Explore 1844 historical events from 1940–1949.
The German Instrument of Surrender was a legal document effecting the unconditional surrender of the remaining German armed forces to the Allies, ending World War II in Europe. It …
World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Berlin-Karlshorst comes into effect
The Sétif and Guelma massacre was a series of massacres by French colonial authorities and pied-noir European settler militias on Algerian civilians in May and June 1945 around the…
Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre
Yevgeny Ananyevich Khaldei was a Soviet naval officer and photographer. He is best known for his World War II photograph of a Soviet soldier raising a flag over the Reichstag in Be…
World War II: Yevgeny Khaldei's photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is published in Ogonyok magazine
Haakon VII was King of Norway from 1905 until his death in 1957, having reigned for nearly 52 years.
King Haakon VII of Norway returns from exactly five years in exile during World War II
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. Tanks and air…
World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters
Jasenovac was a concentration and extermination camp established in the village of the same name by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in occupied Yugoslavia…
World War II: Prisoners at the Jasenovac concentration camp revolt
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May.…
World War II: Sachsenhausen concentration camp is liberated by soldiers of the Red Army and Polish First Army
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Germany during the Nazi era from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the N…
World War II: Adolf Hitler's designated successor, Hermann Göring, sends him a telegram asking permission to take leader
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. Tanks and air…
World War II: United States and Soviet reconnaissance troops meet in Torgau and Strehla along the River Elbe, cutting th
The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State, equ…
The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists t
Thomas Hodge Allen is an American author and former politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Maine's 1st congressional district …
Tom Allen, American lawyer and politician
Bernard Arcand was a French-Canadian anthropologist, author and communicator. He was for several decades a professor of the anthropology department of Laval University.
Bernard Arcand, Canadian anthropologist and author (died 2009)
Liberation Day, also known as the Anniversary of Italy's Liberation, Anniversary of the Resistance, or simply 25 April, is a national holiday in Italy that commemorates the liberat…
World War II: Liberation Day (Italy): The National Liberation Committee for Northern Italy calls for a general uprising
The United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO), commonly known as the San Francisco Conference, was a convention of delegates from 50 Allied nations that took …
United Nations Conference on International Organization: Founding negotiations for the United Nations begin in San Franc
During World War II, the Lapland War saw fighting between Finland and Nazi Germany – effectively from September to November 1944 – in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland. Though…
World War II: The last German troops retreat from Finnish soil in Lapland, ending the Lapland War
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. Tanks and air…
World War II: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the Weh
Baguio, officially the City of Baguio, is a highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 368,426…
World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American tr
Michael Brandon is an American actor. He is known for his role as James Dempsey on the British drama series Dempsey and Makepeace (1985–86) and narrating the American dub of the ch…
Michael Brandon, American actor and director
Olga Karlatos is a retired Greek actress and Bermudian lawyer, known primarily for performing in Italian horror cinema.
Olga Karlatos, Greek actress and Bermudian lawyer
Thein Sein is a Burmese politician and retired army general who served as the eighth president of Myanmar from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as 11th prime minister from 2007 t…
Thein Sein, Burmese general and politician, 8th President of Burma
During World War II, the Lapland War saw fighting between Finland and Nazi Germany – effectively from September to November 1944 – in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland. Though…
World War II: The last German formations withdraw from Finland to Norway
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician, journalist, and dictator who led Italy as Il Duce from 1922 until his overthrow in 1943. He founded the fascist movement…
World War II: Benito Mussolini is arrested by Italian partisans in Dongo, while attempting escape disguised as a German
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician, journalist, and dictator who led Italy as Il Duce from 1922 until his overthrow in 1943. He founded the fascist movement…
Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are shot dead by Walter Audisio, a member of the Italian resistance move
The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered ar…
The Holocaust: Nazi Germany carries out its final use of gas chambers to execute 33 Upper Austrian socialist and communi