Explore 6096 historical events from 1940–1949.
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many eng…
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army began the Battle of Edson's Ridge in an effort to retake Henderson Field on…
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many eng…
Second World War: HMS Curacoa (pictured) was accidentally rammed and sunk by RMS Queen Mary while escorting the liner…
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many eng…
World War II: American forces defeated the Japanese at the Third Battle of the Matanikau in Guadalcanal, Solomon…
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many eng…
World War II: At the Battle of Cape Esperance on the northwest coast of Guadalcanal, American ships intercepted and…
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many eng…
World War II: Japanese troops began an unsuccessful attempt to recapture Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the Solomon…
The Empire of Japan , also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the period of Japanese history spanning 79 years, starting with the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 18…
The Empire of Japan achieved a pyrrhic victory against the United States at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
Haile Selassie I was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia under Empress Zewditu between 1916 and 1930.
Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots' Victory
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. One of the main United States Army A…
The first flight of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
The Gloster E.28/39, was the first British turbojet-engined aircraft, first flying in 1941. It was the third turbojet aircraft to fly after the German Heinkel He 178 (1939) and Hei…
First flight of the Gloster E
Chongqing is a provincial-level direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. It is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of China and the only one located i…
World War II: Four thousand Chongqing residents are asphyxiated in a bomb shelter during the Bombing of Chongqing
Vichy France, also known as the Pétainist regime and Pétainist France, officially the French State, was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, e…
Having defeated forces of Vichy France, Allied forces capture Damascus
The Occupation of Iceland during World War II began with a British invasion in order to occupy the island and deny it to Germany. The military operation, codenamed Operation Fork, …
The US occupation of Iceland replaces the UK's occupation.
The Jedwabne pogrom was a massacre of Polish Jews in the town of Jedwabne, German-occupied Poland, on 10 July 1941, during World War II and the early stages of the Holocaust. Estim…
Jedwabne pogrom: Massacre of Polish Jews living in and near the village of Jedwabne.
After the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the Baltic states were under military occupation by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944. Initially, many Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuani…
Whole territory of Estonia is occupied by Nazi Germany.
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was construc…
Construction begins on the Pentagon.
Vsevobuch, a portmanteau for "Universal Military Training", was a system of compulsory military training for men practiced in the Russian SFSR governed by the Chief Administration …
World War II: A decree of the Soviet State Committee of Defense restores compulsory military training.
World War II: The Soviet Union introduces conscription for all males between the ages of 16 and 50.
World War II: The Soviet Union introduces conscription for all males between the ages of 16 and 50.
Georgios Siantos was a Greek politician and prominent figure of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) who served as acting general secretary of the party, and as a leader of the Nati…
World War II: The Greek National Liberation Front is established with Georgios Siantos as acting leader.
The Drama uprising was an uprising of the population of the northern Greek city of Drama and the surrounding villages on 28–29 September 1941 against the Bulgarian occupation regim…
World War II: The Drama uprising against the Bulgarian occupation in northern Greece begins.
The Battle of Rostov (1941) took place on the Eastern Front of World War II around Rostov-on-Don and was fought between Army Group South of Nazi Germany and the Southern Front of t…
World War II: During the preliminaries of the Battle of Rostov, German forces reach the Sea of Azov with the capture…
Allan Segal also known as Allan Fear-Segal was a BAFTA-winning documentary film maker. He spent the majority of his career working for Granada Television.
Allan Segal, American director and producer (died 2012)
Lagle Parek is an Estonian politician. She served as the Minister of the Interior in the first post-soviet government, led by the Prime Minister Mart Laar.
Lagle Parek, Estonian architect and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
Michael Daniel Higgins is an Irish politician, poet and broadcaster who served as the president of Ireland from November 2011 to November 2025. Entering national politics through t…
Michael D
Michel Roux, OBE, also known as Michel Roux Snr., was a French chef and restaurateur working in Britain. Along with his brother Albert, he opened Le Gavroche, which subsequently be…
Michel Roux, French-English chef and author (died 2020)