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1945

World War II: The U

World War II: The U.S. Army liberated Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, and killed German prisoners of war.

1982

Falklands War: HMS Sheffield was struck by an Exocet missile, killing 20 sailors and leading to its sinking six days lat

Falklands War: HMS Sheffield was struck by an Exocet missile, killing 20 sailors and leading to its sinking six days later—the first Royal Navy ship sunk in action since World War II.

1861

American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia, with Colonel Elmer E

American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia, with Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth becoming the first Union officer to be killed during the war.

1940

World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway

World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway. This is the first Allied infantry victory of the War.

1894

The Empire of Japan and Qing China declare war on each other after a week of fighting over Korea, formally…

The Empire of Japan and Qing China declare war on each other after a week of fighting over Korea, formally inaugurating the First Sino-Japanese War.

1965

Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins: United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong…

Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins: United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American ground battle of the war.

1945

Ten days after World War II ends with Japan announcing its surrender, armed supporters of the Chinese Communist Party…

Ten days after World War II ends with Japan announcing its surrender, armed supporters of the Chinese Communist Party kill U.S. intelligence officer John Birch, regarded by some of the American right�

1914

World War I: The German colony of Togoland surrenders to French and British forces after a 20-day campaign. Togoland…

World War I: The German colony of Togoland surrenders to French and British forces after a 20-day campaign. Togoland is the first German colony to fall to Allied hands in World War I.

1939

World War II: The submarine HMS Oxley is mistakenly sunk by the submarine HMS Triton near Norway and becomes the Royal…

World War II: The submarine HMS Oxley is mistakenly sunk by the submarine HMS Triton near Norway and becomes the Royal Navy's first loss of a submarine in the war.

1856

Second Opium War: Dissatisfied with imperial commissioner Ye Mingchen's reparations for the alleged slighting of a…

Second Opium War: Dissatisfied with imperial commissioner Ye Mingchen's reparations for the alleged slighting of a British-owned vessel and at Consul Harry Parkes's urging, British Rear-Admiral Michae�

1640

The Treaty of Ripon was agreed, ending the Second Bishops' War and forcing Charles I to summon the Long Parliament,…

The Treaty of Ripon was agreed, ending the Second Bishops' War and forcing Charles I to summon the Long Parliament, ultimately leading to the First English Civil War.

1799

The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during…

The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign.

1807

Napoleonic Wars: The British Royal Navy bombards Copenhagen with fire bombs and phosphorus rockets to prevent Denmark…

Napoleonic Wars: The British Royal Navy bombards Copenhagen with fire bombs and phosphorus rockets to prevent Denmark from surrendering its fleet to Napoleon.

1988

In Israel John Demjanjuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II, although the verdict is later o

In Israel John Demjanjuk is sentenced to death for war crimes committed in World War II, although the verdict is later overturned.

1775

American Revolutionary War: The war begins during the Battles of Lexington and Concord with a victory of American minute

American Revolutionary War: The war begins during the Battles of Lexington and Concord with a victory of American minutemen and other militia over British forces, later referred to as the "shot heard�

1752

Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57)

Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57).

1898

Spanish–American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports

Spanish–American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports. When the U.S. Congress issued a declaration of war on April 25, it declared that a state of war had existed from this dat�

1915

World War I: The use of poison gas in World War I escalates when chlorine gas is released as a chemical weapon in the Se

World War I: The use of poison gas in World War I escalates when chlorine gas is released as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres.

1877

Russo-Turkish War: The Russian Empire declares war on the Ottoman Empire

Russo-Turkish War: The Russian Empire declares war on the Ottoman Empire.

1965

Cold War: The Dominican Civil War broke out due to tensions following a military coup against the democratically elected

Cold War: The Dominican Civil War broke out due to tensions following a military coup against the democratically elected government of President Juan Bosch two years earlier.