World War II Key Events Quiz

Germany's Invasion of Poland

• Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, starting WWII.

American Isolationism

• Many Americans sought to avoid foreign conflicts, influenced by the costs and trauma of WWI.

Lend-Lease Act

• Before Pearl Harbor, the U.S. supplied war materials to Allied nations, including Britain and the Soviet Union.

Pearl Harbor

• Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, propelled the U.S. into WWII.

FDR's Speech to Congress (Dec. 8, 1941)

• FDR's speech declared December 7th a significant date, urging Congress to declare war on Japan.

Bataan Death March

• The Bataan Death March occurred in the Philippines in 1942. Japanese forces forced American and Filipino prisoners of war on a brutal march.

U.S. Economic Control During WWII

• The U.S. government controlled the economy by implementing rationing, regulating industries, and directing production for the war.

Rationing

• Rationing limited consumer goods to provide materials for the military and war production.

American Contributions to the War Effort

• Americans supported the war through rationing, buying war bonds, recycling materials, and working in war-related industries.

Victory Gardens

• Victory Gardens were homegrown gardens to boost food supplies and reduce demands on public resources.

Japanese American Internment

• Fear of espionage after Pearl Harbor led to the forced relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps.

Women and Minorities in WWII

• Women worked in factories and held auxiliary military roles, while minorities served in segregated units and contributed to war production.

Korematsu v. United States

• The Supreme Court case upheld the internment of Japanese Americans as constitutional, citing national security concerns.

D-Day

• Allied forces invaded Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, a pivotal moment during WWII.

Appeasement

• Appeasement involved giving into aggressors to avoid conflict; an example includes allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland.

U.S. Foreign Policy (1935-1941)

• U.S. foreign policy shifted from neutrality to assisting Allied nations through acts like the Lend-Lease Act.

WWI and WWII Connection

• The harsh Treaty of Versailles after WWI fuelled resentment in Germany, contributing to WWII.

Wilson's 14 Points and FDR's Atlantic Charter

• Both advocated for self-determination, free trade, and lasting peace.

Manhattan Project

• The Manhattan Project was the U.S. program to develop the atomic bomb.

Japan's Attack on Pearl Harbor

• Japan attacked Pearl Harbor to weaken the U.S. Pacific Fleet and advance its expansionist goals in Asia.

African American WWII Service

• African American service in segregated units during WWII influenced the post-war civil rights movement.

Tuskegee Airmen

• The Tuskegee Airmen were notable African American pilots.

Vernon Baker

• Vernon Baker received the Medal of Honor for his WWII heroism.

Pacific Theater Commanders

• General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz led the U.S. forces in the Pacific, using an island-hopping strategy to defeat Japan.

Battle of Midway

• A critical U.S. naval victory against Japan at Midway shifted the course of the war in the Pacific.

Flying Tigers

• American volunteer pilots supported China in its fight against Japan.

Navajo Code Talkers

• Navajo soldiers used their language to create an unbreakable communication code during WWII.

Atomic Bomb Controversy

• The use of atomic bombs in WWII ended the war rapidly but caused massive civilian causalities.

V-J Day

• V-J Day (Victory over Japan Day) commemorated Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945.

Holocaust

• The Holocaust, involving the genocide of 6 million Jews and others, raised awareness of human rights and the need to prevent future atrocities.