World War II

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York.  As president during two of the most serious events of the twentieth century – the Great Depression and World War II – FDR implemented sweeping reforms and negotiated powerful coalitions with world leaders that led to an Allied victory. 

Politician Walter Franklin George was born on January 29, 1878, in Preston, Georgia.  Representing Georgia in the US Senate for 35 years, he became one of the most powerful and respected men in Congress during his lifetime.

On January 28, 1945, the Burma Road, linking Burma with the southwest of China, was reopened. It was a vital supply road that helped contribute to victory in the region.

On January 18, 1919, composer-turned statesman Ignacy Paderewski was sworn in as the first prime minister of newly independent Poland.

On January 1, 1911, Henry Benjamin Greenberg was born in New York City, New York. One of the greatest sluggers in baseball history, he put his career on hold to serve 47 months with the Army during World War II, the most of any major league player.

On December 22, 1941, US and British leaders met at the White House for the first time to discuss military strategy for World War II. The Arcadia Conference, as it was known, established Allied goals for the war and laid the groundwork for the United Nations.

On December 1, 1941, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), was established in Washington, DC. Unpaid volunteers formed the Civil Air Patrol, using privately owned aircraft and their own funds to support the military.

On November 21, 1905, Einstein published a paper that presented one of the world’s most famous formulas — E=mc2.

Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr was born on November 18, 1923, in Derry, New Hampshire. He was the first American (second person after Yuri Gagarin) to travel into space and the fifth person to walk on the Moon.