1944 On June 6th 1944 the D-DAY invasion ( Operation Overlord ) starts with allied forces crossing the English Channel to land in Normandy which signaled the end of the war in Europe. Meanwhile London had the first attacks from V2 rockets , which caused further devastation to an already badly bombed city. Glenn Miller is reported missing following a plane crash and people throughout the US and UK are encouraged to grow any vegetables they can in gardens to help ease the food shortages.
World War II 1944
- Operation Overlord, code named D-Day, commences with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France.
- Paris is liberated from Nazi occupation August 25th
- Germany Launches the V1 rockets / Doodlebugs against London
- London is hit by a V2 rocket for the first time.
- The Battle of the Bulge beginning on December 16th is one of the deadliest battles in World War II with 19,000 US soldiers killed
- The Allies assemble the largest force of Air Power used who bombed railways and other targets in Germany
- US Marines Land On Guam in the South Pacific to take back the Island From the Japanese
- Assassination Attempt on Hitler Fails
- 32 British Lancaster bombers sink the mighty German battleship Tirpitz.
- Polish Freedom Fighters fight to liberate Warsaw from German occupation ends with 18,000 soldiers killed and 150,000 civilians murdered.
- The Siege of Leningrad is finally broken after 872 days
- Russia and the Polish Home Army liberate Poland from Nazi occupation
- US Forces liberate Rome and Italy
- The US Bombs Tokyo for the first time with B-29 Super fortress bombers
What Events Happened in 1944
- In Britain the Education Act lifts the ban on women teachers marrying.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the only U.S. president to be elected to a fourth term.
- The Government gives back railroads to companies after labor disputes are settled
- The GI Bill of Rights is passed
- A 5.9 earthquake hits Central New York
- Meat Rationing Ended in USA
- The CIA is Formed
- Earthquake in San Juan, Argentina, kills 8000-10000 people
Inventions Invented by Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use ) 1944
Kidney Dialysis Netherlands by Willem Kolff
Sunscreen USA by Benjamin Green
( he was trying to invent something to protect soldiers in the Second World War from Sunburn ). He then went on to create the Coppertone Company and the rest as they say is history
Popular Culture 1944
- Sir Henry Wood, aged 75, conducts his last Promenade Concert
- 15yr old Anne Frank is captured by the Germans and sent to a concentration camp
- Glenn Miller is reported missing.
Born This Year 1944
Tim Rice November 10thDanny DeVito November 17th
Diana Ross March 26th
George Lucas May 14th
Major World Political Leaders 1944
Australia Prime Minister John CurtinBrazil President Getúlio Vargas
Canada Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
Germany Chancellor Adolf Hitler
Italy Prime Minister Marshal Pietro Badoglio Till 18 June
Italy Prime Minister Ivanoe Bonomi From 18 June
Japan Prime Minister Hideki Tojo Till 22 July
Japan Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso From 22 July
Mexico President Manuel Ávila Camacho
Russia / Soviet Union
General Secretary of the Central Committee Joseph Stalin
South Africa Prime Minister Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts
United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt
United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Political Elections 1944
United States Presidential Election 1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) Defeats Thomas E. Dewey (Republican)
The Information above is taken from our new page that gives world leaders from 1920 to current.
WorldLeaders

