952

    The Free Officers Movement overthrows King Farouk; Egypt becomes a republic and Gamal Abdel Nasser soon rises to lead it.

    RevolutionPolitics· Egypt
40. 1953 – 1956★★★★★

    Land reform in North Vietnam

    A land reform campaign in the North redistributes land, accompanied by many executions; the government later acknowledges errors and launches a rectification in 1956.

    PoliticsEconomy· Vietnam
41. March 5, 1953★★★★★

    Death of Joseph Stalin

    Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union since the mid-1920s, dies near Moscow, opening the way to de-Stalinisation under Khrushchev.

    DeathPolitics· Russia
42. April 25, 1953★★★★★

    Structure of DNA published

    James Watson and Francis Crick publish the double-helix model of DNA in Nature, drawing in part on Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction data.

    Science· United Kingdom
43. May 29, 1953★★★★★

    First ascent of Mount Everest

    Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first people confirmed to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.

    Exploration· Nepal
44. August 19, 1953★★★★★

    1953 Iranian coup d'état

    Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who had nationalised the oil industry, is overthrown in a US- and UK-backed coup that strengthens the Shah.

    Politics· Iran
45. 1954 – 1955★★★★★

    Operation Passage to Freedom

    During the 300-day free-movement period after the Geneva Accords, roughly 800,000 to one million people, many of them Catholics, move from North to South Vietnam.

    Politics· Vietnam, United States, France
46. March 13, 1954 – May 7, 1954★★★★★

    Battle of Điện Biên Phủ

    The Việt Minh assault the French garrison at Điện Biên Phủ; their victory on 7 May leads to the Geneva Accords.

    War· Vietnam, France
47. May 17, 1954★★★★★

    Brown v. Board of Education ruling

    The US Supreme Court rules that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.

    Politics· United States
48. July 21, 1954★★★★★

    Geneva Accords on Indochina

    The Geneva Conference ends the First Indochina War, temporarily partitioning Vietnam at the 17th parallel pending elections planned for 1956.

    Treaty· Vietnam, France, Laos, Cambodia, Switzerland
49. October 10, 1954★★★★★

    Việt Minh takes over Hanoi

    The Vietnam People's Army takes control of Hanoi as French forces withdraw under the Geneva Accords.

    Politics· Vietnam, France
50. November 1, 1954 – March 19, 1962★★★★★

    Algerian War of Independence

    The National Liberation Front (FLN) fights French rule; the war ends with the Évian Accords and Algerian independence in 1962.

    WarRevolution· Algeria, France