What Happened in 1945?

FDR for a fourth term; Hitler goes into a bunker; Anne Frank; Korea divided; 1945 was a momentous year in history as World War II drew to a close. What else happened that year?

1. What Happened in 1945? Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in for a fourth term as President.

2. What Happened in 1945? Russians liberate the Lodz Ghetto—only 877 of the original 164,000 Jews who lived there are still alive

3. What Happened in 1945? The world’s first general purpose electronic computer, the ENIAC, is completed.

4. What Happened in 1945? George S. Patton dies from injuries received in a car accident

5. What Happened in 1945? The world’s population is roughly 2,300,000,000 ie 2 billion, 300 million, although World War II is tinkering with that number; not in a good way. Over 60 million people are estimated to die in this war, roughly three percent of entire human species, although some estimates bump that number to 80 million when including famine and war-related diseases. The Soviet Union suffers the most, with 13.7% of its population dying. Interestingly, Greece is next with somewhere between 7 to 11 percent of its population among the dead, while Nazi Germany suffers 8.26 to 8.86% loss

6. What Happened in 1945? The United States suffers 407,300 combat deaths, equating to .32% of its population with only six people killed in an attack on American soil when a woman and five children stumble across a Japanese balloon bomb in Oregon

7. What Happened in 1945? American troops occupy the southern part of Korea while Soviet troops occupy the northern part—this will have repercussions

8. What Happened in 1945? Eddie Slovak is executed for desertion, the first, and last, American soldier to be executed for this offense since the Civil War

9. What Happened in 1945? Oral penicillin in introduced

10. What Happened in 1945? Anne Frank dies

11. What Happened in 1945? Werner Von Braun and other German rocket scientists surrender to the Americans For more Operation Paperclip, see that Slideshare

12. What Happened in 1945?

13. What Happened in 1945? Arthur C. Clarke introduces the concept of a geosynchronous communications satellite

14. What Happened in 1945? The Yalta Conference between Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill tries to establish a post-war Europe

15. What Happened in 1945? The Zionist World Congress asks the British government to found Israel, Britain demurs for the time being.

16. What Happened in 1945? The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and 3 days later, another on Nagasaki

17. What Happened in 1945? Adolf Hitler takes up residence in the Fuhererbunker in Berlin on the 16 th of January and will remain there until his death

18. What Happened in 1945? Rod Stewart is born

19. What Happened in 1945? Churchill resigns as Prime Minister after being defeated in the popular election

20. What Happened in 1945? Auschwitz and Birkenau are liberated

21. What Happened in 1945? Five Grumman TBM Avengers in Flight 19 disappear on a training mission in what would be called the Bermuda Triangle For more on Flight 19

22. What Happened in 1945? The Wilhelm Gustloff is torpedoed and sinks, killing an estimated 10,000 on board—the greatest loss of life in a single ship sinking

23. What Happened in 1945? World War II officially ends on 1 September with the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay

24. What Happened on 14 February 1945? FDR is the first American President to meet a Saudi King. And the Dresden Firebombing.

25. It Is 14 February 1945 But What If It FDR doesn’t meet King Ibn Saud? And the Dresden Firebombing doesn’t occur?

26. Travel back in time to the Great Bitter Lake on 14 February 1945. The day on which the first time a U.S. President, Roosevelt, meets a Saudi King. Eagle’s Mission: Valentines Day

27. Travel back in time to Dresden, Germany on 14 February 1945. The day Dresden is firebombed. Doc’s Mission: Valentines Day

28. Free audiobook shorts on Soundcloud from the Time Patrol series. Click on box. Roland’s complete mission from Independence Day. 4 July 186 3 , at Gettysburg. HERE Mac’s complete mission from D-Day. 6 June 1944.

29. Click on Image for links

30. Print Book Free downloadable Powerpoint slideshows on survival, history writing, and interesting information are available HERE

31. New York Times bestselling author, graduate of West Point and former Green Beret. He’s had over 75 books published, including the #1 bestselling series Green Berets, Time Patrol, Area 51, and Atlantis. He’s sold over 5 million books. He was born in the Bronx and traveled the world. He’s lived on an island off the east coast, an island off the west coast, in the Rocky Mountains, the Smoky Mountains and other places, including time in East Asia studying martial arts. He now lives peacefully with his wife and dogs. www.bobmayer.com