# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Japanese General Iwane Matsui marching into the city of Nanking following the massacre 

# data[].attributes.body
July 7, 1937 - Japan launches a full-scale invasion of China beginning with an attack on Marco Polo Bridge, invasion of Shanghai, and later the "The Rape of Nanking" (pictured above).

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
German soldiers marching into Warsaw following following the fall of Poland 

# data[].attributes.body
September 1, 1939 - Germany invades Poland using Blitzkrieg "Lightning War". This triggers Britain and France to declare war on Germany and, in turn, the Second World War.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
From left to right, Saburō Kurusu (Japan), Galeazzo Ciano (Italy) and Adolf Hitler (Germany)

# data[].attributes.body
September 27, 1940 - Germany, Japan, and Italy sign the Tripartite Pact officially forming the Axis Powers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signing the Lend-Lease Act

# data[].attributes.body
March 11, 1941 - Responding to Axis aggression which seemed to threaten America's global influence, FDR signs the Lend-Lease Act which allowed the United States to provide other nations with arms, food, and other war supplies in order to promote defense of the United States. While the U.S. continued to remain neutral, it largely supplied the Allied Powers (Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and China).

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Political cartoon showing Uncle Sam (U.S.) cutting off oil supplying a Japanese soldier's tank

# data[].attributes.body
July 26, 1941 - United States places an oil embargo on Japan in response to the latter's invasion of British, French, Dutch, and American colonies in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Destruction of an oil well driller in Pearl Harbor following a surprise attack by Japan

# data[].attributes.body
December 7, 1941 - In response to the oil embargo, Japan engages in a surprise attack on the United States, attacking a naval base located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
"A Date that will live in Infamy" - President FDR's speech to Congress declaring war on Japan 

# data[].attributes.body
December 8, 1941 - The U.S. declares war on Japan. This causes Germany to declare war on the United States. As a result, the U.S. officially enters the war on the side of the Allied Powers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Aircraft on USS Lexington during the naval battle 

# data[].attributes.body
May 8, 1942 - The Battle of the Coral Sea serves as one of the first major naval battles between the U.S. and Japan in which Japanese expansion in the Pacific was halted. It is historically significant as the first naval battle in which opposing fleets did not engage in combat with each other. Instead, fighting was done via sending aircraft to attack the opposing fleet. While Japan would win this battle in terms of a tactical victory, this served as a strategic victory for helping the U.S. to eventually win the war.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
USS Yorktown, damaged at the Battle of Midway but not yet knocked out of the fight 

# data[].attributes.body
July 10, 1942 - The U.S. and Japan meet again at Battle of Midway, a conflict that is seen as a major turning point that swung momentum in favor of the United States. This battle demonstrated that the U.S. could play the war of attrition while Japan could not.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
American troops alongside British and other allies on tanks 

# data[].attributes.body
November 8, 1942 - The U.S. joins its allies in Operation Torch, an Allied invasion of French North Africa. This serves as the first involvement of U.S. troops in the European-North African Theatre.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Allied artillery being landed during the invasion of mainland Italy at Salerno 

# data[].attributes.body
September 3, 1943 - The U.S. joins an Allied Invasion of Italy. This quick victory opens up the door for a counteroffensive to strike Nazi Germany.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
American troops landing on the beaches of Normandy 

# data[].attributes.body
June 6, 1944 - The U.S. partakes in a coalition with Britain and its Common Wealth nations, launching an attack on Germany. This serves as a critical point in turning the tide in Europe favoring the Allies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
American soldiers of the 84th Infantry Division loading artillery 

# data[].attributes.body
December 16, 1944 - The Battle of the Bulge served as the last major German offensive campaign in the European Theatre. Following the defeat of the Germans, the U.S. and its allies were able to push closer into the heart of the Third Reich.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
U.S. Marines planting the American flag at the top of Mt. Suribachi 

# data[].attributes.body
February 19, 1945 - Employing the strategy of island hopping, the U.S. and its allies recaptures Oceania and parts of Southeast Asia from the Japanese between 1942 and 1944. The Battle of Iwo Jima serves as major battle that would result in a U.S. victory. It allowed the U.S. to push back against Japan's stronghold in the Pacific as well as establish a military presence that would aid in their moving closer to the Japanese homeland.

# data[].attributes.body
April 1, 1945 - The Battle of Okinawa serves as one of the last major battles between the U.S. and Japan. Taking place on one of the main islands of the Japanese archipelago, it served as the largest and bloodiest between the two opposing sides. Recognizing this and hoping for a swift total surrender, the Battle of Okinawa be influential in America's decision to drop the Atomic Bomb.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Americans celebrating the victory in Europe

# data[].attributes.body
May 7, 1945 - Following the fall of Berlin by the U.S. and Soviet Union and the death of Adolph Hitler, Germany officially surrenders. This marks V-E (Victory in Europe) Day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right) 

# data[].attributes.body
August 6 & 9 of 1945 - United States drops atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Americans celebrating the victory over Japan

# data[].attributes.body
September 2, 1945 - Following the droppings of the Atomic Bombs, Japan officially surrenders to the United States, marking V-J (Victory in Japan) Day as well as the end of the Second World War.