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1914

World War I: Brussels is captured during the German invasion of Belgium.

World War I: Brussels is captured during the German invasion of Belgium.

1944

World War II: Canadian and Polish units capture the strategically important town of Falaise, Calvados, France.

World War II: Canadian and Polish units capture the strategically important town of Falaise, Calvados, France.

1942

World War II: The Guadalcanal campaign: American forces defeat an attack by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers in the…

World War II: The Guadalcanal campaign: American forces defeat an attack by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers in the Battle of the Tenaru.

1918

World War I: The Second Battle of the Somme begins.

World War I: The Second Battle of the Somme begins.

1914

World War I: The Battle of Charleroi, a successful German attack across the River Sambre that pre-empted a French…

World War I: The Battle of Charleroi, a successful German attack across the River Sambre that pre-empted a French offensive in the same area.

1944

World War II: A combined Canadian–Polish force captured the town of Falaise, France, in the final offensive of the…

World War II: A combined Canadian–Polish force captured the town of Falaise, France, in the final offensive of the Battle of Normandy.

1942

World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army lost the Battle of the Tenaru, the first of its three major land offensives…

World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army lost the Battle of the Tenaru, the first of its three major land offensives during the Guadalcanal campaign.

1944

World War II: Holocaust of Kedros in Crete by German forces.

World War II: Holocaust of Kedros in Crete by German forces.

1914

First World War: German forces captured Rossignol in Belgium, taking more than 3,800 French prisoners.

First World War: German forces captured Rossignol in Belgium, taking more than 3,800 French prisoners.

1914

First World War: A squadron of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards attacked a German scout party, the first engagement…

First World War: A squadron of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards attacked a German scout party, the first engagement of British forces on the Western Front.

1994

Eugene Bullard, the only African American pilot in World War I, is posthumously commissioned as Second Lieutenant in…

Eugene Bullard, the only African American pilot in World War I, is posthumously commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

1944

World War II: Marseille is liberated by the Allied forces.

World War II: Marseille is liberated by the Allied forces.

1944

World War II: King Michael of Romania dismisses the pro-Nazi government of Marshal Antonescu, who is later arrested.…

World War II: King Michael of Romania dismisses the pro-Nazi government of Marshal Antonescu, who is later arrested. Romania switches sides from the Axis to the Allies.

1943

World War II: Kharkiv is liberated by the Soviet Red Army for the second time after the Battle of Kursk.

World War II: Kharkiv is liberated by the Soviet Red Army for the second time after the Battle of Kursk.

1942

World War II: Beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad.

World War II: Beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad.

1939

World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In a secret protocol to the pact,…

World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In a secret protocol to the pact, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania are divided into German and�

1914

World War I: The British Expeditionary Force and the French Fifth Army begin their Great Retreat before the German Army.

World War I: The British Expeditionary Force and the French Fifth Army begin their Great Retreat before the German Army.

1914

In their first major action of the First World War, the British Expeditionary Force engaged German troops in Mons,…

In their first major action of the First World War, the British Expeditionary Force engaged German troops in Mons, Belgium.

1944

World War II: Allied troops begin the attack on Paris.

World War II: Allied troops begin the attack on Paris.

1942

World War II: The Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō is sunk, with the loss of seven…

World War II: The Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō is sunk, with the loss of seven officers and 113 crewmen. The US carrier USS Enterprise is heavily damaged.